Vladimir Putin, born on October 7, 1952, in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), Russia, is a prominent Russian politician who has played a significant role in the country's political landscape over the last few decades. He graduated from Leningrad State University in 1975 with a degree in law and began his career in the KGB, the Soviet Union's security agency, where he served for 16 years, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Putin transitioned into politics, quickly ascending through the ranks. He served as the Director of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the KGB's successor, and then as Secretary of the Security Council.
Putin first became Prime Minister of Russia in 1999 under President Boris Yeltsin. Later that year, Yeltsin resigned, and Putin became the Acting President of Russia. He won his first presidential election in 2000 and was re-elected in 2004. Due to constitutional term limits, Putin did not run for the presidency in 2008 but served as Prime Minister under Dmitry Medvedev. In 2012 and again in 2018, Putin was re-elected as President of Russia
The world is demanding transparency following reports of pneumonic plague in Russia. At present, it is not possible to make a full risk assessment, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
WorldDeposed President Milorad Dodik’s candidate, Željka Cvijanović, has been elected as the Bosnian Serb representative on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Presidential Council, with 55 percent of the vote.
WorldRussian ice hockey star Alexander Ovechkin, 41, says this season will be his last in the NHL. “It’s sad, but it is what it is,” says the Washington star.
Ice hockeyAround 60 protesters have been arrested in Moscow in connection with a government-critical demonstration, The Kyiv Independent reports, citing the Russian human rights group OVD-Info.
WorldBelarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko insists on close ties with Russia and Vladimir Putin over Ukraine. “In the end, we are co-aggressors,” Lukashenko says in a speech.
ConflictsRussian President Vladimir Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev has held "constructive" talks in the United States about a "peaceful end" to the Ukraine war, a U.S. source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
ConflictsRussia is raising its planned defense spending target for 2027 to 17.1 trillion rubles (about $2 trillion), Bloomberg reports, citing an anonymous source. That's a 27 percent increase from the previous target.
BusinessA children’s camp in North Korea, Moscow tourism authorities and local Russian school leaders are on the EU’s sanctions list for the abduction of children from Ukraine.
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