7 Interesting fact of Putin

Vladimir Putin (born 1952) is the longest-serving Russian leader since Joseph Stalin, having led the country for more than 2 decades as either its Prime Minister or its President. His time in power has been characterised by territorial tensions in Eastern Europe, liberal economic reform, a crackdown on political freedoms and a cult of personality revolving around Putin’s ‘action man’ image.

Away from his public persona, Putin has lived a life of extremes: he grew up in poverty in 1950s and 1960s St Petersburg, for example, but now resides in a rural palace complex worth more than 1 billion dollars. And his personality is similarly marked by contrasts. Putin was a KGB officer during the Cold War and claims to be a ruthless black belt at judo, yet he also professes a sincere love for animals and an adoration of The Beatles.

1. He grew up in poverty

Putin’s parents married at 17. Times were tough: during World War Two, his father was injured and ultimately disabled by a grenade, and during the Siege of Leningrad his mother was trapped and nearly starved to death. Putin’s birth in October 1952 was preceded by the deaths of two brothers, Viktor and Albert, who died during the Siege of Leningrad and in infancy, respectively.

2. He was not a model student

In ninth grade, Putin was selected to study at Leningrad School No. 281, which only accepted the city’s brightest pupils. A Russian tabloid reportedly later found Putin’s gradebook. It stated that Putin “threw chalkboard erasers at the children”, “didn’t do his math homework”, “behaved badly during singing class” and “talks in class”. In addition, he was caught passing notes and often fought with his gym teacher and older students.

3. He has reportedly broken records in Judo

Putin has practiced judo since he was 11 years old, before turning his attentions to sambo (a Russian martial art) when he was 14. He won competitions in both sports in Leningrad (now St Petersburg) and in 2012 was awarded eighth dan (a martial arts ranking system) of the black belt, which made him the first Russian to achieve the status. He has written books on the subject, co-authoring the book Judo with Vladimir Putin in Russian, and Judo: History, Theory, Practice in English.

4. He joined the KGB

Immediately after completing his law degree, Putin joined the KGB in an administrative position. He studied in Moscow at the KGB’s foreign intelligence institute under the pseudonym ‘Platov’. He served in the KGB for 15 years and travelled across Russia, and in 1985 was sent to Dresden in East Germany. He rose through the ranks of the KGB and eventually became a lieutenant colonel.

5. After the KGB, he started his career in politics

After his career with the KGB, he held a position at Leningrad State University for a short while before moving into politics. He was a distinguished employee, and by 1994 had earned himself the title of Deputy Mayor under Anatoly Sobchak. After his mayorship came to an end, Putin moved to Moscow and joined the presidential staff. He started as a Deputy Head of Management in 1998, then moved to the head of the Federal Security Service, and by 1999 was promoted to Prime Minister.

6. He loves the Beatles

In 2007, British photographer Platon was sent to take a portrait of Putin for Time Magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’ edition. As a way of making conversation, Platon stated, “I’m a big Beatles fan. Are you?” He then recounted that Putin stated, “I love the Beatles!” and said that his favourite song was Yesterday.

7. He owns a palace in a forest

Putin’s enormous home, nicknamed ‘Putin’s Palace’, is an Italianate palace complex located on the coast of the Black Sea in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The complex contains a main house (with an area of nearly 18,000m²), an arboretum, a greenhouse, a helipad, an ice palace, a church, an amphitheatre, a guest house, a fuel station, an 80-metre bridge and a special tunnel inside the mountain with a tasting room.