Vladimir Putin
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Vladimir Putin is the President of the Russian Federation and one of the dominant figures in Russian politics since the turn of the century. Born in Leningrad, now St Petersburg, in 1952, he studied law at Leningrad State University before beginning a career with the Soviet KGB, including service in East Germany.
Putin became director of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in 1998 and Prime Minister in 1999 before becoming acting president following Boris Yeltsin's resignation. He was first elected president in 2000, served as Prime Minister between 2008 and 2012, and returned to the presidency in 2012. He secured another six-year presidential term in the March 2024 election and was inaugurated in May 2024.
As president and commander-in-chief, Putin has overseen an increasingly confrontational relationship with Western governments. His rule has been defined internationally in recent years by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, launched on a full scale in February 2022, and the resulting geopolitical confrontation with Ukraine's Western allies.
Russia has threatened that British military assets could be targeted in response to Ukrainian strikes using British-supported missiles, following Andy Burnham's agreement to help Kyiv produce long-range Storm Shadow weapons.