Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who is serving as the current president of Russia since 2012, previously being in the office from 1999 until 2008. He was also prime minister from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2012

 

 

Bio
Full Name	Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
Nickname(s)	VVP, Volodoya, Vova, Grey Cardinal
Profession	Politician
Party	United Party
Political Journey	• Acting President of the Russian Federation (1999-2000). • Elected as the Russian President on 7 May 2010 (2000-2004). • Elected to the presidency for a second term on 14 March 2004 (2004-2008). • Chosen as the Prime Minister on 8 May 2008 (2008-2012). • Elected again as the President on 4 March 2012. • Became the President of Russia for the 5th time on 18 March 2018.
Biggest Rival	Boris Nemtsov (Died, 2015)
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 168 cm in meters- 1.68 m in Feet Inches- 5’ 6”
Weight (approx.)	in kilograms- 71 kg in pounds- 152 lbs
Eye Colour	Blue
Hair Colour	Salt & Pepper
Personal Life
Date of Birth	7 October 1952
Age (as in 2017)	65 Years
Birth Place	Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Zodiac sign/Sun sign	Libra
Nationality	Russian
Hometown	St. Petersburg, Russia
School	St. Petersburg High School
College	St. Petersburg State University
Educational Qualifications	Degree in Law
Debut	In 1990, he was appointed as an advisor on international affairs to Mayor Sobchak.
Family	Father- Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin (Conscript in Soviet Navy) Mother- Maria Ivanovna Putina (Factory worker) Sister- N/A Brothers- Albert Putin (Died in infancy), Viktor Putin (Died of Diphtheria during the Siege of Leningrad)
Religion	Russian Orthodoxy
Hobbies	Judo, Skiing, Ice Hockey, Horse Riding, Fishing, Swimming, Hunting
Controversies	• Time & again, Putin has been accused of controlling and influencing the Russian media. For instance, in 2008, when the liberal newspaper 'Moskovsky Korrespondent' reported that Putin was planning to marry a rhythmic gymnast named Alina Kabayeva, the editor was forced to resign within hours. • In July 2016, Putin signed the controversial 'Big-Brother Law'. According to this law, every telecom/internet service provider has to store users' calls, messages, photographs and videos for six months, as well as metadata for up to three years. Although, this law has been passed to curb the menace of terrorism, many service providers said that storing so much data would cost them as much as 4 times their annual profit. Moreover, this bill interferes with the private lives of Russian citizens. • In November 2014, at the APEC summit, Putin made a warm gesture by wrapping a shawl around China's First Lady, Peng Liyuan. Soon after this video surfaced online, many people started doubting Putin's intentions. As China is traditionally conservative on public interaction between unrelated men and women, the public show of consideration by Putin was not taken in the way it was intended to be. As a result, the video was completely scrubbed from Chinese TV & Internet. • In 2014, Putin led Russian government was accused of shooting down a Malaysian passenger Plane, MH-17, flying over the troubled region of eastern Ukraine, which killed all 298 passengers on-board. Putin has denied any wrongdoing and was quoted as saying, "If MH-17 crashed in Ukraine, it is Ukraine's fault." • Allegedly, Putin has also been associated with the assassinations of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko & politician rival Boris Nemtsov.
Favourite Things
Favorite Book	Sankya by Zakhar Prilepin (Russian novel)
Favorite Rock Band	The Beatles
Favorite Food	Pistachio ice-cream
Girls, Affairs and More
Marital Status	Divorced
Affairs/Girlfriends	Alina Kabayeva, Russian Gymnast (2008) Wendi Murdoch, Film Actress & Producer (Rumored, 2016)
Wife/Spouse	Lyudmila Ocheretnaya (Divorced, 2013)
Children	Daughters- Maria Putin (Elder), Yekaterina Putin Son- N/A
Money Factor
Salary (as the President of Russia)	$112,000 (£81,000)/Year (as in 2018)
Net Worth (approx.)	$70 billion (as in 2017)
Cars Collection	Lada Kalina, Volga GAZ-21, Niva

 

Some Lesser Known Facts About Vladimir Putin

• Does Vladimir Putin smoke: No

• Does Vladimir Putin drink alcohol: Yes

• Putin was born in a poor Soviet family; he lived in a communal apartment block with his parents.

• Putin earned a Black Belt in Judo at the age of 18. According to him, he was slow to start Puberty, and in order to avoid bullying by other male teenagers who achieved puberty before him, he learned this form of defence.

• For around 16 years Putin worked as an officer in the KGB (Committee for State Security), spying for the ‘secret police agency’ in East Germany between 1975 and 1991. Putin’s chief job was to recruit foreigners in the hope of sending them as undercover agents to the USA.

• Probably because of his ‘dislike’ towards the ‘English’, he doesn’t like speaking English language.

• In 2003, Russian government implemented several hostile anti-gay laws in the country, thus confirming Putin’s homophobic mind-set.

• Owing to Putin’s privacy concerns, it is alleged that his two daughters, Maria & Yekaterina, attended university under false names and even to this date nobody knows about their exact whereabouts.

• In December 2010, at a charity event in St. Petersburg, Putin sang the song Blueberry Hill for the audience. Interestingly, the crowd included famous faces like Sharon Stone, Kevin Costner & Gerard Depardieu.

• In August 2010, Putin co-piloted a fire fighter plane in order to help put out hundreds of wildfires in western Russia. 

• Again, in 2010, Putin took a Renault Formula One race car for a ride on a St. Petersburg track, reaching speeds of up to 150 miles per hour. 
• Russian writer Sergei Kalenik began an online comic series in 2011 named Superputin, in which the Russian President saves his nation by judo-chopping terrorists. Putin is depicted as a superhero who fights the twin evils of public protest and terrorism, stops a bomb from blowing up a bus & destroys an army of zombies.