Putin “won” another six-year term without serious challenges, the most famous anti-war politician was not allowed to participate in the elections.

Vladimir Putin, who once again “won” the Russian presidential election, began his career as a KGB agent in Soviet East Germany. Sky News has compiled the highlights of his long reign and some of the incidents that have threatened his power.

Vladimir Putin was born on October 7, 1952 in Soviet Leningrad (modern St. Petersburg). He had two brothers who died before he was born.

Work for the KGB

According to journalists, after graduating from Leningrad State University in 1975, he immediately joined the Soviet intelligence service, better known as the KGB. In 1985, he was sent to Dresden, where he looked for East Germans who had good reasons to travel abroad, and then recruited them to help with espionage in the West. According to unconfirmed reports, Putin also worked in New Zealand in the 1980s. He was recalled to Leningrad in 1990.

Head of the FSB and Yeltsin’s favorite

It is noted that Putin then became an adviser to one of his former law professors, Anatoly Sobchak, who subsequently left to become chairman of the Leningrad city council. In 1996, Putin moved to Moscow and began working in the Kremlin, where in 1998 he was appointed chairman of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), the successor to the KGB.

Only a year later, President Boris Yeltsin appointed him one of the first deputy prime ministers of Russia, and then acting prime minister. When Yeltsin resigned, Putin was named acting president and officially elected president in March 2000.

Disaster of the submarine “Kursk”

Just a few months into his presidency, Putin was criticized for the disaster of the Kursk submarine on August 12, 2000, which claimed the lives of all 118 crew members and caused an international outcry. Having learned about the tragedy, Putin first decided to continue his vacation in Sochi and did not immediately accept international help.

The tragedy of “Nord-Ost”

On October 23, 2002, 40 Chechen militants took 912 hostages in the Moscow theater on Dubrovka. Three days later, special forces stormed the premises after an unknown gas was pumped into the hall and killed all the militants, as well as 130 hostages, including foreigners, the article says.

Murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya

On October 7, 2006—President Putin’s birthday—journalist Anna Politkovskaya was shot and killed in the lobby of her home. Before her death, she exposed corruption in the Russian army and the behavior of the military in Chechnya. The killing led to claims that Putin had not done enough to protect the media.

Death of Alexander Litvinenko

In November 2006, a former KGB agent who had gone on to work for MI6 after escaping to Britain fell ill after meeting two former KGB agents at a hotel in London. He died a serious death after being poisoned by tea containing polonium 210, a rare and very powerful radioactive isotope. Seriously ill Litvinenko accused Putin of ordering his murder.

Annexation of Crimea

It is indicated that in February 2014, a number of military bases in Crimea, including the headquarters of the Ukrainian Navy in Sevastopol, were captured by pro-Russian forces. Then Putin, as president, signed an agreement to annex the peninsula to Russia after a referendum. Similar scenarios were practiced in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

Poisoning on the streets of Britain

In March 2018, former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned on the streets of Britain with the Soviet-made nerve agent Novichok. They were hospitalized in serious condition and then discharged. The Kremlin denied any involvement in the attack.

Death of Alexei Navalny

The defining thread of President Putin’s premiership has been his efforts to suppress opposition, in particular his battle with vocal critic and opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The anti-corruption activist organized demonstrations against the government and President Putin. In August 2020, he lost consciousness while on board a domestic flight in Russia.

After recovering in Germany, Navalny returned to Russia to continue his fight and was subsequently jailed on dubious charges. In February 2024, the famous opposition leader died.

Full-scale invasion of Ukraine and protracted war

In February 2022, after weeks of building up Russian forces along Ukraine’s borders, Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Hopes for a quick three-day war and the fall of Kyiv quickly dissipated. The war has been going on for more than two years.

Russian Presidential Elections

In the 2024 elections in March 2024, Putin “won” another six-year term without serious challenge. The most famous anti-war politician in Russia, Boris Nadezhdin, was not allowed to participate in the elections. As many as 87.28% drew Putin. However, in many areas abroad, Putin managed to lose.