EARLY LIFE
Vladimir Viladimiroch Putin was born on 7 October 1952 in Leningrad now known as Saint Petersburg and studied law at Leningrad State University and graduated in 1975.He worked as KGB Intelligent officer for 16 years. KGB was the main security agency for the Soviet Union. He later rose to the rank of lieutenant Colonel before resigning in 1991 to begin a political career in Saint Petersburg.
He moved to Moscow in 1996 to join administration of president Borish Yeltsin. He later briefly served as the director of the federal security service (FSB) and secretary of the security council before being appointed as Prime Minister in August 1999.After the resignation of Yeltsin, Putin became acting president and less than four months later was elected to his first term as the president and reelected in 2004.
POLITICAL CAREER.
When Putin became president, the constitution limited to two consecutives as president, Putin served as prime minister again in 2008 to 2012 and returned to presidency in 2012 in election marred by allegations of fraud and protests. He was re-elected again in 2018.However in 2021 following a referendum he signed a law constitutional amendment including one that would allow him to run for reelections twice or more, extending his presidency to 2036 if possible.
During his first term the Russia Economy grew for eight consecutive years with GDP measured by purchasing power increased by 72%. Russian Self assessed life satisfaction rose. The growth was a result of increased prices in the price of oil and gas which constitutes the majority of Russian exports, recovery from the financial crisis following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Putin also led Russia to victory in the second Chechen war.
During his third term oil prices fell followed with International sanctions imposed at the beginning of 2014.After Russia launched a military intervention in Ukraine, This led to GDP shrinking by 3.7% in 2015,though the economy bounced back in 2016 with 0.3%.During his fourth term, the covid-19 pandemic hit Russia and presided over a military buildup on the boarder of Ukraine from 2021 to February 2022.This is when the Putin ordered a full invasion of Ukraine leading to the International condemnation .This led International sanctions against Russia and against Putin for causing a financial crisis.
Under Putin leadership Russia has experienced a democratic backsliding from shifting of authoritarianism. His rule has been criticized for corruption, the jailing and repression of political opponents, the intimidation and suppression of media freedom and lack of free and fair elections. Russia under Putin Leadership has scored poorly on Transparency over the years.
PERSONAL LIFE
On 28 July 1983, Putin married Lyudmila shkrebneva and they lived in East Germany from 1985 to 1990.The two have two daughters named Mariya Putin born on 28 April 1985 in Leningrad and Yekatarina Putin born 31 August in 1986 in Dreseden East Germany. However, an investigation by proekt published in November 2020 alleged that Putin has another daughter Elizaveta also known as Luiza Rozoya born March 2003 with Svetiana Krivonogikh.
In April 2008 the Moskovsky reported that putin had divorced Lyudmila and was engaged to marry Olympic Gold medalist Alina Kabaeya,a former gymnast. The story was denied and newspaper was shut down shortly afterwards. On 6 June 2013, Putin and Lyudmila announced that their marriage was over; on 1 April 2014, the Kremlin confirmed that the divorce had been finalised. In 2015, Kabaeva reportedly gave birth to a daughter; Putin is alleged to be the father. In 2019, Kabaeva reportedly gave birth to twin sons by Putin.
Putin has two grandsons, born in 2012 and 2017.
WEALTH
Official figures released during the 2007 elections put Putin’s wealth at approximately 3.7 million (US$150,000) in bank accounts, a private 77.4-square-meter (833 sq ft) apartment in Saint Petersburg, and miscellaneous other assets. Putin’s reported 2006 income totaled 2 million rubles (approximately $80,000). In 2012, Putin reported an income of 3.6 million rubles ($113,000). Putin has been photographed wearing a number of expensive
wristwatches, collectively valued at $700,000, nearly six times his annual salary. Putin has been known on occasion to give watches valued at thousands of dollars as gifts to peasants and factory workers.
There is uncertainty on the precise sum of Putin’s wealth, and the assessment by the Director of U.S. National Intelligence apparently is not yet complete. However, with the pile of evidence and documents in the Panama Papers and in the hands of independent investigators such as those cited by Dawisha Western intelligence agencies have not been able to find evidence of Putin’s wealth to be misleading