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September 14, 2023 ⚊ 1 Min read ⚊ Views 65 ⚊ MEDIAVladimir Vladimirovich Putin[c] (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012. Putin has held continuous positions as president or prime minister since 1999:[d] as prime minister from 1999 to 2000 and from 2008 to 2012, and as president from 2000 to 2008 and since 2012.[e][7]
Putin worked as a KGB foreign intelligence officer for 16 years, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel before resigning in 1991 to begin a political career in Saint Petersburg. In 1996, he moved to Moscow to join the administration of President Boris Yeltsin. He briefly served as the director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and as secretary of the Security Council of Russia before being appointed prime minister in August 1999. Following Yeltsin’s resignation, Putin became acting president and, in less than four months, was elected to his first term as president. He was subsequently reelected in 2004.