Putin, Vladimir
Putin, Vladimir (October 7, 1952 -)[edit]
Vladimir Putin served as President of Russia from 2000-2008 and was reinstated in 2012, serving as Prime Minister for the period between 2008 and 2012. Putin was a KGB agent for 16 years before entering professional politics. Putin’s first presidency was characterized by strong economic growth which saw income and wages increase and unemployment and poverty halved. Putin founded the political party United Russia, a centrist conservative party which is the current ruling party in Russia. He has generally high approval ratings in Russia, however, critics accuse him of undemocratic governance and leading the state towards an authoritarian dictatorship system.
