Challenges Faced by Vladimir Putin: Obstacles and Turning Points
Life is full of challenges, and Vladimir Putin faced many. Discover key struggles and how they were overcome.
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician who has dominated Russian politics for over two decades. He served as President of Russia from 2000 to 2008, then as Prime Minister from 2008 to 2012, and has been President again since 2012. A former intelligence officer, Putin is the longest-serving Russian president since the collapse of the Soviet Union. His leadership has been marked by a strong emphasis on national sovereignty and a centralized state.
1960: US cancels summit for the first time since 1960
In 2013, the United States canceled a summit for the first time since 1960 after Putin gave asylum to American Edward Snowden.
1989: Freedom House's reference point for Russia's freedom retreat
In 2004, Freedom House used 1989, when the country was part of the Soviet Union, as a reference point when warning that Russia's "retreat from freedom marks a low point not registered since then".
August 1998: Russian financial crash
During the Russian financial crash of August 1998, Putin learned that financial crises are politically destabilizing and must be avoided at all costs.
1999: Systematic Punishment of Journalists
Since 1999, Putin has systematically punished journalists who challenge his official point of view.
2002: Otto von Habsburg criticizes Putin
In 2002, Otto von Habsburg, the last crown prince of Austria-Hungary, criticized Putin in a newspaper interview, warning of him as an "international threat".
2003: Otto von Habsburg criticizes Putin
In 2003, Otto von Habsburg gave a speech warning of Putin as an "international threat", calling him "cruel and oppressive".
2003: UK grants political asylum to Boris Berezovsky
In 2003, relations between Russia and the United Kingdom deteriorated when the United Kingdom granted political asylum to Putin's former patron, oligarch Boris Berezovsky.
2003: Rose Revolution in Georgia
In 2003, the Rose Revolution occurred in Georgia.
2003: Litvinenko became an MI6 agent
In 2006 Alexander Litvinenko died by polonium poisoning in London; he became an MI6 agent in 2003.
December 2004: Criticism of Rose and Orange Revolutions
In December 2004, Putin criticized the Rose and Orange revolutions, warning of endless conflict in the post-Soviet space.
2004: Freedom House warns of Russia's retreat from freedom
In 2004, Freedom House warned that Russia's "retreat from freedom marks a low point not registered since 1989, when the country was part of the Soviet Union".
2004: Beslan school siege
In 2004, the Beslan school siege took place. The Crocus City Hall attack in March 2024 was the deadliest terrorist attack on Russian soil since the Beslan school siege in 2004.
2005: Otto von Habsburg criticizes Putin
In 2005, Otto von Habsburg gave a speech warning of Putin as an "international threat", calling him a "stone cold technocrat".
2005: Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan
In 2005, the Tulip Revolution occurred in Kyrgyzstan.
2005: Russia listed as 'not free' by Freedom House
Since 2005, Freedom House has listed Russia as being "not free", indicating democratic backsliding during Putin's tenure.
2006: Death of Alexander Litvinenko
The end of 2006 brought more strained relations in the wake of the death by polonium poisoning in London of former KGB and FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko.
February 2007: Putin criticizes US dominance in global relations in Munich Speech
In February 2007, Putin criticized what he called the United States' monopolistic dominance in global relations and "almost uncontained hyper use of force in international relations" during what became known as the Munich Speech.
June 2007: Putin presents counterproposal on U.S. missile shield
On June 7, 2007, Putin publicly opposed plans for the U.S. missile shield in Europe and presented President George W. Bush with a counterproposal, which was declined.
December 2007: Russia suspends participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty
On December 11, 2007, Russia suspended its participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty.
2007: Expulsion of Russian envoys over Litvinenko case
In 2007, the crisis in relations continued with the expulsion of four Russian envoys over Russia's refusal to extradite former KGB bodyguard Andrei Lugovoi to face charges in the murder of Litvinenko. Russia responded by expelling UK diplomats.
April 2008: Report of Putin's alleged divorce and engagement
In April 2008, the Moskovsky Korrespondent reported that Vladimir Putin had divorced Lyudmila and was engaged to marry Alina Kabaeva. The story was denied, and the newspaper was shut down shortly thereafter.
August 2008: South Ossetia War
In August 2008, Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili attempted to restore control over South Ossetia, leading to the 2008 South Ossetia War, during which Russian forces entered South Ossetia and other parts of Georgia.
2008: Abandoned "Programme for the Socio-Economic Development"
The "Programme for the Socio-Economic Development of the Russian Federation for the Period 2000–2010" was abandoned in 2008 when it was 30% complete.
2009: Clinton becomes US secretary of state
Hillary Clinton served as U.S. secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.
2010: Target year for "Programme for the Socio-Economic Development"
In 2000, Putin launched the "Programme for the Socio-Economic Development of the Russian Federation for the Period 2000–2010", but it was abandoned in 2008 when it was 30% complete.
2011: Russia rated as 'authoritarian' by The Economist Intelligence Unit
Since 2011, The Economist Intelligence Unit has rated Russia as "authoritarian", changing from its previous classification as a "hybrid regime".
May 2012: Restrictive Laws and Crackdown on Activists after Putin's Reelection
In May 2012, after Vladimir Putin was reelected as president, Russia enacted restrictive laws, inspected non-governmental organizations, harassed, intimidated, and imprisoned political activists. These laws include the "foreign agents" law, the treason law, and the assembly law, which have been criticized for censoring speech and restricting dissent.
2012: Adoption of "foreign agent" legislation
In 2012, Russia adopted "foreign agent" legislation.
2012: Crackdown Extended to Liberal Media
In 2012, the crackdown extended to the liberal media, which had until then been allowed to operate fairly independently.
2012: Mass protests
The period after 2012 saw mass protests against the falsification of elections, censorship and toughening of free assembly laws.
January 2013: Putin's approval rating falls to 62%
In January 2013, at the time of the 2011–2013 Russian protests, Putin's approval rating fell to 62%, the lowest since 2000.
2013: Clinton served as U.S. secretary of state until 2013
Hillary Clinton served as U.S. secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.
2013: Russia's Press Freedom Ranking
In 2013, Reporters Without Borders ranked Russia 148 out of 179 countries in terms of freedom of the press, criticizing the crackdown on the political opposition and failure to bring to justice criminals who murdered journalists.
2013: US cancels summit after Putin grants asylum to Edward Snowden
In late 2013, Russian-American relations deteriorated further when the United States canceled a summit after Putin gave asylum to American Edward Snowden.
February 2014: Ousting of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych
After the Russian annexation of Crimea, Putin claimed that the February 2014 ousting of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych had been orchestrated by the West to weaken Russia and accused the new Ukrainian leaders of being "nationalists, neo-Nazis, Russophobes and anti-Semites".
March 2014: Russian Annexation of Crimea
Following the Revolution of Dignity in March 2014, the Russian Federation annexed Crimea.
March 2014: Putin cites Kosovo independence precedent to recognize Crimea independence
In March 2014, Putin used Kosovo's declaration of independence as a justification for recognizing the independence of Crimea, citing the so-called "Kosovo independence precedent".
2014: Russia suspended from the G8 group
In 2014, Russia was suspended from the G8 group as a result of its annexation of Crimea.
2014: Deal to supply China with natural gas and financial crisis
In 2014, Vladimir Putin signed a deal to supply China with 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. The ongoing financial crisis began in the second half of 2014 when the Russian ruble collapsed due to a decline in the price of oil and international sanctions against Russia.
2014: Tony Abbott challenges Putin over MH17 shooting at G20 Summit
In 2014, amid calls to ban Putin from attending the G20 Summit, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he would "shirtfront" (challenge) the Russian leader over the shooting down of MH17 by Russian-backed rebels, which had killed 38 Australians. Putin denied responsibility for the killings.
2014: Henry Kissinger writes about the demonization of Putin
In 2014, former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger wrote that the West has demonized Vladimir Putin.
2015: Garry Kasparov describes Putin as a 'dictator'
In 2015, political opponent Garry Kasparov described Vladimir Putin as a "dictator".
2015: Larry Diamond says no serious scholar would consider Russia a democracy
In 2015, political scientist Larry Diamond stated that "no serious scholar would consider Russia today a democracy".
2015: British Government launches public inquiry into Litvinenko's death
In 2015, the British Government launched a public inquiry into Litvinenko's death, presided over by Robert Owen.
2015: Levada Center Director's statement on Russian polls
In 2015, the director of the Levada Center asserted that Russian poll results and comparisons to democratic states were irrelevant due to the lack of political competition and state-controlled media influencing public opinion.
January 2016: Owen report implicates Putin in Litvinenko's death
The Owen report, published on January 21, 2016, stated, "The FSB operation to kill Mr. Litvinenko was probably approved by Mr Patrushev and also by President Putin".
April 2016: Panama Papers leak reveals Putin's associates' offshore wealth
In April 2016, the Panama Papers leak revealed that close associates of Vladimir Putin owned offshore companies worth US$2 billion in total, although Putin's name did not appear in the records.
December 2016: US intelligence alleges Putin approved cyber attacks during US election
In December 2016, US intelligence officials stated that Putin approved the email hacking and cyber attacks during the U.S. election against Hillary Clinton, which was denied by a spokesman for Putin.
2016: Legislation prohibiting missionary activity
In 2016, Vladimir Putin oversaw the passage of legislation that prohibited missionary activity in Russia.
2016: Alexei Navalny describes Putin as the 'Tsar of corruption'
In 2016, opposition activist and blogger Alexei Navalny described Vladimir Putin as the "Tsar of corruption".
2016: Low public confidence in the Russian economy
In 2016, public confidence in the Russian economy was low, dropping to levels that rivaled the lows in 2009 at the height of the global economic crisis.
January 2017: US-Russian relations deteriorate after Trump takes office
Putin has stated that U.S.–Russian relations, already at the lowest level since the end of the Cold War, have continued to deteriorate after Trump took office in January 2017.
2017: Kristen Ghodsee's book 'Red Hangover' published
In 2017, Kristen Ghodsee argued in her book 'Red Hangover: Legacies of Twentieth-Century Communism' that Western triumphalism and the association of leftist ideals with Stalinism allowed neoliberalism to undermine democracy and cause economic misery in the former Eastern Bloc, fueling the rise of Putin's nationalism.
2017: Poll indicates 67% hold Putin personally responsible for high-level corruption
Newsweek reported in 2017 that a poll "indicated that 67% held Putin personally responsible for high-level corruption".
March 2018: Sergei Skripal poisoned in Salisbury
On March 4, 2018, former double agent Sergei Skripal was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury. On March 16, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said it was "overwhelmingly likely" Putin had personally ordered the poisoning, a charge denied by Putin's spokesman.
October 2018: Two-thirds of Russians agree that "Putin bears full responsibility for the problems of the country"
In October 2018, two-thirds of Russians surveyed agreed that "Putin bears full responsibility for the problems of the country", which has been attributed to a decline in a popular belief in "good tsar and bad boyars", a traditional attitude towards justifying failures at the top of the ruling hierarchy in Russia.
December 2018: Autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
With the attainment of autocephaly by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in December 2018 and subsequent schism of the Russian Orthodox Church from Constantinople, Putin's policy of forceful engagement in post-Soviet republics backfired, leading to the annexation of Crimea but loss of Ukraine.
2018: Forbes describes Putin's actions after Navalny's jailing
Following the jailing of Alexei Navalny in 2018, Forbes wrote: "Putin's actions are those of a dictator... As a leader with failing public support, he can only remain in power by using force and repression that gets worse by the day".
January 2019: Percentage of Russians trusting Putin hits historic low of 33%
In January 2019, the percentage of Russians trusting Putin hit a then-historic low—33%.
April 2019: Record number of Russians willing to emigrate from Russia
In April 2019, a Gallup poll showed a record number of Russians, 20%, willing to permanently emigrate from Russia. The decline was even larger in the 17–25 age group.
May 2020: Putin's approval rating amid the COVID crisis
In May 2020, amid the COVID crisis, Putin's approval rating was 68% when respondents were presented with a list of names, and 27% when respondents were expected to name politicians they trust. This has been attributed to continued post-Crimea economic stagnation but also an apathetic response to the pandemic crisis in Russia.
June 2020: Political Prisoners in Russia
As of June 2020, per Memorial Human Rights Center, there were 380 political prisoners in Russia, including 63 individuals prosecuted for political activities and 245 prosecuted for involvement with banned Muslim organizations. Over 20% were residents of Crimea.
September 2020: UAC to receive government support
In September 2020, the UAC general director announced that the UAC will receive the largest-ever post-Soviet government support package for the aircraft industry in order to pay and renegotiate the debt.
December 2020: Putin's support among Russians aged 18–24 was only 20%
Observers see a generational struggle among Russians over perception of Putin's rule, with younger Russians more probably to be against Putin. Putin's support among Russians aged 18–24 was only 20% in December 2020.
2020: Expansion of "foreign agent" legislation
In 2020, Putin signed a law expanding the "foreign agent" legislation adopted in 2012 to include individuals and organizations receiving funding from abroad.
November 2021: The Economist notes Putin's shift from autocracy to dictatorship
In November 2021, The Economist noted that Vladimir Putin had "shifted from autocracy to dictatorship".
November 2021: Distrust of Putin contributes to vaccine hesitancy
Polls conducted in November 2021, after the failure of a Russian COVID-19 vaccination campaign, indicated that distrust of Putin was a major contributing factor for vaccine hesitancy, with regional polls indicating numbers as low as 20–30% in the Volga Federal District.
February 2022: Launched Invasion of Ukraine
In February 2022, during his fourth presidential term, Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, resulting in international condemnation and sanctions.
March 2022: Putin removed from all positions in the International Judo Federation
In March 2022, Vladimir Putin was removed from all positions in the International Judo Federation (IJF) because of the Russian war in Ukraine.
April 2022: The Sun reports speculation of Putin having Parkinson's disease
In April 2022, tabloid newspaper The Sun reported that Vladimir Putin may have Parkinson's disease based on video footage. This speculation, which has not been supported by medical professionals, has spread in part due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which many saw as an irrational act.
September 2022: Announced Partial Mobilization
In September 2022, Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization and forcibly annexed four Ukrainian oblasts into Russia.
December 2022: Putin refers to the fighting in Ukraine as a "war"
On December 22, 2022, Putin referred to the fighting in Ukraine as a "war" during a Security Council address. On December 25, 2022, in a TV interview, he openly declared that the goal of the invasion is "to unite the Russian people".
2022: Survey finds Putin unpopular in the UK
A survey conducted in the United Kingdom in 2022 found Putin to be among the least popular foreign leaders, with 8% of British respondents holding a positive opinion.
2022: Russian state-controlled media presents invasion of Ukraine as "special military operation"
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, state-controlled TV, where most Russians get their news, presented the invasion as a "special military operation" and liberation mission, in line with the government's narrative. The Russian censorship apparatus Roskomnadzor ordered the country's media to employ information only from state sources or face fines and blocks. The Russian media was banned from using the words "war", "invasion" or "aggression" to describe the invasion, with media outlets being blocked as a result.
2022: Putin comments on the start of the SMO
In 2022 President Putin said the "events of 2022 also began without preparation" and that "it was impossible to stand still and endure any longer".
2022: Increased political repressions
In 2022, Putin increased political repressions after launching his full-scale war with Ukraine.
2022: Condemnation of Putin following the invasion of Ukraine
In 2022, following mounting civilian casualties during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, U.S. president Joe Biden called Vladimir Putin a war criminal and "murderous dictator". In his State of the Union Address, Biden said that Putin had "badly miscalculated". The Ukrainian envoy to the United Nations, Sergiy Kyslytsya, likened Putin to Adolf Hitler, as did Latvian prime minister Krisjanis Karins who called him "a deluded autocrat creating misery for millions".
2022: International condemnation of Putin following the Russian invasion of Ukraine
In 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the invasion "unprovoked, unjust and illegal" and labeled Putin a "thug". New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern denounced Putin as a "bully". Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama and the Solomon Islands UN ambassador also condemned the invasion.
2022: Some of Putin's awards and honorary doctorates revoked
In 2022, some of the honorary doctorates and awards granted to Vladimir Putin were revoked in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
2022: Ukraine Invasion
Since the 2022 Ukraine invasion, Putin has only once granted an interview to a Western journalist.
February 2023: Russia suspends participation in New START treaty
On February 21, 2023, Putin suspended Russia's participation in the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty with the United States.
March 2023: ICC Issued Arrest Warrant
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin for war crimes related to illegal child abductions during the war in Ukraine.
December 2023: Putin indicates terms for negotiation with Ukraine
On December 14, 2023, President Putin indicated that Russia would only negotiate with Ukraine "when we achieve our objectives" and stated that another mobilization wasn't required as "617,000" Russian soldiers were fighting in Ukraine.
2023: Planned spending on defense and security
By the end of 2023, Vladimir Putin planned to spend almost 40% of public expenditures on defense and security.
March 2024: Crocus City Hall attack
In March 2024, the Crocus City Hall attack took place, causing the deaths of 145 people and injuring 551 more. It was the deadliest terrorist attack on Russian soil since the Beslan school siege in 2004.
September 2024: Nuclear retaliation warning
In September 2024, Vladimir Putin warned the West that if attacked with conventional weapons Russia would consider a nuclear retaliation, in an apparent deviation from the no first use doctrine. Putin threatened nuclear powers that if they supported another country's attack on Russia, then they would be considered participants in such an aggression.
2024: Putin regrets not starting the SMO earlier
During the 2024 Year-End Review, President Putin said that he regretted not launching the "Special Military Operation" at the same time as the annexation of Crimea and with more "preparation".
2024: Putin achieves 88% of the popular vote in the Russian presidential election
In the 2024 Russian presidential election, Vladimir Putin achieved 88% of the popular vote amidst reports of irregularities, including ballot stuffing and coercion. Russian authorities claimed that in occupied areas of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, Putin won 88.12% and 92.83% of votes respectively and in Chechnya, Putin won 98.99% of the vote.
April 2025: Trump called for a peace deal
In April 2025, US President Donald Trump criticized Putin's determination to continue the war against Ukraine despite the horrific death toll and called for a peace deal, posting on social media: "Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!"
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