The Grey Cardinal

  Vladimir Putin is a powerful Russian politician who has served many offices in the country’s government. He was born in a middle class family and led a usual life. Putin had a dream of becoming an intelligence officer ever since he was a child. He got acquainted with the procedure involved in becoming an intelligence officer and whole heartedly followed the path. He finally realized this dream and entered the ‘KGB’ the Russian intelligence agency where he received training and was posted in various places as an undercover agent. For a larger part of his life, he served at the agency. Eventually, he got involved in political affairs of the country and resigned from ‘KGB’. He then, diligently worked for the welfare of the country and its people, which soon earned him recognition. His hard work, knowledge and calm got him appointed in many offices in the government. Finally, when the then President of Russia Boris Yeltsin decided to step down from his post, he found no better successor than Putin and appointed him as the president of the country. A few months later, the elections took place and there too he emerged as the winner. The deft handling of issues with admirable efficiency led to his re-election for a second term to the office of President of Russia.

CHILDHOOD AND EARLY LIFE

• He 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.

 CAREER 

• Soon after graduating from law school, he entered 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 travelled 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, and a few years later, also 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 office as 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 Putin as his successor for the post.
• In March 2000, he was elected to as the President of Russia and also served a second term after being re-elected to the office.
• He was made the Prime Minister of Russia in May 2008, by presidential executive order.
• In March 2012, he was elected as the President of Russia and still holds the office.

  

  AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS 

   
  

  • He received the Bronze Medal for Faithful Service to the National People’s Army issued in 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 the ‘Person of the Year’ by ‘Time’ magazine.
  • He was a 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 President of UAE.
  • In 2011, he was awarded with an honorary doctorate by the ‘University of Belgrade

    

    
    

    

    
    Article taken from : http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/vladimir-vladimirovich-putin-3136.php
     Pictures courtesy of google images.