Vladimir Putin Biography

Vladimir Putin was born to Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin and Maria Ivanovna Putina on 7th October, 1952, in Saint Petersberg, Soviet Union.

During 1960-68, he attended the Primary School No. 193 located at Baskov Lane. He then joined the High School No. 281, and even took interest in sports like sambo (a martial art form) and judo.

In 1970, he enrolled at the Leningrad State University Law Department, and as a student he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. During the same time, he encountered the Russian politician Anatoly Sobchak.

He worked on his thesis entitled The Most Favored Nation Trading in International Law, and in 1975, he graduated from the university.

Soon after graduating from law school, Vladimir Putin entered the government-run intelligence agency KGB (Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti). At the beginning of 1980s, he was trained at the KGB School No. 1, Moscow.

He worked for the KGB agency’s Directorate Secretariat and then was employed at the Counterintelligence Division. He was again sent for training by KGB to Andropov Red Banner Institute to prepare him for his trip to Germany.

During the period 1985-90, he operated in the Dresden city of East Germany as an undercover agent. Vladimir’s hard work earned him the position of lieutenant colonel and eventually he became the senior assistant to the head of the department in the intelligence office.

In 1990, he traveled back to Leningrad and was appointed to the Leningrad State University as the rector, in which capacity he handled international relations.

He chaired the Committee for International Relations at St. Petersburg City Hall in 1991. A few years later, he joined the St. Petersburg City Government as the Deputy Chairman. Soon after joining the City Hall, he resigned from his post at the KGB.

He shifted to Moscow in the year 1996, along with his family, and there he was appointed to the Presidential Property Management Directorate as the Deputy Chief. The following year, he joined the Presidential Executive Office as the Deputy Chief of Staff and also Chief of Main Control Directorate.

He became the First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office in 1998, and the same year, he joined office as the Director of the Federal Security Service. The following year, he became the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.

He was chosen as the Prime Minister of Russia by the then President of Russia Boris Yeltsin in 1999. By the end of that year, the then President stepped down, nominating Vladimir Putin as his successor for the post.

In March 2000, he was elected as the President of Russia and also served a second term after being re-elected to the office in 2004.

As per Russian constitution, he was ineligible to run for presidency for the third consecutive term. Hence, in 2008, Dmitry Medvedev ran for the office of the President and won the election. Medvedev appointed Vladimir Putin as the Prime Minister of Russia.

In 2011, the presidential term was extended from four years to six years. In 2012, Putin once again contested the presidential election and won by polling 64% of vote.

In 2018, he was re-elected for the fourth term as the President. He got 76% of votes and will be in office till 2024.

The 2010 Russian Wildfire had a huge aftermath. Crops were destroyed and thousands died due to the smog that was created by the fire. The President took special care to help people overcome this situation and he himself took charge of the reconstruction of homes and provided compensation to the victims.

In 2014, Vladimir Putin ordered Russian army into Ukrainian territory and annexed Crimea after a disputed referendum in which Crimeans voted to join the Russian Federation. As a result of this, many countries slapped economic sanctions against Russia.   

In 2015, on request of the Syrian government, Vladimir Putin authorized the Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War to help Syrian government in their fight against rebel and jihadist groups.

Putin has been accused by America of meddling in the 2016 American presidential elections. He has been accused of personally ordering a campaign to denigrate Hillary Clinton and to harm her electoral chances. But Putin has denied any interference in the American presidential election.

He received the Bronze Medal for Faithful Service to the National People’s Army issued by the German Democratic Republic in the year 1989.

In 2006, he was felicitated with the Grand-Croix (Grand Cross) by the President of France, Jacques Chirac. The following year, he was named Person of the Year by Time magazine.

Vladimir Putin was the recipient of the King Abdul Aziz Award in 2007 by Saudi King Abdullah. The same year, he was awarded with the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Award by the president of the UAE.

In 2011, he was awarded with an honorary doctorate by the University of Belgrade.

On 28th July 1983, Vladimir Putin married Lyudmila Shkrebneva after a courtship of about three years. The couple was blessed with two daughters, Maria and Yekaterina.

Over the years, Vladimir Putin has been romantically linked to several women, but these are regarded as rumors and Putin has denied such allegations. Vladimir Putin and Lyudmila Shkrebneva announced their separation in 2013 and within a year, their divorce was finalized.

A street in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, has been named after him as Vladimir Putin Avenue. A peak in Tian Shan Mountains has also been named after this politician as Vladimir Putin Peak.

Vladimir Putin is known for his love of animals, particularly his black Labrador retriever named Konni.

Putin is a skilled judo practitioner and has been practicing the martial art since he was a teenager.

Despite his tough image, Putin has a playful side and has been known to showcase his sense of humor in public appearances.

Putin has a passion for adventure and has been photographed engaging in various outdoor activities such as fishing, horseback riding, and swimming.

Putin is multilingual and is fluent in several languages, including German and English.