Rama Krishna Sangem
Getting a landslide victory in the Russian presidential elections, ex-KGB officer Vladimir Putin, 71, extended his reign for another the six-year term. The former KGB lieutenant colonel secured 87.8 per cent votes in an election marred by accusations of a hand-picked, toothless opposition, laying the red carpet for an easy win for the incumbent President. So, Putin will rule Russia and dominate the world politics for some more years to come, till 2030.
The three-day election was marked by a rapid increase in bombing Ukraine, and vandalism at polling stations. And soon after coming to power, the Russian President issued a stern warning to the West that any direct conflict between NATO and Russia would result in World War 3, but ‘nobody wants that to happen’.
Putin will now serve a six-year term as the Russian President. If he completes his tenure, he will overtake Catherine ‘the Great’ as the longest-serving Russian leader. The former empress reigned over Russia for 34 years, four months between 1762 and 1796. The former general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, served for 30 years between 1922 and 1952.
How he began?
Putin has been the Russian President since 2012 for consecutive terms, a journey which began as the country’s Prime Minister from 1999-2000, followed by President post between 2000-2008, and again as Prime Minister from 2008-2012. Prior to becoming the top leader, Putin worked as a KGB foreign intelligence officer for 16 years before resigning in 1991 for a career in politics.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, he transitioned into politics, serving in various administrative roles in Saint Petersburg. His affiliation with Anatoly Sobchak, the city’s mayor at the time, laid the foundation for his rapid rise
Putin’s early life
Born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Putin had humble beginnings. His mother was a factory worker, and his father was a conscript in the Soviet Navy in the early 1930s. According to his official biography, he graduated in law at the Saint Petersburg State University in 1975 and joined the KGB. In 1984, Putin was sent to Moscow for further training at the Yuri Andropov Red Banner Institute and served in Dresden, East Germany, using a cover identity as a translator.
In 1989, he reportedly saved the files of the Soviet Cultural Center and the KGB villa in Dresden for the official authorities of the soon-to-be united Germany to prevent demonstrators, including KGB and Stasi agents, from obtaining and destroying them. He explained that many documents were left in Germany only because the furnace burst, but many documents from the KGB villa were sent to Moscow.
