Vladimir Putin

Photo: AP/Alexander Zemlianichenko

Full name:

 

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin

Nickname:

 

The Grey Cardinal

Born:

 

7 October 1952, Leningrad (Saint Petersburg)

Role:

 

President of Russia

Party:

 

United Russia

Education:

 

Law degree from Leningrad State University

Career:

• KGB operative 1975 to 1991, retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel
• Adviser to Saint Petersburg administration 1991-96
• Deputy chief of Presidential Staff to Boris Yeltsin, 1997
• Acting President of Russia on Boris Yeltsin's resignation, 1999-2000
• President of Russia, 2000-2008
• Prime Minister of Russia, 2008-2012
• President of Russia, after constitutional changes allowed him to run again, 2012-present

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"At last, Russia has returned to the world arena as a strong state – a country that others heed and that can stand up for itself."

- Vladimir Putin, 2008