You don’t become a nation’s chief executive without breaking a
few eggs, or occasionally heads. America’s outgoing and open culture
requires its presidents to camouflage their ruthlessness, but in many
other countries that’s not as necessary. In the case of a former
superpower like Russia, looking to regain its glory by any means
possible, its leader has to straddle the line between intimidating
adversaries and offering a presentable face to the West. Hence the rise
of one of the most fascinating men in world politics, Vladimir Putin.
Putin has shuttled between Russia’s presidency (which he currently occupies) and its prime ministry several times since ascending to office in 1999. To illustrate Putin’s longevity, other world leaders in office in 1999 include Bill Clinton, Jean Chretien, Ernesto Zedillo, and Jacques Chirac.
Early Life and Education
Putin has a modest, blue-collar pedigree. His mother was an autoworker and his father an enlisted sailor in the navy. Putin studied law at what is today St. Petersburg State University, and upon graduation immediately joined the KGB.
Contrary to popular perception, the KGB was not a Soviet analogue of the FBI or the CIA. Rather it was more like a hybrid of both, plus a military force, and the USSR’s internal police wing. As a 23-year-old recruit, Putin obviously had minimal influence on policy. His supervisors initially sent him to East Germany to recruit spies bound for the United States. Putin remained with the KGB for 16 years, developing multiple political connections along the way. The most important of those was Anatoly Sobchak, then mayor of St. Petersburg (then known as Leningrad), who in 1991 appointed Putin as his international affairs advisor.
From an American perspective, a city advisor position seems an unlikely place for a man pushing 40 to launch a political career with national aspirations. It would be difficult to imagine any high-ranking official in, say, the Los Angeles civic government using that job as a stepping stone to the presidency. However, in Russia, the cities of St. Petersburg and Moscow operate more as state-level entities with considerable independent power and influence.
Putin continued to work his way from one civic office to the next and was on the right side of history when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. His boss St. Petersburg boss, Anatoly Sobchak, had cofounded the first legal political opposition in the Soviet Union. Sobchak's partner? None other than Boris Yeltsin, the first president of Russia and the man who would eventually choose Putin to succeed him. When Sobchak was voted out as mayor in 1996, Putin moved to Moscow and began serving as deputy to the chief of a government agency called the Presidential Property Management Department. That agency’s purpose was to move the assets of the defunct Soviet Union and Communist Party to the newly formed Russian Federation. Keep in mind that in a communist state with no private ownership, the assets of the party and state are synonymous with every industry, natural resource, and property of value in the entire country.
Amassing a Personal Fortune
The position was an invitation to corruption. It allowed for the officials in charge to award oil leases, equipment, and other valuable assets to whichever oligarch offered the most in return. It’s believed that this is where Putin began building a personal fortune estimated to be in the tens of billions.
Putin’s wealth cannot be officially confirmed. But if the most
liberal estimates are true, he is one of the few people in the world who
could sit at a poker table with Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Carlos
Slim and call every raise. Even if Putin’s personal fortune is closer to
what one would expect of a man whose official annual salary is around $101,000,
he has all the trappings of the presidency, including private jets and
multiple luxury homes, at his disposal. As Bloomberg writer Leonid
Bershidsky pointed out in a 2013 column,
when you’re that powerful, your net worth is irrelevant. Why rent if
you can own, but why own if you can commandeer? It saves on paperwork,
too.
The planes and residences that Putin enjoys the use of number in the dozens, and Putin’s fondness for trappings such as stupendously expensive watches (to say nothing of stolen $25,000 Super Bowl rings) is well documented. Putin’s press secretary doesn’t even categorically dispute the allegations, saying that “This is all state property and as the elected president Putin uses it according to the law. What’s more, he’s obliged to in many cases.”
Rise to the Presidency
Putin next federal position was presidential chief of staff, to which he was appointed in 1997. He then earned the equivalent of a master’s degree in economics, and within a year was named chief of the FSB, the intelligence agency that serves as one of the KGB’s successors. At this point, his career was on a sharp upward trajectory. A year later, Putin was named deputy prime minister (keep in mind, he still had yet to run for a single office) and finally prime minister. He gained both offices by presidential appointment. Outgoing president Yeltsin publicly announced that he wished Putin to succeed him, and 16 years later, the protégé has yet to cede power.
In 2008, term limits forced Putin to switch from president to prime minister. After one interim term as prime minister, he returned to the presidency and has remained in that position ever since. While Putin once famously disparaged communism as a blind alley, his actions while in power mimic those of many a Secretary General of the USSR—he has annexed parts of neighboring countries, restricted the press, and forged alliances with countries hostile to the United States (Venezuela, Cuba).
The Bottom Line
For a combination of bellicosity, ego, and overcompensation, it’s hard to find a world leader who compares to Putin. In his book Decision Points, former president George W. Bush relates a classic anecdote illustrating Putin’s character. President Bush invited Putin to the family ranch in Texas and observed that the Russian leader was deeply unimpressed with Bush’s Cocker spaniel. When Putin returned the favor a few months later, he introduced Bush to his mighty black Labrador retriever and crowed about his dog’s strength, power and vitality. When Bush later shared this anecdote with Stephen Harper, the Canadian prime minister responded, “You’re lucky he only showed you his dog.”
Putin has shuttled between Russia’s presidency (which he currently occupies) and its prime ministry several times since ascending to office in 1999. To illustrate Putin’s longevity, other world leaders in office in 1999 include Bill Clinton, Jean Chretien, Ernesto Zedillo, and Jacques Chirac.
Early Life and Education
Putin has a modest, blue-collar pedigree. His mother was an autoworker and his father an enlisted sailor in the navy. Putin studied law at what is today St. Petersburg State University, and upon graduation immediately joined the KGB.
Contrary to popular perception, the KGB was not a Soviet analogue of the FBI or the CIA. Rather it was more like a hybrid of both, plus a military force, and the USSR’s internal police wing. As a 23-year-old recruit, Putin obviously had minimal influence on policy. His supervisors initially sent him to East Germany to recruit spies bound for the United States. Putin remained with the KGB for 16 years, developing multiple political connections along the way. The most important of those was Anatoly Sobchak, then mayor of St. Petersburg (then known as Leningrad), who in 1991 appointed Putin as his international affairs advisor.
From an American perspective, a city advisor position seems an unlikely place for a man pushing 40 to launch a political career with national aspirations. It would be difficult to imagine any high-ranking official in, say, the Los Angeles civic government using that job as a stepping stone to the presidency. However, in Russia, the cities of St. Petersburg and Moscow operate more as state-level entities with considerable independent power and influence.
Putin continued to work his way from one civic office to the next and was on the right side of history when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. His boss St. Petersburg boss, Anatoly Sobchak, had cofounded the first legal political opposition in the Soviet Union. Sobchak's partner? None other than Boris Yeltsin, the first president of Russia and the man who would eventually choose Putin to succeed him. When Sobchak was voted out as mayor in 1996, Putin moved to Moscow and began serving as deputy to the chief of a government agency called the Presidential Property Management Department. That agency’s purpose was to move the assets of the defunct Soviet Union and Communist Party to the newly formed Russian Federation. Keep in mind that in a communist state with no private ownership, the assets of the party and state are synonymous with every industry, natural resource, and property of value in the entire country.
Amassing a Personal Fortune
The position was an invitation to corruption. It allowed for the officials in charge to award oil leases, equipment, and other valuable assets to whichever oligarch offered the most in return. It’s believed that this is where Putin began building a personal fortune estimated to be in the tens of billions.
The planes and residences that Putin enjoys the use of number in the dozens, and Putin’s fondness for trappings such as stupendously expensive watches (to say nothing of stolen $25,000 Super Bowl rings) is well documented. Putin’s press secretary doesn’t even categorically dispute the allegations, saying that “This is all state property and as the elected president Putin uses it according to the law. What’s more, he’s obliged to in many cases.”
Rise to the Presidency
Putin next federal position was presidential chief of staff, to which he was appointed in 1997. He then earned the equivalent of a master’s degree in economics, and within a year was named chief of the FSB, the intelligence agency that serves as one of the KGB’s successors. At this point, his career was on a sharp upward trajectory. A year later, Putin was named deputy prime minister (keep in mind, he still had yet to run for a single office) and finally prime minister. He gained both offices by presidential appointment. Outgoing president Yeltsin publicly announced that he wished Putin to succeed him, and 16 years later, the protégé has yet to cede power.
In 2008, term limits forced Putin to switch from president to prime minister. After one interim term as prime minister, he returned to the presidency and has remained in that position ever since. While Putin once famously disparaged communism as a blind alley, his actions while in power mimic those of many a Secretary General of the USSR—he has annexed parts of neighboring countries, restricted the press, and forged alliances with countries hostile to the United States (Venezuela, Cuba).
The Bottom Line
For a combination of bellicosity, ego, and overcompensation, it’s hard to find a world leader who compares to Putin. In his book Decision Points, former president George W. Bush relates a classic anecdote illustrating Putin’s character. President Bush invited Putin to the family ranch in Texas and observed that the Russian leader was deeply unimpressed with Bush’s Cocker spaniel. When Putin returned the favor a few months later, he introduced Bush to his mighty black Labrador retriever and crowed about his dog’s strength, power and vitality. When Bush later shared this anecdote with Stephen Harper, the Canadian prime minister responded, “You’re lucky he only showed you his dog.”
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