From KGB Officer to President: Vladimir Putin Turns 74

Dragon Media News Desk

Russian President Vladimir Putin turns 74 on October 7. Born in Leningrad in 1952, Putin’s political career began as a KGB officer and eventually led him to Russia’s highest executive office.

Putin graduated in international law from Leningrad State University in 1975 and then began working for the Soviet Union’s State Security Committee, the KGB. From 1985 to 1990, he served at the KGB office in Dresden, then part of East Germany. He completed his studies at the KGB’s Andropov Institute in 1985.

After returning to the Soviet Union in 1990, Putin worked as a foreign affairs assistant to the rector of Leningrad State University and later as an adviser to Mayor Anatoly Sobchak. In 1991, he was appointed head of the Foreign Relations Committee at the St. Petersburg mayor’s office. He became deputy mayor in 1992. During an attempted change of power in the Soviet Union, he resigned from the KGB.

After Sobchak lost the mayoral election in 1996, Putin left the St. Petersburg administration and became deputy head of the Presidential Property Management Directorate. In 1997, he was appointed deputy chief of the presidential staff and head of its Main Control Directorate. He led the Federal Security Service (FSB) in 1998 and became prime minister in 1999.

Putin became acting president on December 31, 1999, after then-President Boris Yeltsin resigned. In the 2000 presidential election, Putin won 52.94 percent of the vote in the first round and took office on May 7. He was re-elected to a second term in 2004 with 71.31 percent of the vote.

Putin served as prime minister from 2008 to 2012. He then won the presidential elections in 2012, 2018 and 2024. He received 87.28 percent of the vote in the 2024 election. The presidential term is six years.

As head of state, Putin is commander-in-chief of the Russian Armed Forces and chairs the State Council and Security Council. He also leads the Military-Industrial Commission. He chairs presidential councils on interethnic relations, countering corruption, science and education, sports, local self-government, culture and national development projects.

Putin heads the All-Russia People’s Front, established on his initiative in 2013. He also chairs the boards of trustees of the Russian Geographical Society, Moscow State University and the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Putin holds a PhD in economics. In 1997, he defended a thesis on strategic planning for the reproduction of the mineral resource base. He also co-authored the book “Learning Judo with Vladimir Putin” with Vasily Shestakov and Alexey Levitsky. He speaks German and English.

Putin has received honors and awards from Russia and several other countries and organizations. In 2007, the U.S. magazine Time named him Person of the Year. He topped Forbes magazine’s list of the world’s most powerful people from 2013 through 2016.