Premier Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin of Russia

Putin has been unenthusiastic about erasing Russia's Soviet past from memory.

So Putin is not permitted under the Constitution of Russian Federation to run for a third successive term in 2008 (following the 2003 parliamentary elections he gained a sufficient majority to change the Constitution, but so far has not announced any intention to do so.

Putin is married to Liudmila Putina, a former airline stewardess and teacher of German.

Putin is a practicing member of the Russian Orthodox Church, whose conversion to Christianity (following a life-threatening fire at his dacha in the early 1990s) most observers agree was sincere.

Putin has won competitions in his home town of Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), including senior champion of Leningrad.

Though he is not the first world leader to practice judo (Teddy Roosevelt was the first to do so), Putin is the first leader to move forward in the advanced levels.

Currently, Putin is a black belt (6th Degree) and is best known for a "wicked" sweeping leg throw called the Haraigoshi.

discusses whether Putin is a democrat or a dictator.

Voloshin identified as linked to the Family.

Putin was born in Leningrad (Saint Petersburg since 1991 and before 1914.

In First Person, Putin described to journalists his early duties in the KGB, which included suppressing dissident activities in Leningrad.

During the 1990s, Putin received a sub-doctoral level degree in economics from a mining institute in St Petersburg.

Putin was appointed Chairman (predsedatel', or prime minister) of the Government of the Russian Federation by President Boris Yeltsin in August 1999, making him Russia's fifth prime minister in less than eighteen months.

While not formally associated with any party, Putin was supported by the newly formed Edinstvo (unity) faction, which won the largest percentage of the popular vote in the December 1999 Duma elections.

Putin was reappointed as Chairman of the Government, and seemed ideally positioned to win the presidency in elections due the following summer.

On the other hand, Putin was also backed by a team of economic reformers from his native St Petersburg, and could rely as well on support from the siloviki.

While Putin was criticised by the Russian media for his inaction during the initial stages of the crisis, it did not have a lasting effect on his image and popularity.

Putin has been unenthusiastic about erasing Russia's Soviet past from memory — the previous policy of Boris Yeltsin aimed primarily at his Communist rivals.

In responding to critics of these moves, Putin has argued that he is the president of all Russians — including those such as the retirees who lost out in the post-Soviet transformation, and who understandably cling to symbols of the past.

In recent years, with the situation stalemated, Putin has distanced himself from the management of the continuing conflict.

Putin is married to Lyudmila Putina, a former airline stewardess and teacher of German, who was born in Kaliningrad, (formerly Königsberg.

Though he is not the first world leader to practice judo, Putin is the first leader to move forward in the advanced levels.

Currently, Putin is a black belt (6th dan) and is best known for his Harai goshi, a sweeping hip throw.

After a state visit to Japan, Putin was invited to the Kodokan Institute and showed the students and Japanese officials different judo techniques.

In We will follow a different path, Putin is depicted as Yeltsin's successor determined to follow a better political approach (for comparison see this famous painting by Belousov.

Three days earlier Putin had met with US.

In the South Park episode Free Willzyx, Putin is shown as a president that badly needs money for the Russian economy.

In a transcript published July 12th, 2006, Putin is reported to have responded to US.

Petersburg Group of Eight summit Putin said in reply to George W.

Vladimir Putin had the intelligence, energy and stamina the country needed to get Russia's economy on track and handle its complicated politics.

Upon graduating from the university in 1975, Putin joined the KGB, the secret police of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR.

Shortly after Sobchak left office, Putin was invited to Moscow to work in the administration of President Yeltsin.

As prime minister, Putin had to deal with renewed war in Chechnya, a breakaway republic in the North Caucasus region of southern Russia.

When Yeltsin appointed Putin prime minister, he declared that Putin was his choice for the next president of Russia.

In the presidential elections, which were held in March 2000, Putin was elected to a full term and won almost 53 percent of the vote.

Putin was overwhelmingly reelected to a second term in March 2004 with 71 percent of the vote.

In April 2008 Putin accepted an invitation to become leader of the United Russia party, which led the ruling bloc in the State Duma (lower house of the Russian legislature.

In many ways, Putin is a rather atypical Russian leader: He is comparatively young, never touches alcohol, and is a sports enthusiast — he has practiced Judo since childhood.

Putin is married and he has two children.

This is the Vladimir Putin reference article from the English Wikipedia.

Putin was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) and graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1975.

Putin was appointed Prime Minister of the Russian Government by President Boris Yeltsin in August 1999.

In many ways, Putin is an atypical Russian leader: he is comparatively young and is a sports enthusiast he has practiced Judo since his youth.

Putin is married to Liudmila Putina, a former teacher of German in Moscow, and they have two children, Yekaterina (Katya) (born 1985) and Maria (born 1986 in Dresden.

While tacitly acknowledging the enlargement of NATO into the Baltic states, Putin has increased Russia's influence over Belarus and Ukraine.

While President Putin is criticized as an autocrat by some of his Western counterparts, his relationships with the American President George W.

Found an omission? You can freely contribute to this Wikipedia article.

Putin was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) on October 7, 1952.

In 1984 Putin was promoted to Major.

On July 281983 Putin married Lyudmila Shkrebneva, at that time an undergraduate student of the Spanish branch of the Philology Department of the Leningrad State University and a former airline stewardess, who had been born in Kaliningrad on January 61958.

Since 1992, Putin had owned a dacha of about 7 thousand square meters in Solovyovka, Priozersky district of the Leningrad region, which is located on the eastern shore of the Komsomol'skoye lake on the Karelian Isthmus near St.

She ensured that Putin was secretly christened as a baby, and she regularly took him to services.

Putin has been hailed by Patriarch Alexius II of the Russian Orthodox Church as instrumental in healing the 80-year schism between it and the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia in May 2007.

On March 14, 2004, Putin was re-elected to the presidency for a second term, earning 71 percent of the vote.

During the term, Putin has been widely criticized in the West for what many observers consider a wide-scale crackdown on media freedoms.

In international affairs, Putin has been trying, with some success, to re-establish for Russia the strong and independent role once played by the former Soviet Union.

Due to constitutionally mandated term limits, Putin was ineligible to run for a third consecutive Presidential term.

Putin took the post on 8 May 2008.

Throughout his presidential terms and into his second term as Prime Minister, Putin has enjoyed high approval ratings amongst the Russian public.

Putin was born on 7 October 1952 in Leningrad, to parents Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin (1911– 1999) and Maria Ivanovna Shelomova (1911– 1998.

In his youth, Putin was eager to emulate the intelligence officer characters played on the Soviet screen by actors such as Vyacheslav Tikhonov and Georgiy Zhzhonov.

Upon graduation Putin was recruited into the KGB.

In May 1990, Putin was appointed Mayor Sobchak's advisor on international affairs.

While heading the Committee for External Relations, from 1992 to March 2000 Putin was also on the advisory board of the German real estate holding Saint Petersburg Immobilien und Beteiligungs AG (SPAG) which has been investigated by German prosecutors for money laundering.

From 1994 to 1997, Putin was appointed to additional positions in the Saint Petersburg political arena.

On 25 May 1998, Putin was appointed First Deputy Chief of Presidential Staff for regions, replacing Viktoriya Mitina; and, on 15 July, the Head of the Commission for the preparation of agreements on the delimitation of power of regions and the federal center attached to the President, replacing Sergey Shakhray.

On 15 June 2000, The Times reported that Spanish police discovered that Putin had secretly visited a villa in Spain belonging to the oligarch Boris Berezovsky on up to five different occasions in 1999.

On 9 August 1999, Vladimir Putin was appointed one of three First Deputy Prime Ministers, which enabled him later on that day, as the previous government led by Sergei Stepashin had been sacked, to be appointed acting Prime Minister of the Government of the Russian Federation by President Boris Yeltsin.

Vladimir Putin was inaugurated president on 7 May 2000.

On 14 March 2004, Putin was re-elected to the presidency for a second term, receiving 71% of the vote.

Putin was strident about the need to reform the judiciary considering the present federal judiciary "Sovietesque", wherein many of the judges hand down the same verdicts as they would under the old Soviet judiciary structure, and preferring instead a judiciary that interpreted and implemented the code to the current situation.

Vladimir Putin was elected president of the Russian Federation in 2000 as the hand-picked successor of Boris Yeltsin.

After earning a law degree in 1975, Putin joined the KGB, the security force of the former Soviet Union.

Putin married the former Lyudmila Shkrebneva in 1983.

Growing up in Leningrad, Putin lived with his parents in a communal apartment with two other families.

At Leningrad State University, Putin was the school's judo champion in 1974.

Wines in the New York Times noted that Putin had graduated with honors, but a Newsweek article reported that his thesis adviser, Valery Musin, said he had received "good but not great grades," though he was a "meticulous" student.

In the early 1980s Putin met and married his wife, Lyudmila, a former teacher of French and English.

Putin was apparently a firm believer in the changes.

In 1996, when Sobchak lost his mayoral campaign, Putin was offered a job with the victor, but declined out of loyalty.

Though Putin was not a candidate on the ballot in this election, the candidates rode on his coattails as the obvious front-runner in the upcoming presidential race scheduled for June of 2000.

It was rumored that Yeltsin also wanted to install Putin in order to escape any prosecution, since Putin had been a loyal follower and Yeltsin had long been accused of corruption and nepotism.

On May 7, 2000, Putin was officially sworn in as Russia's second president and its first in a free transfer of power in the nation's 1,100-year history.

Putin has a black belt in judo and enjoys running.

Vladimir Putin was appointed acting president of the Russian Federation on December 31, 1999, and on March 26, 2000, he was elected to the presidency.

Putin took his advice and attended Leningrad State University.

In 1974 Putin was offered a job in the KGB but told he had to wait a full year before entering the organization.

In 1976 Putin was assigned to the First Directorate, the section engaged in spying outside of the USSR.

Putin had hoped to be stationed in West Germany, but instead, in 1985, he was assigned to Dresden, in East Germany.

Putin was a new kind of president.

By the time Putin was through, considerable power had been shifted to Moscow.

For example, when Putin took on the media, he made it clear that the "chaotic" press and television of the Yeltsin period was unacceptable.

Putin was also an effective diplomat.

When his presidency began, Putin was unknown, and few believed he could do anything other than be a KGB thug.

After Yeltsin resigned the presidency, Putin was elected president in 2000.

For that reason, Vladimir Putin is Time's 2007 Person of the Year," he added, saying the Russian leader had made Moscow "a critical linchpin of the 21st century.

Putin was born in Leningrad (now St Petersburg), NW Russia.

Vladimir Putin was born October 7, 1952 at 09:30h BGT in St.

In 1975 Vladimir Putin has graduated from the Leningrad State University (Faculty of Law) and joined the Soviet State Security Services.

During the years 1985-1990, Putin has been working in East Germany (the former German Democratic Republic.

On June 12, 1991 Putin was appointed head of the International Committee at the St.

In July 1998 Putin was asked to take charge of one of Russia's new state security organizations, the Federal Security Services (FSB), replacing Nikolai Kovalyov.

Putin was appointed Russia's Prime Minister in August 1999.

In the presidential elections held on March 26, 2000, Putin received 52.

By securing more than 50 percent of the votes, Putin has ensured his victory in the first round of the elections.

Putin is said to be most popular among young people, Muscovites and those with higher education.

Putin has a Candidate's Degree in Economics.

Putin is fond of sports, especially wrestling.

Vladimir Putin is married with two daughters: Masha, 14, and Katya, 13.

Putin was later elected president by approximately 52.

Putin was born in Leningrad on October 7, 1952 and was baptized as an Orthodox Christian and continue to be a member to this day.

Putin is seen as an antagonist to the West; his presidency has become increasingly authoritarian and opponents are murdered.

KGB Putin has complete control of Russia's future, as a dictator would.

For example, on April 14, 2007, Russian riot police beat a number of protesters and journalists at an anti-Putin rally at Pushkin Square in Moscow, and Putin rigged national elections for his party Despite these political trends, Putin remains popular in Russia.

Since coming to power, Putin has expanded Russia's economy and reduced inflation.

As an emotionless, muscular, tyrannical, soviet-style politician and former KGB agent, Putin is essentially an amalgam of every villain from every action movie released between 1981 and 1987.

Putin was in school for many years working on advanced degrees, culminating in a doctoral dissertation that he wrote almost entirely by himself.

Putin was recruited into the KGB in 1975 and held various positions in Moscow and East Germany until leaving the agency in 1991.

Soon after leaving the FSB, Putin was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister and was later that day promoted by Yeltsin (whoops) to acting Prime Minister (oopsy) after the previous prime minister was totally, coincidentally run out of town (yoink.

Putin has simultaneously denied these claims, while at the same time restoring the tune of the country’s national anthem to its post-1944 Soviet version.

Putin has strong policies on handling terror, and once threatened to “corner the bandits in the toilet and wipe them out.

While many humans believe the Cold War officially ended in the late 1980s, Putin was never made aware of it.

Putin has also tried to claim the North Pole for Russia, escalating tensions with Denmark and Canada.

Putin is a 6th degree black belt in judo and even has his own dojo, thus proving the age-old stereotype that the Russian people will vote for any president whom they think will be able to beat up everybody else's president should it come to that.

In December 2007, Putin was named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year,” causing an uproar among easily-angered people who don't actually understand the premise of Time magazine’s “Person of the Year.

Putin was then selected to be "Prime Minister" by the "President" he pre-selected and was approved by the Duma he controls via the party he created.

Vladimir Putin Born: October 1, 1952 Leningrad, Russia Russian president When Vladimir Putin was appointed prime minister of Russia.

Early life and education Vladimir Putin was born on October 1, 1952, in Leningrad.

Russia's history", as one of his aides put it.

Putin was born to Communist parents on Oct 7, 1952 in St.

become the most popular leader of Russia in its history.

Putin took over as PM on May 7, 2008.

WerkWerkgever:The Russian FederationFunctie:Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation (Председатель Правительства Российской Федерации), colloqually referred to as “Prime Minister of the Government of the Russian Federation” Chairman of the Council of MinistersPeriode:mei 2008 - hedenPlaats:Moscow, RussiaOmschrijving:In his capacity of Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin is reporting to the current President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev.

Putin was re-elected earning 71 percent of the vote.

In his capacity of Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin was reporting to the then President of the Russian Federation Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin.

Werkgever:The Russian FederationFunctie:Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation “SCRF”Periode:In december 1999Plaats:Moscow, RussiaOmschrijving:In his capacity of Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation “SCRF”, Vladimir Putin was reporting to the then President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin.

In his capacity of Director of The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB), Vladimir Putin was reporting to the then President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin.

Werkgever:The Russian FederationFunctie:Head of the Commission for the Preparation of Agreements on the Delimitation of Power of Regions and the Federal CenterPeriode:In juli 1998Plaats:Moscow, RussiaOmschrijving:In his capacity of Head of the Commission for the Preparation of Agreements on the Delimitation of Power of Regions and the Federal Center, Vladimir Putin was reporting to the then President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin.

Werkgever:The Russian FederationFunctie:First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration for RegionsPeriode:In mei 1998Plaats:Moscow, RussiaOmschrijving:In his capacity of First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration for Regions, Vladimir Putin was reporting to the then President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin.

Werkgever:The Russian FederationFunctie:Deputy Head of the Executive Office of the Presidential Staff (Presidential Administration)Periode:maart 1997 - juni 1998Plaats:Moscow, RussiaOmschrijving:In his capacity of Deputy Head of the Executive Office of the Presidential Staff, Vladimir Putin was reporting to the then President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin.

Werkgever:The Russian FederationFunctie:Head of the Central Supervision and Inspections DirectoratePeriode:maart 1997 - juni 1998Plaats:Moscow, RussiaOmschrijving:The Central Supervision and Inspections Directorate is also responsible for supervising the Russian Presidential Administration Property Management Department, to which Putin was previously attached.

In his capacity of Head of the Central Supervision and Inspections Directorate, Vladimir Putin was reporting to the then President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin.

Carmelo schreefom 2:08Grande!Kubat schreefgisteren om 19:04Putin is a political master.

I know changes take time but Putin is concentrated rather on foreign politics more than on science and economy.

Forward - See Bartłomiej's Advanced Wall - Delete - Edit - PinKhashiem Hassan wrote op 10 januari 2009 om 22:40Putin is an examplatory Leader, he has shown how leadership should be effectively managed to bring the every succ.

Vladimir Putin was born in Leningrad on October 7, 1952.

Putin was assigned to work in the KGB.

Putin said that foreign "political, economic and media pressure" was being used to weaken Russia's ability to competing globally.

Rather than defending "the real interests of the people", Putin said that the priority of some independent groups is "getting financing from influential foreign and domestic foundations, while others serve dubious group and commercial interests.

And now Putin was trying to rationalize democracy in order to control the country and save the social fabric.

On 01 October 2007 President Vladimir Putin said he could become prime minister in 2008, if the United Russia party wins the December 2007 parliamentary elections, and that he will head the pro-presidential party's list.

Heading the government is realistic, but it is too early to consider it," Putin said at a party congress in reply to a proposal from United Russia to head the government.

Since May 8, 2008, Vladimir Putin has been Prime Minister of Russia.

I've fallen behind on my current events- can anyone explain why Putin is causing so much of a stir? And no, I don't want "Iran is trying to kill him.

Posted: 2007-10-16 06:30:48 How does Putin feel about the oil decline?Do you think Putin is feeling bad about the decline in oil prices? The oil is said to be going to about to about 50 or 40 a barrel.

Posted: 2008-10-10 13:06:40 How many believe Vladimir Putin is a dangerous & evil man ?Can Obama match wits with him ? Putin will be back in power I guess by the end of the year.

Posted: 2008-11-16 20:04:47 Is Hitlary studying Putin's plans of disolving his government should SHE get elected to the presidency?You can JUST see her smirking with envy at the news this morning when she learned that Putin is able to dissolve the government in Russia.

Early years and KGB careerPutin was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) on October 7, 1952.

In 1984 Putin was appointed Major.

Following the collapse of the East German regime, Putin was recalled to the Soviet Union and returned to Leningrad, where in June 1990 he assumed a position with the International Affairs section of Leningrad State University, reporting to Vice-Rector Yuriy Molchanov.

At his new position, Putin was reacquainted with Anatoly Sobchak (1937-2000), then Mayor of Leningrad.

Early political and business careerIn May 1990 Putin was appointed Mayor's adviser for international affairs.

Less than one year after taking control of the committee, Putin was investigated a commission of the city legislative council.

Putin remained Head of the Committee for External Relations until 1996.

While heading the Committee for External Relations, from 1992 to March 2000 Putin was also on the advisory board of the German real estate holding St.

From 1994 to 1997 Putin was appointed to additional positions in the St.

Putin was called to Moscow and in June 1996 assumed position of a Deputy Chief of the Presidential Property Management Department headed by Pavel Borodin.

On May 25, 1998 Vladimir Putin was appointed First Deputy Chief of Presidential Staff for regions, (replacing Viktoriya Mitina), and on July 15 of the same year - the Head of the Commission for the preparation of agreements on the delimitation of power of regions and the federal center attached to the President (replacing Sergey Shakhray.

This demonstration of loyalty to Yeltsin's clan by Putin is believed to have been instrumental in his subsequent appointment to the post of Prime Minister and virtual heir apparent to Yeltsin.

Family and personal lifeOn July 28, 1983 Putin married Lyudmila Shkrebneva (now Putina), at that time an undergraduate student of the Spanish branch of the Philology Department of the Leningrad State University and a former airline stewardess, who had been born in Kaliningrad (formerly Königsberg) on January 6, 1958.

Since 1992, Putin had owned a dacha of about 7 thousand sq.

doc)Putin is a practicing member of the Russian Orthodox Church, led by Patriarch Alexius II.

Prime Minister and first term as PresidentSee also: Vladimir Putin legislation and programVladimir PutinOn August 9, 1999, Vladimir Putin was appointed one of three First Deputies Prime Minister, which enabled him later on this day, as the previous government led by Sergei Stepashin had been sacked, to be appointed acting Prime Minister of the Government of the Russian Federation by President Boris Yeltsin (Text of Yeltsin's speech in English.

His rise to Russia's highest office ended up being even more rapid: on December 31, 1999, Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned and, according to the constitution, Putin was appointed as the second (acting) President of the Russian Federation.

According to various Russian and western media reports, Putin is extremely concerned about the ongoing demographic problems, such as the death rate being higher than birth rate and immigration rate, cyclical poverty, and housing concerns within the Russian Federation.

Putin has also been quite strident about the need to reform the judiciary.

In recent years, Putin has distanced himself from the management of the continuing conflict.

Foreign policyIn international affairs, Putin has been trying, not without success, to re-establish the strong and independent role once played by the Soviet Union, without, however, returning to the cold-war relations with the West.

In his January 2007 interview Putin said Russia is in favor of democratic multipolar world and strengthening the system of international law.

Bush at Prairie Chapel RanchWhile President Putin is criticized as an autocrat by some Western politicians , his relationships with US President George W.

Putin supported lifting of the sanctions in due course, arguing that the UN commission first be given a chance to complete its work on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

During his time in office, Putin has attempted to strengthen relations with other members of the CIS.

The death of this Russian journalist triggered an outcry of criticism of Russia in the Western media, with accusations that, at best, Putin has failed to protect the country's new independent media.

When asked about Politkovskaya's murder on October 10, Putin said it was a "disgusting crime" and there is "no forgiveness" for those who had committed it.

Petersburg, Putin was first deputy mayor (199496.

Putin was in charge of the war against Islamic separatists in Chechnya.

Vladimir Putin is one of the most powerful men on earth.

terrorist attacks in Russia on Maskhadov.

Regarded as intelligent, tough, and hard-working, Putin was chosen by Yeltsin to succeed Sergei Stepashin as prime minister in Aug, 1999.

Although Putin has been, in the main, popular with the Russian public, his reputation suffered when he was perceived to have acted belatedly after the Russian submarine Kursk sank in Aug, 2000.

Putin was reelected in Mar, 2004, in an election that European observers criticized as unfair.

With Pluto conjunct the Midheaven in Leo, Vladimir Putin knows what power is all about, especially at the helm of a superpower such as Russia.

KGB, which included suppressing dissident activities in Leningrad.

Western counterparts, his relationships with US President George W.

teacher of German, who was born in Kaliningrad, (formerly Koenigsberg.

Putin is the first leader to move forward in the advanced levels.

Harai goshi, a sweeping hip throw.

successor who is determined to follow a better political approach.

badly needs money for the Russian economy.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was born on October 7, 1952.

Putin was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in 1952.

from a mining institute in St Petersburg.

vote in the December 1999 Duma elections.

win the presidency in elections due the following summer.

St Petersburg, and could rely as well on support from the siloviki.

it did not have a lasting effect on his image and popularity.

on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

and teacher of German, who was born in Kaliningrad, (formerly Königsberg.

Putin is a practising member of the Russian Orthodox Church.

attends races at racecourses throughout Russia.

Danchenko at the Brookings Institution of plagiarism.

the government has successfully completed its first mission.

Nevertheless, Putin joined German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and French President Jacques Chirac in 2002–03 to oppose US.

Overseeing an economy that enjoyed growth after a prolonged recession in the 1990s, Putin was easily reelected in March 2004.

Today Vladimir Putin was named the Person of the Year by Time magazine.

We see so many new stories that Putin has amassed 40 billion dollars or that he has some self serving hidden agenda, yet reality is pointing to evidence that Putin is simply wanting and trying to do everything to earn the trust of Russians, to deliver results to his nations and to guarantee that such trends persist.

For once, everything aligned right, and Putin took advantage of high energy prices as a method of triggering the recovery and restructuring.

1975 -after graduation from Leningrad State University, Putin joined the KGB and was appointed to the First Chief Directorate (PGU), an elite division of the KGB in charge of intelligence abroad.

Putin was assigned to intelligence service in the German unit of the PGU.

Latest news on vladimir putinRussia 'ready' to resume gas flowRussian PM Vladimir Putin says gas flows to Europe via Ukraine can resume once the EU signs a deal and deploys monitors.

Putin Says 'Era Of Cheap Gas' Almost Over (AHN)(AHN) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said energy production is becoming too expensive to sustain the 'era of cheap gas.

Russia's revival under Putin was apparently in accord with the writer's own orthodox and national conservative views.

With dauntless persistence, a sharp vision of what Russia should become and a sense that he embodied the spirit of Mother Russia, Putin has put his country back on the map.

For that reason, Vladimir Putin is TIME's 2007 Person of the Year.

Putin was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg.

Putin has been careful not to be seen to be with one faction or the other, with his Chief of Staff Alexander Voloshin identified as linked to the Family.

Putin accepted the resignation and replaced him Dmitry Medvedev, the chairman of Gazprom the state owned gas company.

Putin was born in Leningrad (now St.

In international affairs, Putin has been publicly increasingly critical of the foreign policies of the US and other Western countries.

Unlike his predecessor, President Putin has been less enthusiastic about erasing Russia's Soviet past from memory.

Putin was against the war in Iraq during the Iraq crisis of 2003.

Putin was against the lifting of the sanctions, arguing that first weapons of mass destruction should be destroyed.

Putin has pledged that he would accept the position of prime minister should Medvedev be elected president.

Although Putin has pledged not to change the distribution of authority between president and prime minister, many analysts are expecting a shift in the center of power from the presidency to the prime minister post should Putin assumes the latter under a Medvedev presidency.

org: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is the incumbent President of Russia.

The Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has strongly criticised Ukraines position in the gas conflict ween the two countries.