Vladimir Putin facts for kids

Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin; Владимир Путин
2nd and 4th President of Russia
	Incumbent
	Assumed office; 7 May 2012
Prime Minister	Viktor Zubkov; Dmitry Medvedev
Preceded by	Dmitry Medvedev
	In office; 7 May 2000 – 7 May 2008; Acting: 31 December 1999 – 7 May 2000
Prime Minister	Mikhail Kasyanov; Mikhail Fradkov; Viktor Zubkov
Preceded by	Boris Yeltsin
Succeeded by	Dmitry Medvedev
Prime Minister of Russia
	In office; 8 May 2008 – 7 May 2012
President	Dmitry Medvedev
Deputy	Igor Shuvalov
Preceded by	Viktor Zubkov
Succeeded by	Viktor Zubkov
	In office; 9 August 1999 – 7 May 2000; Acting: 9 August 1999 – 16 August 1999
President	Boris Yeltsin
Deputy	Viktor Khristenko; Mikhail Kasyanov
Preceded by	Sergei Stepashin
Succeeded by	Mikhail Kasyanov
Leader of the United Russia Party
	In office; 1 January 2008 – 30 May 2012
Preceded by	Boris Gryzlov
Succeeded by	Dmitry Medvedev
Director of the Federal Security Service
	In office; 25 July 1998 – 29 March 1999
President	Boris Yeltsin
Preceded by	Nikolay Kovalyov
Succeeded by	Nikolai Patrushev
Personal details
Born	Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; 7 October 1952 (age 66); Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Political party	Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1975-1991); Our Home-Russia (1995–1999); Unity (1999–2001); Independent (1991–1995; 2001–2008); United Russia (2008–present)
Other political; affiliations	People's Front for Russia (2011–present)
Spouse(s)	Lyudmila Putina (m. 1983–2014)
Children	Mariya; Yekaterina
Alma mater	Leningrad State University
Religion	Russian Orthodox
Signature
Website	Official website
Military service
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Service/branch	KGB
Years of service	1975–1991
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Awards

Vladímir Vladímirovich Pútin (Russian: Влади́мир Влади́мирович Пу́тин) is the President of Russia. Putin was born in Leningrad, now Saint Petersburg, 7 October 1952. He has already been the Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000, then President of Russia from March 2000 to May 2008, and Prime Minister again from 2008 to 2012. After that, he became president again in 2012 and is currently president now. Before all this, Putin worked for the KGB. He originally trained as a lawyer.

Putin gained 76% of the March 2018 presidential vote, and was re-elected for a six-year term that will end in 2024.

Early life

Putin was born on 7 October 1952, in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. His parents were Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin (1911–1999) and Maria Ivanovna Putina (née Shelomova; 1911–1998).

Early career

From 1985 to 1990, Putin worked for the KGB, the Soviet Union's secret spy service. Putin worked in Dresden, which was part of the former East Germany. After East Germany collapsed in 1989, Putin was told to come back to the Soviet Union. He chose to go to Leningrad, which is where he went to university. In June 1990, he started working in the International Affairs section of Leningrad State University. In June 1991, he was appointed head of the International Committee of the Saint Petersburg Mayor's office. His job was to promote international relations and foreign investments.

Putin gave up his position in the KGB on August 20, 1991, during the putsch against Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. In 1994, he became First Deputy Chairman of the city of Saint Petersburg. In August 1996, he came to Moscow, and served in a variety of important positions in Boris Yeltsin's government. He was head of the FSB (a newer version of the KGB) from July 1998 to August 1999, and he was Secretary of the Security Council from March to August 1999.

President of Russia

Putin votes in the presidential election in Russia, March 18, 2018.

Putin became President of Russia in May 2000.

Putin is the leader of the ruling United Russia party. This party has been winning the Russian elections ever since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Critics of Putin say that he has taken away people's freedoms, and that he has failed to make the country more developed. Russia makes lots of money from selling oil and gas to other counties, but because of corruption, this money is not used for improving living conditions.

Recently, the Russian opposition has held anti-government rallies, campaigned against Putin on the Internet, and published independent reports for general public. Because of censorship in the mass media, it's very difficult to get different information out to the public.

Putin was against invading Libya in 2011. He is also against invading Syria and Iran.

According to the Constitution of Russia, no-one can be president three times in a row. Because of this, Putin didn't put himself forward for the March 2008 election. However, you're allowed to be president as many times as you want, as long as it's not for more than two times in a row. In March 2012, Putin put himself forward for the elections, and won 64% of the votes.

In March 2018, Putin run for president again, and won 76% of the votes - his biggest victory out of the four elections he participated in. This means he will be president of Russia until 2024.

G8 suspension

On March 24, 2014, Putin and Russia were suspended from the G8. This was because the United States thought that the Ukraine crisis was Putin's fault.

Personal life

He is a member of the Russian Orthodox Church, and is divorced with two daughters.

Images for kids

Putin as FSB director, 1 January 1998
Putin taking presidential oath beside Boris Yeltsin, May 2000
Putin with George W. Bush and other Western leaders in Moscow, 9 May 2005
Putin with Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel in March 2008
Putin with Dmitry Medvedev, March 2008
Putin and Turkish President Erdoğan attend Moscow's Cathedral Mosque opening ceremony, 23 September 2015
Historical crude oil prices. Economic growth in Putin's first two terms was fueled by the 2000s commodities boom, including high oil prices
Under Putin, Russia is a major exporter of oil and gas to much of Europe
On 21 May 2014, Russia and China signed a $400 billion gas deal
Putin with religious leaders of Russia, 2001
Putin visiting the Tuva Republic, Siberia, 2007
Aboard battlecruiser Pyotr Velikiy during Northern Fleet exercise in 2005
Putin attends the Orthodox Christmas service in the Tver region, 7 January 2016
Putin and Xi Jinping at the 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade
Meeting with Mikheil Saakashvili, then-president of Georgia, in 2008
Putin meets with U.S. President Barack Obama in New York City, 29 September 2015
Putin and former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi at the opening of Russia Day at Expo 2015 in Milan
BRICS leaders at the G-20 summit in Brisbane, Australia, 15 November 2014
Putin with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, 2017
Putin with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Moscow, 9 March 2017
Putin's approval (blue) and disapproval (red) ratings 1999–2015. Putin reached an all-time high approval rating in June 2015 of 89%.
Putin with family in Primorsky Krai, Russian Far East, 2002
Putin and Lyudmila Putina at their wedding, 28 July 1983
Vladimir and Lyudmila Putin visiting the Taj Mahal, Agra, India, October 2000
Putin with the flag of Russia, 2016
Vladimir Putin voted in the presidential election in Russia in 2018