New Face at Russia's Helm

Author: Linda DeLaine
Website: RL Online
Department:
Page: 1   ( 2) pages

Summary: This article was written in early January, 2000, about Russia's new acting president and a man not well know outside Russia.

Russia has a new acting president. Prime minister for just five months, Vladimir Putin is now at the helm of the Russian government, thanks to the New Year's Eve surprise resignation of President Boris Yeltsin. So, who is this man, what is his background and what are his aspirations for Russia's future? In brief, Putin is a former KGB agent, a black belt in judo, the owner of an adorable toy poodle, and a politician known for tough talk, yet a soft side, as well.

Vladimir Putin is 47 years old; born October 7, 1952. He hails from St. Petersburg and is the son of a locksmith. Putin spent twenty years in the KGB as a spy, mostly in East Germany, and goes by the nickname the hawk. Putin graduated from St. Petersburg's (then Leningrad) law school in 1975. He is married and has two daughters.

Putin was working in Russian intelligence when Yeltsin appointed him prime minister on August 9, 1999. Putin became acting president on December 31, 1999. There's a bit of irony here. Yeltsin bitterly despised the KGB and was under their close scrutiny in the late 1980's. Putin is very popular with the people, is respected for his dealings with Chechnya and maintains close ties with leading Western market reformers from St. Petersburg. His best known associate is Anatoly Chubais who was instrumental in the efforts toward privatization in the early '90's. In fact, Putin stated, in his first speech as acting president, that he considers freedom of speech, conscience and press and the right to own private property as fundamental human rights of a civilized culture.

During the last five months of Boris Yeltsin's time as president, Putin was running much of the daily business of state. State television has followed Putin's activities with great interest. He portrays a very different image from the older, more stately Yeltsin. The Russian people have seen their, then prime minister, giving judo demonstrations and running a lap around a Chechen village. Putin is a younger man and his energy and endurance show. He is considered to unbeatable in the March 26, 2000, presidential election.

All this being said, we know very little else about who Vladimir Putin is. His political rhetoric sounds familiar. He promises to support ongoing economic reforms, put greater emphasis on social issues and welfare and continue Yeltsin's foreign policies and military reform. Putin envisions a multipolar world rather than the existing, in his opinion, U.S. and NATO dominated globe. Putin seems to intend to return Russia to her former glory and world presence, but in the the modern world of technology and business. He, also, seems to hold in high priority the quality of life and well being of all citizens.

Two days before Putin's appointment as prime minister, Chechen rebels launched an attack on the republic of Dagestan. The terrorism escalated with apartment building bombings and hundreds of Russian civilian deaths in Moscow and other Russian cities accredited to the Chechen rebels. Many Russians were overjoyed when Putin took a hard-line stand against the rebel republic and ordered bombing runs, heavy artillery and thousands of ground troops into the region. This aggressive action has caused many Russian voters to think that, if Putin has what it takes to deal with the situation in Chechnya, he may be the person who will be able to turn around Russia's economic crisis.

Next Page > More about Vladimir Putin

Russia's Unfinished Revolution
Political Change from Gorbachev to Putin
Michael McFaul

Hardcover, 384pp.
Cornell University Press
September 2001