Putin, Vladimir (1952–)

Born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second president of Russia. During his one-year appointment as the last of Boris Yeltsin's prime ministers, he unexpectedly became acting president of Russia on December 31, 1999, following Yeltsin's resignation after 8 years in power. Putin's first decision was to grant immunity from prosecution to his predecessor, who had been under investigation for money laundering by Russian and Swiss authorities. Elected president in the first round by a clear majority of 57%, Putin projected the image of a literally and metaphorically strong leader (a judo black belt), a welcome change for Russians nostalgic about the country's glorious past. Putin's firm approach to the Chechen crisis combined with his law-and-order image have kept his popularity high throughout his presidency, as reflected in his 2004 reelection with 71% of the vote.

With a degree in international law from the Leningrad State University, Putin speaks near-native German and acceptable English. Before becoming a prominent Russian politician, he spent most of his career in the KGB. Having completed training at the KGB School in Moscow, between 1985 and 1990 he was stationed in Dresden, Germany. In the 1990s he changed positions frequently and received a degree in economics from the Saint Petersburg Mining Institute. Immediately prior to his nomination as prime minister, Putin was head of the FSB (successor to the KGB) and a permanent member, and then head, of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.

[Page 687]Domestically, Putin focused much of his efforts in office on overturning the negative population growth that threatens the very existence of the Russian people. His policies are characterized by concentration of political power and renationalization of critical economic sectors such as oil and gas industries.

Intent on taking Russia back to its strong international position without directly repeating the Cold War rhetoric, Putin is popular at home but increasingly controversial internationally. What started out as an almost unconditionally approving response of the United States and European Union (EU) to Putin's Russia has slowly turned into a more critical view of his rule. The world has let Putin know it does not like Russia's suppression of media, court, and legislative freedoms, and the treatment of Kremlin critics. Several events have been particularly controversial: the prosecution and imprisonment of Russia's richest man, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, president of Yukos oil company and Putin's frequent critic, for tax evasion; the Beslan school hostage crisis; former KGB agent Aleksander Litvinienko's deathbed accusation of Putin poisoning him; the murder of political journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who extensively criticized Putin's policy in Chechnya; the poisoning of a Ukrainian opposition presidential candidate; and numerous limitations on media freedoms.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Putin's Russia is the third most dangerous place in which to work, after Iraq and Algeria, and Politkovskaya was the 13th journalist to be killed in Russia in 2006. Informal and formal government control of the media has increased through punitive tax audits and hostile takeovers, leading to the situation where “all three major television stations are in the hands of Kremlin loyalists.”

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