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Hi and welcome to English Fabula. Are
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you learning English? Great. Let's learn
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English with a very interesting story.
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Don't forget to subscribe, like, and
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comment. Let's get
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started. This story is about Vladimir
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Putin. He is the president of Russia and
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one of the most powerful leaders in the
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world. He was born on October 7th,
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1952. Before he entered politics, he
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worked for 16 years as an intelligence
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officer for the KGB, the Soviet Union's
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security
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agency. Putin has led Russia for many
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years. He became acting president on the
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last day of 1999.
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He was officially elected president from
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2000 to
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2008. Because Russian law at the time
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said a president could only serve two
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terms, one after the other, he became
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prime minister from 2008 to
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2012. Then in 2012, he became president
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again.
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He won elections again in 2018 and
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2024. He is the longest serving Russian
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leader since Russia became independent
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from the Soviet Union. His story is
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important today. Russia is a very large
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country with a powerful military and
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important natural resources like oil and
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gas.
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Vladimir Putin's decisions affect not
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only Russia but also many other
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countries around the world. His actions
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have changed Russia and its
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relationships with other nations. We
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will look at his life journey. It
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started in Lennengrad, now called St.
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Petersburg, where he grew up. We will
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learn about his time in the KGB,
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including his job in East Germany.
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After the Soviet Union ended in 1991, he
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left the KGB and started working in
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politics in St.
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Petersburg. Later, he moved to Moscow
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and worked for President Boris Yeltson.
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He quickly moved up to important
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positions. He became the head of the
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Federal Security Service, FSB, which
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replaced the KGB.
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In August 1999, he was appointed prime
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minister. During his time as leader,
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Russia has gone through big changes. In
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his early years as president, the
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Russian economy grew quickly, helped by
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high prices for oil and gas. He led
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Russia during the conflict in Cheschna.
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In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, which
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was part of Ukraine.
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This action led to international
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sanctions against
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Russia. He also ordered Russian military
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help for the government in Syria's civil
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war. In February
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2022, Vladimir Putin ordered a
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full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This led
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to more international condemnation and
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stronger sanctions.
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In March
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2023, the International Criminal Court
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issued an arrest warrant for him for war
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crimes connected to the movement of
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children out of
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Ukraine. Under Vladimir Putin, Russia's
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political system has changed. Some
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describe it as an authoritarian system.
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There have been many reports about
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limits on human rights and media
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freedom.
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This story explores how Vladimir Putin
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went from a simple start to become the
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leader of Russia for more than 20 years.
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Two, young Putin. Vladimir Putin was
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born on October 7th,
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1952. His home city was Lennengrad in
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the Soviet Union. Today, this city is
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called St.
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Petersburg. Vladimir was the youngest
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child in his family. He had two older
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brothers, Albert and
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Victor. Albert died when he was a baby.
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Victor died during World War II when
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German soldiers attacked Lennengrad.
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This attack was called the siege of
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Lennengrad. Victor died from sickness
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and hunger in
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1942. Vladimir's parents were Vladimir
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Spiridovich Putin and Maria Ivanovna
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Putina. His father was born in 1911 and
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died in
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1999. His mother was also born in 1911
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and died in
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1998. Vladimir's grandfather, Spiridan
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Putin, was a cook. He cooked for
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important Soviet leaders like Vladimir
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Lenin and Joseph Stalin. Putin's mother
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worked in a factory. His father was in
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the Soviet Navy in the
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1930s. During World War II, his father
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first served in a special group of the
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NKVD, which was part of the secret
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police. Then he joined the regular
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army. He was badly hurt in a battle in
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1942. The war greatly affected Putin's
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family. His grandmother on his mother's
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side was killed by German soldiers in
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1941. Two of his mother's brothers also
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disappeared during the war. Putin
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started school on September 1st,
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1960. His school, school number 193, was
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near his home. There were about 45
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students in his class.
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At first, he was one of the few children
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not in the young pioneers, a youth
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group. When he was 12 years old, he
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started learning martial arts. He
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learned and judo. These sports
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became very important to him. In his
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free time, he liked reading books by
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Carl Marx, Friedrich Angels, and Lenin.
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Later, he went to a special high school,
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St. Petersburg High School, 281.
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There he learned German very well. He
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can speak German fluently today. In
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1970, Putin started studying law at
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Lennengrad State University. The
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university is now called St. Petersburg
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State University. He finished his
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studies in
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1975. His final paper was about rules
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for trading between countries called the
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most favored nation trading principle in
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international
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law. At university, he had to join the
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Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He
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stayed a member until 1991 when the
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party ended. During his time at
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university, he met Anatali Saabchack.
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Saabchack was a teacher who taught
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business law. Saabchack later became an
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important politician and helped Putin in
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his
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career. These early experiences, his
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family history, life in Lennengrad after
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the war, learning judo, studying law,
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and meeting people like Saabch helped
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shape the person Vladimir Putin became.
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three, working as a spy. After
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university in
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1975, Vladimir Putin joined the
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KGB. The KGB was the main security
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agency for the Soviet
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Union. It included secret police and
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spies who worked inside the country and
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in other countries. Putin went to a
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special KGB school in Lennengrad for
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training. After this first training, he
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worked in
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counterintelligence. This means he
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worked against spies from other
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countries inside Russia. Later, he moved
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to a different part of the
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KGB. His job was to watch foreigners and
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people who worked for other countries
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offices in
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Lennengrad. In September
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1984, the KGB sent Putin to Moscow. He
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went to the Yuri on Dropoff Red Banner
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Institute for more training. This was an
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important school for Soviet intelligence
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officers. After this training, from 1985
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to 1990, Putin worked in
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Dresden. Dresdon was a city in East
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Germany. At that time, Germany was
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divided into two countries, West Germany
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and East Germany. East Germany was a
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communist country and worked closely
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with the Soviet Union. This period was
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part of the Cold War, a time of
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political tension between communist
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countries and Western countries like the
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United States.
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In Dresden, Putin's official job was a
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translator. This was his cover identity,
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hiding his real work as an intelligence
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officer. His real job was to work with
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the Stazzi. The Stazzi was the East
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German secret police. Putin acted as a
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link between the KGB and the Stazzi.
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During his time in Germany, he reached
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the rank of lieutenant colonel in the
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KGB. The East German government gave him
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a bronze medal for his service to their
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army. What Putin did in Dresden is
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something people
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discuss. Some writers say his main job
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was simple, like collecting articles
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from newspapers.
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But other writers like Katherine Belton
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wrote that he might have been involved
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in more secret
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work. She suggested he helped coordinate
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with a West German terrorist group
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called the Red Army Faction. However, a
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German newspaper Dare Spiegel looked
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into this claim in
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2023. They reported that the person who
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gave this information was not reliable.
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Putin was still working in Dresden on
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November 9,
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1989. This was the famous night the
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Berlin Wall started to fall. This event
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was a very important sign that communist
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power in East Germany was ending. Putin
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later said that during the protests in
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Dresden, he protected important
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documents. He said he saved files at the
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Soviet cultural center and the KGB
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office from
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protesters. He also said he burned many
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KGB files very quickly but kept other
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important papers safe for the future
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German government. After the communist
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government in East Germany ended, Putin
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returned to Lennengrad in early 1990.
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The Soviet Union itself was also
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changing quickly. He worked for about
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three months at Lennengrad State
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University in the international affairs
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section. He also looked for new people
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to possibly join the KGB. Putin has
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stated that he officially left the KGB
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on August 20, 1991.
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This was the second day of an attempt by
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some oldstyle communist leaders to take
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power back from the Soviet president
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Mikall
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Gorbachev. Leaving the KGB marked the
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end of his spying career and the start
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of a new direction in his
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life. Four, starting in politics. After
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leaving the KGB spy agency in 1991,
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Vladimir Putin started a new life in
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politics. He began working in his home
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city, St. Petersburg. In May 1990, the
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city's mayor, Anatali Saabchack, asked
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Putin to be his advisor. Saabchack knew
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Putin from university. Putin helped the
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mayor with international
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relations. In June
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1991, Putin got a bigger job. He became
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the head of the committee for external
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relations in the mayor's office. His job
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was important for the city. He worked to
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bring foreign companies and money to St.
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Petersburg. He also helped new
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businesses start there. Some people in
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the city government looked into his
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work.
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They asked questions about how he valued
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some city property and about metals sent
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out of the country. But Putin stayed in
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his job until
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1996. He learned a lot about how a city
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government works. He also became the
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first deputy head of the city
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administration. In
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1996, Mayor Sabchek lost an election.
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After this, Putin moved to
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Moscow. He started working for the
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president of Russia, Boris Yeltson. His
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first job in Moscow was deputy chief of
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the presidential property management
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department. This office managed property
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that belonged to the old Soviet Union.
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Putin was responsible for moving this
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property to the new Russian Federation.
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Putin moved up quickly in the Moscow
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government. In
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1997, he became deputy chief of the
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presidential staff. This is a very
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important office that helps the
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president. Later that same year, he got
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another promotion. He became the chief
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of the main control directorate. This
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department checked how different parts
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of the government were working.
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In July 1998, President Yelen gave Putin
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a very powerful job. He made him the
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director of the Federal Security Service
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or FSB. The FSB was the new name for the
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main part of the old KGB where Putin
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used to work. As director, Putin worked
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to make the FSB stronger. Putin's rise
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continued.
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In March 1999, he became the secretary
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of the security council of Russia. This
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council advises the president on
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national security. Then in August
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1999, President Yelten made another big
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change. He removed the prime minister,
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Sergey Steppin. Yeltson chose Putin to
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be the new acting prime minister.
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Yeltson also told the country that he
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wanted Putin to be the next president
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after him. Putin was now in a top
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position in Russia's government. Five.
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Becoming president. On the last day of
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1999, December 31st, President Boris
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Yeltson surprised Russia. He said he was
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leaving his job. Vladimir Putin who was
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the prime minister became the acting
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president. This means he was the
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temporary president until the next
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election. Yeltson said he believed Putin
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was the right person to lead Russia.
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Just a few months later in March 2000,
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Russia had an election for president.
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Vladimir Putin won this election. He
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officially became the president of
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Russia on May 7th, 2000. This was the
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start of his first time as
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president. As the new president, Putin
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wanted to make Russia strong and stable
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again after the difficult
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1990s. One of his first big actions was
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to build what he called a vertical
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power. This idea was about making the
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central government in Moscow stronger
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and having more control over the
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country's regions. In May 2000, he
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created seven large areas called federal
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districts. He put a special person in
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charge of each district to represent
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him. In July 2000, a new law allowed the
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president to remove the leaders of
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Russia's regions if needed. Another big
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problem was the situation in Chetchna, a
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region in the south of Russia. A war was
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happening there with groups who wanted
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Chetchna to be separate from Russia.
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Putin took a strong position.
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He continued the military actions to
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stop the separatists and bring Cheschna
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back under the control of the Russian
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government. This strong action made him
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popular with many Russians. During
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Putin's first years as president,
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Russia's economy started to get better.
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The country earned more money,
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especially because the prices for oil
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and gas went up.
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Putin's government also made new
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economic rules. Russia began to pay back
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the money it owed from the time of the
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Soviet Union. By 2005, these old debts
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were paid. People's lives started to
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improve slowly and more people became
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part of the middle
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class. Putin also took action against
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some very rich and powerful business
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people. sometimes called oligarchs who
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had become very strong during Yeltson's
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time. Some like Boris Barazavski and
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Mikl
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Kodkavski lost their power. Some left
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the country and others went to
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prison. At the same time, Putin's
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government introduced new laws for
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important things like land ownership,
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taxes, and work. These changes helped to
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organize the country's rules. His first
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term focused on building a stronger
00:19:38
state and improving the economy. Six,
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leading Russia. Vladimir Putin won his
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second time as president in
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2004. During this time, from 2004 to
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2008, Russia's economy grew fast. On
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average, it grew by 7% each year. This
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happened mainly because the prices for
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oil and gas, which Russia sells, went up
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five times. With this money, Russia was
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able to pay back all the old debts from
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the Soviet Union by
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2005. Putin continued to build a strong
00:20:22
government controlled from Moscow. In
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2004, he changed the rule for choosing
00:20:29
regional leaders called governors before
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people voted for them. After the change,
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the president chose them and the
00:20:38
regional government approved them. Putin
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also started to speak more strongly
00:20:44
about Russia's place in the
00:20:47
world. In 2007, he gave a speech in
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Munich, Germany. He said the United
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States had too much control in the
00:20:56
world. In the same year, Russia stopped
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following an important agreement about
00:21:02
weapons in Europe. When Kosovo declared
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independence from Serbia in 2008, Putin
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strongly disagreed with it. The Russian
00:21:14
army also became more active with long
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flights by bomber planes and navy ships
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going into the Mediterranean Sea.
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Russia's main law, the Constitution,
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said a president could only be elected
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two times, one after the other. So in
00:21:33
2008, Putin became prime minister.
00:21:37
Dimmitri Medvidev became the president.
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Many people believed Putin still had the
00:21:44
most
00:21:45
power. While Putin was prime minister,
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Russia fought a war with Georgia in
00:21:51
August 2008. The government also made
00:21:55
changes to the army and the police. The
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world economic crisis started in late
00:22:01
2008 and affected Russia too. Putin
00:22:06
returned to the job of president in
00:22:08
2012.
00:22:10
He won the election, but there were big
00:22:14
protests. Some people said the election
00:22:17
was not fair. The government began to
00:22:20
control protests more strictly. New laws
00:22:23
made it harder for groups to get money
00:22:26
from other countries. These groups were
00:22:29
called foreign agents. Putin also
00:22:32
supported traditional values. He worked
00:22:36
closely with the Russian Orthodox
00:22:38
Church.
00:22:40
A law was made against sharing
00:22:42
information about gay relationships
00:22:45
called the gay propaganda law. In 2014,
00:22:50
big changes happened in Ukraine. After
00:22:53
protests, the Ukrainian president left
00:22:56
the country. Soon after Russia took
00:22:59
control of Crimea, which was part of
00:23:02
Ukraine. Putin signed a treaty making
00:23:06
Crimea part of Russia. He said Crimea
00:23:09
had always been Russian
00:23:12
land. Many countries around the world
00:23:14
did not agree. They put economic
00:23:17
punishments called sanctions on Russia.
00:23:21
Russia was also asked to leave the group
00:23:23
of 8 G8, a group of large economies.
00:23:28
These events caused problems for
00:23:30
Russia's economy. Seven. Russia and the
00:23:34
world. Vladimir Putin wants Russia to be
00:23:37
a strong and important country in the
00:23:40
world. He does not like the idea of only
00:23:44
one country like the United States being
00:23:47
the main power. He wants a world with
00:23:50
many important centers of power. Putin
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believes Russia has special interests in
00:23:57
the countries near it. These are often
00:24:00
countries that were part of the old
00:24:02
Soviet Union. He sometimes calls this
00:24:06
area the near
00:24:08
abroad. Russia's relations with these
00:24:11
neighbors have sometimes been difficult.
00:24:14
Putin did not like changes in government
00:24:17
in Georgia in
00:24:19
2003, Ukraine in
00:24:21
2004, and Kyrgystan in
00:24:25
2005. These events were called the color
00:24:28
revolutions.
00:24:30
In 2008, Russia fought a short war with
00:24:34
Georgia over South Oishia and
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Obcazia. Russia later said these areas
00:24:40
were independent countries. Putin also
00:24:44
worked to bring some former Soviet
00:24:46
countries closer together. This led to
00:24:49
the Eurasian Economic Union, which
00:24:52
started in
00:24:54
2015. When Putin first became president,
00:24:59
Russia's relationship with the United
00:25:01
States and NATO was careful but
00:25:05
hopeful. After the September 11 attacks
00:25:08
in 2001, Putin offered support to the
00:25:12
US, but relations got worse over time.
00:25:16
Russia strongly disagreed with the US
00:25:19
war in Iraq in 2003.
00:25:22
In 2007, Putin gave an important speech
00:25:26
in Munich. He criticized the United
00:25:29
States, saying it had too much power and
00:25:32
acted alone too
00:25:35
often. Russia worried about NATO growing
00:25:38
larger and moving closer to its borders.
00:25:42
In
00:25:43
2014, Russia was removed from the G8
00:25:47
group of countries after it annexed
00:25:49
Crimea. In
00:25:52
2023, Russia suspended its part in the
00:25:55
New START treaty, an agreement with the
00:25:58
US about controlling nuclear weapons.
00:26:02
Putin has led Russia during several wars
00:26:05
and
00:26:06
conflicts. After becoming president, he
00:26:09
focused on the war in Cheschna. The war
00:26:12
with Georgia happened in 2008. Since
00:26:17
2015, Russia has used its military in
00:26:20
Syria. It supports Syria's leader Bashar
00:26:24
al-Assad in the country's civil war.
00:26:27
This action helped Russia keep naval
00:26:30
bases in the Mediterranean Sea. The
00:26:33
relationship with Ukraine led to major
00:26:37
conflict. In
00:26:39
2014, Russia annexed the Crimean
00:26:42
Peninsula from Ukraine. Russia also
00:26:46
supported fighters in the Donbass region
00:26:49
of eastern Ukraine. In February
00:26:53
2022, Putin ordered a full-scale
00:26:56
invasion of Ukraine. This invasion
00:26:59
caused strong reactions around the
00:27:02
world. Many countries condemned Russia's
00:27:06
actions. The United States, the European
00:27:10
Union, and others put heavy sanctions on
00:27:12
Russia. These sanctions aim to hurt
00:27:16
Russia's economy. In March
00:27:19
2023, the International Criminal Court
00:27:22
issued an arrest warrant for Putin. The
00:27:26
court accused him of war crimes
00:27:28
connected to the illegal movement of
00:27:30
children from Ukraine to Russia. Eight,
00:27:34
the leader today.
00:27:37
Vladimir Putin has been Russia's leader
00:27:40
for a very long time, more than 20 years
00:27:44
as president or prime minister. In April
00:27:49
2021, he signed changes to the
00:27:52
constitution. These changes mean he
00:27:55
could stay president until
00:27:58
2036. Some people see him as a strong
00:28:02
leader who made Russia powerful again.
00:28:06
Others say Russia is now like a
00:28:08
dictatorship under his rule with strong
00:28:11
government control and less freedom. His
00:28:15
public image often shows him doing
00:28:17
sports or activities in nature. In March
00:28:23
2024, Putin won the presidential
00:28:25
election again. Officials said he got
00:28:29
about 88% of the vote.
00:28:32
However, leaders in many western
00:28:35
countries said the election was not free
00:28:38
or fair. There were reports that votes
00:28:41
were not counted correctly and that some
00:28:44
people were forced to vote. Voting also
00:28:47
happened in parts of Ukraine that Russia
00:28:51
controls. Just after the election, a
00:28:54
terrible attack happened at the Crocus
00:28:56
City Hall near Moscow. More than 140
00:29:01
people
00:29:02
died. It was the worst attack in Russia
00:29:05
for many years. The full-scale war in
00:29:09
Ukraine started by Putin in February
00:29:13
2022
00:29:14
continues. This war has caused many
00:29:17
problems including international actions
00:29:21
against Russia like sanctions.
00:29:24
These are rules to limit trade and
00:29:27
business. In September 2022, Putin
00:29:32
announced a partial mobilization,
00:29:35
calling more men into the army. Russia
00:29:38
also said four regions of Ukraine were
00:29:41
now part of Russia, but most countries
00:29:44
do not agree. In March 2023, the
00:29:48
International Criminal Court IC gave an
00:29:52
arrest warrant for
00:29:54
Putin. The ICC says he is responsible
00:29:58
for war crimes, including taking
00:30:01
children from Ukraine
00:30:03
illegally. In September
00:30:06
2024, Putin warned that Russia might use
00:30:10
nuclear weapons if attacked, even with
00:30:13
normal weapons.
00:30:15
Life in Russia has changed under Putin.
00:30:19
The government has more control over the
00:30:21
media and the
00:30:23
internet. There are laws against
00:30:26
protesting or saying things the
00:30:28
government does not like. Some groups
00:30:31
say there are problems with human rights
00:30:33
and corruption. The economy is now
00:30:36
focused on the war. Inside Russia,
00:30:40
official polls show many people support
00:30:43
Putin, especially older people. But some
00:30:47
experts question these polls and younger
00:30:50
Russians often have different
00:30:53
views. Outside Russia, especially in
00:30:57
Western countries, many leaders
00:30:59
criticize Putin strongly. But in some
00:31:03
other parts of the world, views are
00:31:05
different. Putin remains a very powerful
00:31:09
figure in Russia and the world. His long
00:31:12
time in power has seen Russia change in
00:31:15
many ways. What do you think people will
00:31:18
remember most about Vladimir Putin in
00:31:21
the
00:31:22
future? Hey there, just a second before
00:31:25
you go. If you learned something new
00:31:27
today, please give this video a like,
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00:31:42
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