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.
In 1911, both Vladimir Putin's father, Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin, and his mother, Maria Ivanovna Putina (née Shelomova), were born.
In 1940, Vladimir Putin's brother, Viktor, was born.
In 1941, Putin's maternal grandmother was killed by German occupiers in the Tver region.
In 1942, Putin's father was severely wounded while serving in the regular army during the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.
In October 1952, Vladimir Putin was born in Leningrad, Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg, Russia), as the youngest of three children.
In October 1952, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was born.
In September 1960, Vladimir Putin began attending School No. 193 at Baskov Lane.
In 2013, the United States canceled a summit for the first time since 1960 after Putin gave asylum to American Edward Snowden.
In 1965, Vladimir Putin's grandfather, Spiridon Putin, who was a personal cook to Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, passed away.
In 1970, Vladimir Putin began studying law at the Leningrad State University.
According to the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin embarked on a build-up of Russia's nuclear capabilities because of U.S. president George W. Bush's unilateral decision to withdraw from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
In 1975, Vladimir Putin graduated from the Leningrad State University.
In 1975, Vladimir Putin joined the KGB and trained at the 401st KGB School in Okhta, Leningrad.
In 1978, King and Cleland's "Strategic Planning and Policy" was published. Putin allegedly copied entire paragraphs from the Russian-language edition for his thesis.
On 28 July 1983, Vladimir Putin married Lyudmila Shkrebneva.
In September 1984, Vladimir Putin was sent to Moscow for further training at the Yuri Andropov Red Banner Institute.
On 28 April 1985, Vladimir Putin's daughter, Maria Putina, was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg).
From 1985 to 1990, Vladimir Putin served in Dresden, East Germany, using a cover identity as a translator.
On 31 August 1986, Vladimir Putin's daughter, Yekaterina Putina, was born in Dresden, East Germany (now Germany).
Some analysts believe that this nuclear strategy under Putin has brought Russia into violation of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
In November 1989, during the fall of the Berlin Wall, Vladimir Putin saved the files of the Soviet Cultural Center (House of Friendship) and of the KGB villa in Dresden, burning only the KGB files.
In 1989, Vladimir Putin recounted his confrontations with anti-communist protesters who attempted to occupy Stasi buildings in Dresden.
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".
In May 1990, Vladimir Putin was appointed as an advisor on international affairs to Mayor Anatoly Sobchak in Saint Petersburg.
From 1985 to 1990, Vladimir Putin and Lyudmila Shkrebneva lived together in East Germany.
In 1990, Vladimir Putin's service in Dresden, East Germany, came to an end.
In 1990, the Paris Charter was created by a summit that included European governments, the U.S. and the Soviet Union, convened as Communism crumbled across Eastern Europe.
In early 1990, after the collapse of the Communist East German government, Vladimir Putin returned to Leningrad as a member of the "active reserves".
The Kyoto Protocol limits emissions to a percentage increase or decrease from 1990 levels.
In June 1991, Vladimir Putin became the head of the Committee for External Relations of the Saint Petersburg Mayor's Office.
On August 20, 1991, Vladimir Putin stated that he resigned with the rank of lieutenant colonel on the second day of the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt against Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev.
In 1991, Vladimir Putin resigned from the KGB to begin a political career in Saint Petersburg.
In 1991, Vladimir Putin's membership in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) ceased to exist when the party dissolved.
In 1993, Vladimir Putin's wife was involved in a serious car crash that Putin says contributed to his religious awakening.
In 1994, the president of Kazakhstan proposed the idea of a Eurasian Union.
In August 1996, a life-threatening fire burned down Vladimir Putin's dacha, which Putin says contributed to his religious awakening.
In 1996, Vladimir Putin moved to Moscow to join President Boris Yeltsin's administration.
In 1996, after his dacha burned down, Vladimir Putin rebuilt it and was joined by a group of friends who built dachas nearby. The group formally registered their fraternity as a co-operative society, calling it Ozero ("Lake") and turning it into a gated community.
Vladimir Putin retained his position in the Saint Petersburg administration until 1996, despite investigations.
In 1997, Vladimir Putin received a degree in economics (Candidate of Economical Sciences) at the Saint Petersburg Mining University.
In 1997, Vladimir Putin's career in Moscow advanced with his appointment as deputy chief of the Presidential Staff.
During the Russian financial crash of August 1998, Putin learned that financial crises are politically destabilizing and must be avoided at all costs.
In 1998, President Boris Yeltsin appointed Vladimir Putin as the director of the FSB, Russia's primary intelligence and security agency.
In 1998, Vladimir Putin's mother, Maria Ivanovna Putina, passed away.
In August 1999, Vladimir Putin was appointed as the Prime Minister of Russia.
In August 1999, Vladimir Putin's profile increased substantially when he was named one of the three First Deputy Prime Ministers, and later the acting Prime Minister following the dismissal of Sergei Stepashin's cabinet.
In December 1999, Putin published the document "Russia at the Turn of the Millenium" on the government's website, outlining his foreign policy objectives which included addressing Russia's identity issues and countering anti-Western security narratives.
In 1999, Putin described communism as "a blind alley, far away from the mainstream of civilization".
In 1999, Vladimir Putin was appointed as the Prime Minister of Russia.
In 1999, Vladimir Putin's father, Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin, passed away.
Sergey Guriyev divided Putin's economic policy into four distinct periods: the "reform" years of his first term (1999–2003).
Since 1999, Putin has systematically punished journalists who challenge his official point of view.
In March 2000, endorsed by Yeltsin as his preferred successor, Vladimir Putin capitalized on his law-and-order reputation and rose in popularity, winning the presidential election.
In May 2000, Putin visited Tashkent, Uzbekistan, marking improved relations after a period of lukewarm relations under Yeltsin.
In May 2000, Vladimir Putin was elected as the President of Russia for his first term.
On 13 May 2000, Vladimir Putin issued a decree organizing the 89 federal subjects of Russia into seven administrative federal districts and appointed a presidential envoy responsible for each of those districts.
On 7 May 2000, Vladimir Putin was inaugurated after winning the presidential election.
In July 2000, Putin became the first Russian or Soviet leader to visit North Korea, meeting with Kim Jong Il.
In July 2000, according to a law proposed by Putin and approved by the Federal Assembly of Russia, Putin gained the right to dismiss the heads of the 89 federal subjects.
In 2000, Putin had re-established stronger ties with Fidel Castro's Cuba.
In 2000, Vladimir Litvinenko managed Vladimir Putin's presidential election campaigns in St Petersburg.
In 2000, Vladimir Putin began his first term as the President of Russia.
In 2000, Vladimir Putin co-authored a book titled "Learn Judo with Vladimir Putin" in Russian. During his visit to Japan in 2000, a small Japanese girl tossed him to the floor using a judo throw.
In 2000, Vladimir Putin launched the "Programme for the Socio-Economic Development of the Russian Federation for the Period 2000–2010".
Since 2000, Vladimir Putin has been nominated and elected as President of Russia all five times, typically under an independent banner.
After the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. in 2001, Putin had good relations with American president George W. Bush, and many western European leaders.
In August 2007, Russian expedition Arktika 2007, part of research related to the 2001 Russian territorial extension claim, planted a flag on the seabed at the North Pole.
Since 2001, Vladimir Putin has been awarded civilian honors by at least fifteen countries.
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".
In March 2003, Vladimir Putin allegedly had another daughter, Elizaveta, also known as Luiza Rozova, with Svetlana Krivonogikh.
In 2003, Otto von Habsburg gave a speech warning of Putin as an "international threat", calling him "cruel and oppressive".
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.
In 2003, the Rose Revolution occurred in Georgia.
In 2006 Alexander Litvinenko died by polonium poisoning in London; he became an MI6 agent in 2003.
In February 2017, a Gallup poll revealed a positive view of Putin among 22% of Americans, the highest since 2003.
Sergey Guriyev divided Putin's economic policy into four distinct periods: the "reform" years of his first term (1999–2003).
In December 2004, Putin criticized the Rose and Orange revolutions, warning of endless conflict in the post-Soviet space.
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".
In 2004, Vladimir Litvinenko managed Vladimir Putin's presidential election campaigns in St Petersburg.
In 2004, Vladimir Putin co-authored a book titled "Judo: History, Theory, Practice" in English.
In 2004, Vladimir Putin signed the Kyoto Protocol treaty designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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.
In 2004, the direct election of those heads (usually called "governors") by popular vote was replaced with a system whereby they would be nominated by the president and approved or disapproved by regional legislatures.
Sergey Guriyev divided Putin's economic policy into four distinct periods: the "statist" years of his second term (2004—the first half of 2008).
A fund for oil revenue allowed Russia to repay Soviet Union's debts by 2005.
In 2005, Otto von Habsburg gave a speech warning of Putin as an "international threat", calling him a "stone cold technocrat".
In 2005, the Tulip Revolution occurred in Kyrgyzstan.
Since 2005, Freedom House has listed Russia as being "not free", indicating democratic backsliding during Putin's tenure.
In 2006, Vladimir Putin launched an industry consolidation programme to bring the main aircraft-producing companies under a single umbrella organization, the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).
In 2006, Vladimir Putin's reported income totaled 2 million rubles (approximately $152,000).
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.
In a January 2007 interview, Putin stated that Russia was in favor of a democratic multipolar world and strengthening the systems of international law.
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.
As president, Vladimir Putin took an active personal part in promoting the Act of Canonical Communion with the Moscow Patriarchate, signed 17 May 2007, which restored relations between the Moscow-based Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia after the 80-year schism.
In June 2007, a public opinion survey showed Putin's approval rating at 81%, the second-highest of any leader in the world that year.
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.
In August 2007, Russian expedition Arktika 2007, part of research related to the 2001 Russian territorial extension claim, planted a flag on the seabed at the North Pole.
On October 16, 2007, Putin visited Iran to participate in the Second Caspian Summit in Tehran, meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This was the first visit of a Soviet or Russian leader to Iran since Joseph Stalin in 1943. At a press conference, Putin stated that Caspian states have the right to develop peaceful nuclear programs without restrictions and described Iran as a "partner", while expressing concerns over the Iranian nuclear program.
During his meeting with Vladimir Putin on 5 December 2007, Russian defense minister Anatoliy Serdyukov announced that 11 ships, including the aircraft carrier Kuznetsov, would take part in the first major navy sortie into the Mediterranean since Soviet times.
On December 11, 2007, Russia suspended its participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty.
According to Meduza, Vladimir Putin has since 2007 predicted on a number of occasions that Russia will become one of the world's five largest economies.
In 2007, Putin became the first Russian or Soviet leader to visit Indonesia in half a century, resulting in the signing of an arms deal.
In 2007, Putin cultivated a cult of personality, projecting an outdoorsy, athletic "tough guy" image through extreme sports and interactions with wild animals. Komsomolskaya Pravda published a photo of a shirtless Putin with the headline "Be Like Putin".
In 2007, Putin led a successful effort on behalf of Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2014 Winter Paralympics, the first Winter Olympic Games to ever be hosted by Russia.
In 2007, Vladimir Putin was named Time Person of the Year.
In 2007, during the legislative election, official figures put Vladimir Putin's wealth at approximately 3.7 million rubles (US$280,000) in bank accounts, a private 77.4-square-meter apartment in Saint Petersburg, and other assets.
In 2007, the CIA estimated Vladimir Putin's wealth at $40 billion.
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.
In 2007, when asked whether he believes in God, Vladimir Putin stated that there are things he believes that should not be shared with the public, as it would appear as self-advertising.
In April 2008, Putin became the first Russian president to visit Libya.
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.
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.
From 2008 to 2012, Vladimir Putin served as Prime Minister of Russia under Dmitry Medvedev, due to constitutional term limits.
In 2008, the city of Kazan won the bid for the 2013 Summer Universiade.
Sergey Guriyev divided Putin's economic policy into four distinct periods: the world economic crisis and recovery (the second half of 2008–2013).
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.
Hillary Clinton served as U.S. secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.
In 2009, Vladimir Putin gifted a Blancpain watch valued at thousands of dollars to a Siberian boy he met while on vacation.
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.
After Berlusconi's resignation in November 2011, Putin and Berlusconi continued to organize bilateral meetings.
On November 18, 2011, the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia signed an agreement with the target of establishing the Eurasian Union by 2015.
In 2011, photographs from inside "Putin's Palace" were leaked onto the Internet.
Prior to 2011, Chechen Republic head and Putin supporter, Ramzan Kadyrov, stated that Vladimir Putin saved both the Chechen people and Russia.
Since 2011, The Economist Intelligence Unit has rated Russia as "authoritarian", changing from its previous classification as a "hybrid regime".
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.
In June 2012, in Paris, Putin rejected French President François Hollande's call for Bashar al-Assad to step down, echoing Assad's argument that anti-regime militants were responsible for much of the bloodshed. He questioned the results of previous NATO interventions, asking about the safety and future of Libya and Iraq.
In August 2012, critics of Vladimir Putin listed the ownership of 20 villas and palaces, nine of which were built during Putin's 12 years in power.
Russia joined the World Trade Organization in August 2012.
After Putin resumed the presidency in 2012, his rule is best described as 'manual management'.
In 2012, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, endorsed Putin's election, stating Putin's terms were like "a miracle of God".
In 2012, Russian-American Masha Gessen wrote a biography of Putin.
In 2012, Sergei Kolesnikov, a former business associate of Putin, told the BBC that he was ordered to oversee the building of a massive Italianate-style mansion, dubbed "Putin's Palace", near Praskoveevka. He stated that the mansion, featuring helipads and a private road, was built on government land for Putin's private use, funded by state funds and guarded by Kremlin officials.
In 2012, Vladimir Putin had a grandson through his daughter Maria.
In 2012, Vladimir Putin reported an income of 3.6 million rubles ($270,000).
In 2012, Vladimir Putin was awarded the eighth dan of the black belt in judo, becoming the first Russian to achieve this status.
In 2012, the Izborsky Club, founded by Alexander Prokhanov, was created. It emphasizes Russian nationalism, restoration of Russia's historical greatness, and opposition to liberal ideas and policies.
In 2012, the crackdown extended to the liberal media, which had until then been allowed to operate fairly independently.
The period after 2012 saw mass protests against the falsification of elections, censorship and toughening of free assembly laws.
In January 2013, at the time of the 2011–2013 Russian protests, Putin's approval rating fell to 62%, the lowest since 2000.
On 6 June 2013, Vladimir Putin and Lyudmila announced that their marriage was over.
On September 11, 2013, The New York Times published an op-ed by Putin urging caution against US intervention in Syria and criticizing American exceptionalism. Putin subsequently helped to arrange for the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons.
Hillary Clinton served as U.S. secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.
In 2013, Forbes ranked Vladimir Putin the World's Most Powerful Individual.
In 2013, Putin stated that gay athletes would not face any discrimination at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
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.
In 2013, Vladimir Putin said Russia was one of the five biggest economies in terms of gross domestic product but still lagged behind other countries on indicators such as labour productivity.
In late 2013, Russian-American relations deteriorated further when the United States canceled a summit after Putin gave asylum to American Edward Snowden.
Sergey Guriyev divided Putin's economic policy into four distinct periods: the world economic crisis and recovery (the second half of 2008–2013).
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".
Following the Revolution of Dignity in March 2014, the Russian Federation annexed Crimea.
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".
On 1 April 2014, the Kremlin confirmed that the divorce of Vladimir Putin and Lyudmila had been finalised.
In August 2014, amid increased diplomatic isolation and international sanctions due to the Russo-Ukrainian war, Putin's approval rating reached 87%.
In late August 2014, Putin stated: "People who have their own views on history and the history of our country may argue with me, but it seems to me that the Russian and Ukrainian peoples are practically one people".
In 2014, Konni, one of the five dogs Putin had received from various national leaders, died.
In 2014, Russia agreed to write off Uzbek debt during a meeting, furthering improved relations between the two countries.
In 2014, Russia was suspended from the G8 group as a result of its annexation of Crimea.
In 2014, Sochi hosted the Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics, marking the first time Russia hosted the Winter Olympic Games.
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.
In 2014, Vladimir Putin was rewarded an eighth-degree karate black belt.
In 2014, Vladimir Putin's tenure was punctuated by significant foreign policy actions, including the controversial annexation of Crimea.
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.
In 2014, former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger wrote that the West has demonized Vladimir Putin.
On January 1, 2015, the Eurasian Union was established, following an agreement signed in November 2011 by Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia, furthering Eurasian integration.
In February 2015, based on domestic polling, Putin was ranked the world's most popular politician.
In February 2015, former U.S. ambassador to Germany John Kornblum wrote in the Wall Street Journal.
In June 2015, Putin's approval rating climbed to 89%, an all-time high. Observers attributed this to improvements in living standards and Russia's reassertion on the world stage during his presidency.
In late December 2015, Putin stated: "the Ukrainian culture, as well as Ukrainian literature, surely has a source of its own".
In 2015, Kabaeva reportedly gave birth to a daughter by Vladimir Putin; this report was denied.
In 2015, Putin took a stronger pro-Assad stance and mobilized military support for the regime in Syria. Some analysts have summarized Putin as being allied with Shiites and Alawites in the Middle East.
In 2015, Vladimir Putin was named No. 1 on Time's Most Influential People List.
In 2015, political opponent Garry Kasparov described Vladimir Putin as a "dictator".
In 2015, political scientist Larry Diamond stated that "no serious scholar would consider Russia today a democracy".
In 2015, the British Government launched a public inquiry into Litvinenko's death, presided over by Robert Owen.
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.
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".
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.
On November 9, 2016, Putin congratulated Donald Trump on becoming the 45th president of the United States.
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.
Fueled by the 2000s commodities boom including record-high oil prices, under the Putin administration from 2000 to 2016, an increase in income in USD terms was 4.5 times.
In 2016, Forbes ranked Vladimir Putin the World's Most Powerful Individual.
In 2016, Ronald S. Lauder, the president of the World Jewish Congress, also praised Vladimir Putin for making Russia "a country where Jews are welcome".
In 2016, Vladimir Putin oversaw the passage of legislation that prohibited missionary activity in Russia.
In 2016, opposition activist and blogger Alexei Navalny described Vladimir Putin as the "Tsar of corruption".
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.
In 2016, relations between Russia and the Philippines received a boost as Putin forged closer bilateral ties with his Filipino counterpart, Rodrigo Duterte.
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.
In February 2017, a Gallup poll revealed a positive view of Putin among 22% of Americans, the highest since 2003.
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.
In 2017, Putin criticized violence in Myanmar against Rohingya minorities.
In 2017, Putin dispatched Russian PMCs to back the Touadéra regime in the Central African Republic Civil War, gaining a permanent military presence in return.
In 2017, Putin's approval rating was 89% in Vietnam.
In 2017, Vladimir Putin had a grandson through Maria, and a granddaughter through Katerina.
Newsweek reported in 2017 that a poll "indicated that 67% held Putin personally responsible for high-level corruption".
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.
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.
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.
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".
In 2018, Forbes ranked Vladimir Putin as the second most powerful individual in the world.
In 2018, the Russian political magazine Sobesednik alleged that Vladimir Putin had a sensory room installed in his private residence in the Novgorod Oblast.
In January 2019, the percentage of Russians trusting Putin hit a then-historic low—33%.
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.
In September 2019, Putin and his Mongolian counterpart signed a permanent treaty on friendship between the two states, further enhancing trade and cultural exchanges.
In October 2019, Putin visited the United Arab Emirates, where six agreements were struck with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed. One of them included shared investments between Russian sovereign wealth fund and the Emirati investment fund Mubadala. The two nations signed deals worth over $1.3 billion in energy, health, and advance technology sectors.
In 2019, Kabaeva reportedly gave birth to twin sons by Vladimir Putin.
Power of Siberia, which Putin has called the "world's biggest construction project", was launched in 2019 and is expected to continue for 30 years at an ultimate cost to China of $400bn.
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.
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.
On June 18, 2020, The National Interest published a nine-thousand-word essay by Putin, titled "The Real Lessons of the 75th Anniversary of World War II".
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.
In November 2020, an investigation by Proekt alleged that Vladimir Putin has another daughter, Elizaveta, also known as Luiza Rozova, with Svetlana Krivonogikh.
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.
In 2020, Putin praised Jair Bolsonaro for his "masculine qualities", stating that Bolsonaro prioritizes his people and country above personal issues. Political scientist Oliver Stuenkel noted that right-wing populists in Brazil view Putin as anti-woke and admire his strongman image, which appeals to Bolsonaro.
In 2020, Putin signed a law expanding the "foreign agent" legislation adopted in 2012 to include individuals and organizations receiving funding from abroad.
In 2020, Putin supported efforts to reduce the number of abortions instead of prohibiting it.
In 2020, Putin supported the Russian constitutional referendum, which passed and defined marriage as a relationship between one man and one woman in the Constitution of Russia.
In 2020, Shinzo Abe resigned as Prime Minister before signing an agreement regarding the Japan-Russia territorial disputes.
One of the 2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia has a constitutional reference to God.
In January 2021, Alexei Navalny and the Anti-Corruption Foundation released a video accusing Putin of using fraudulently obtained funds to build an estate. Navalny claimed the estate is 39 times the size of Monaco, costing over 100 billion rubles. The investigation included aerial footage and a detailed floorplan, alleging an elaborate corruption scheme involving Putin's inner circle.
In April 2021, Vladimir Putin signed constitutional amendments into law, potentially allowing him to extend his presidency to 2036.
In May 2021, 33% indicated Putin in response to "who would you vote for this weekend?" among Moscow respondents and 40% outside Moscow.
In July 2021, Putin published a lengthy article titled "On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians", revisiting themes of unity and stating that a Ukrainian state hostile to Moscow was "comparable in its consequences to the use of weapons of mass destruction against us".
A survey released in October 2021 found 53% of respondents saying they trusted Putin.
In November 2021, The Economist noted that Vladimir Putin had "shifted from autocracy to dictatorship".
In November 2021, William Burns had a personal meeting with Putin.
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.
In February 2022, during his fourth presidential term, Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, resulting in international condemnation and sanctions.
In late February 2022, a survey conducted by the independent research group Russian Field found that 59% of respondents supported the "special military operation" in Ukraine. According to the poll, in the group of 18-to-24-year-olds, only 29% supported the "special military operation".
In March 2022, Vladimir Putin was removed from all positions in the International Judo Federation (IJF) because of the Russian war in Ukraine.
In late February and mid-March 2022 two polls surveyed Russians' sentiments about the "special military operation" in Ukraine. The results were obtained by Radio Liberty. 71% of Russians polled said that they supported the "special military operation" in Ukraine.
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.
In July 2022, CIA director William Burns stated they had no evidence to suggest Putin was unstable or in bad health, amidst increasing media speculation. Burns had previously met Putin personally in November 2021, and observed him for over two decades.
In September 2022, Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization and forcibly annexed four Ukrainian oblasts into Russia.
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".
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.
As of 2024, no data is available since before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
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.
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".
In 2022, Putin increased political repressions after launching his full-scale war with Ukraine.
In 2022, Swiss media, citing the couple's Swiss gynecologist, wrote that on both occasions Kabaeva gave birth to a boy.
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".
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.
In 2022, some of the honorary doctorates and awards granted to Vladimir Putin were revoked in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In her 2022 book, Anna Borshchevskaya analyzes Putin's foreign policy objectives as originating in his 1999 document "Russia at the Turn of the Millenium", emphasizing Russia's unique values and anti-Western security narratives.
Since the 2022 Ukraine invasion, Putin has only once granted an interview to a Western journalist.
On February 21, 2023, Putin suspended Russia's participation in the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty with the United States.
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.
A poll by the independent organization Levada, which was conducted on 22–28 June 2023, showed that 42% of respondents would vote for Putin in the 2024 presidential election.
In September 2023, the head of the VTsIOM state pollster Valery Fyodorov said in an interview that only 10–15% of Russians actively supported the war, and that "most Russians are not demanding the conquest of Kyiv or Odesa".
A public opinion poll by the state-owned institution VCIOM, which was conducted in November 2023, found that 37.3% of respondents would vote for Putin.
On November 28, 2023, during a speech to the World Russian People's Council, Putin urged Russian women to have "seven, eight, or even more children" and said "large families must become the norm, a way of life for all of Russia's people".
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.
By the end of 2023, Vladimir Putin planned to spend almost 40% of public expenditures on defense and security.
In 2023, an investigation by Der Spiegel reported that an anonymous source, who claimed to be a former RAF member, was "considered a notorious fabulist".
When Berlusconi died in 2023, Putin described him as an "extraordinary man" and a "true friend".
In February 2024, Putin granted an interview to Tucker Carlson, marking the first time since the 2022 Ukraine invasion that he engaged with a Western journalist.
According to a VCIOM poll conducted in early March 2024, 56.2% of respondents would vote for Putin.
In March 2024, Vladimir Putin was reelected to another term as President of Russia.
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.
In May 2024, Vladimir Putin was inaugurated as president of Russia for the fifth time. Analysts suggest replacing Sergei Shoigu with Andrey Belousov as defense minister signals a shift towards a war economy and preparation for long-term conflict. Putin also expressed readiness to end the war in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire to avoid further mobilization and war spending.
In August 2024, Vladimir Putin pardoned American journalist Evan Gershkovich, opposition figures Vladimir Kara-Murza, Ilya Yashin and others in a prisoner swap with western countries. The 2024 Ankara prisoner exchange was the most extensive between Russia and United States since the end of the Cold War, involving the release of 26 people.
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.
As of 2024, no data is available since before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
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".
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.
In March 2025, Franklin Foer of The Atlantic described the 21st century as the "Age of Vladimir Putin".
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!"
In May 2025, Vladimir Putin approved Alexander Novak's coal industry bailout plan.
In May 2025, Vladimir Putin attended the Victory Day parade in Moscow with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Lula da Silva and other foreign leaders.
Russia's energy strategy to 2035 is mostly about burning more fossil fuels.
In 2036, Vladimir Putin's presidency could potentially extend to this year, based on constitutional amendments.
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