How Well Do We Know Vladimir Putin?

Vladimir Putin is a very famous political figure shrouded in mystery and controversy. A lot of people are talking bad about Putin because they do not resonate with his vision of democracy and the future of our world. He is known for being extremely powerful and his leadership is based on strict rules. Most of the European leaders are afraid of his actions and are usually staying away from any interactions with Putin and Russia, in general.  We have all heard about his controversial political choices over the past few years, but do you really know who Putin is?

Discover these shocking facts about him and get to know one of the most influential and powerful political figures in the world. From his rise through the KGB to his unprecedented control over Russian politics, the true story of Vladimir Putin is as complex as it is fascinating. This article aims to show you the most surprising and little-known aspects of his life. Sit comfy because you’re about to discover a side of Putin that is rarely seen by the public. Are you ready? Continue reading to find out all you need to know!

1. He grew up in poverty

Vladimir Putin was born in Leningrad, now called Saint Petersburg. His early life was marked by the hardships of the post-war Soviet Union. His parents survived World War II and instilled him in a sense of resilience and determination. During the war, his father was seriously hurt by a grenade, while his mother was trapped and nearly served to death.

Vladimir Putin was born in October 1952 and was preceded by the deaths of his two brothers, who died during the Siege of Leningrad.

After the war, the family lived in a small communal apartment with several other families. Sources say that there was no water and the building was infested with a lot of rats.

2. He wasn’t a good student

Leningrad School No. 281 was known to be one of the best ones at that time. Only the brightest students were accepted there, and Putin became one of them. It has been reported that a Russian tabloid found Putin’s grade book and there were a lot of bad comments about his behavior in school. For example, one of the first comments sounded like this: “behaved badly during singing class”.

He became interested in a career with the KGB while he was still in school. Knowing that the organization was hand-picking its members, Putin applied to a famous law school. In 1975 he graduated from Leningrad State University and made his way into being selected by KGB.

3. He has practiced judo since 11 years old

Putin practiced judo since he was just a little boy. At 14 years old, he became more interested in samo, a Russian martial art. Vladimir Putin won a lot of competitions in both sports, and that’s not all! In 2012 he was awarded weight dan of the black belt. This award made him the first Russian to achieve the status.

Putin co-authored the book Judo with Vladimir Putin in Russian and Judo: History, Theory, Practice in English.

Interestingly, some people disputed Putin’s martial arts skills, such as Benjamin Wittes, a black belt in taekwondo and aikido, stating that there is no video evidence of Puting displaying any noteworthy Judo skills.

Here is a great book about Putin and the KGB impact. It can be easily found on Amazon and has a lot of interesting reviews. It’s a New York Times and a Sunday Times bestseller and it really deserves your attention, especially if you want to better understand everything going on right now in the world.

4. He joined the KGB

Putin joined the KGB in an administrative position, right after he completed his law degree. He studied in Moscow at the KGB’s foreign intelligence institute and served in the KGB for 15 years. This way, he had the opportunity to travel across Russia.

In 1989, when the Berlin Wall came down and just 2 years later, the Soviet Union collapsed and Putin left the KGB, but this wasn’t the end! In 1998 he was appointed the head of FSB, which was the reconstituted KGB.

5. After KGB, he started his career in politics

After KGB, he held a position at Leningrad State University for a short while before focusing on politics. Putin was one of the best employees and in 1994 he earned the title of Deputy Mayor under Anatoly Sobchak. When his mayorship came to an end, he moved to Moscow and joined the presidential staff. His first job was as a Deputy Head of Management in 1998 and after that, he moved to the head of the Federal Security Service. In 1999, he was promoted to Prime Minister.

Boris Yeltsin resigned and appointed Putin as Acting President, and even though his opponents had been preparing for an election in June 2000, the presidential elections took place sooner, in March 2000. That time, Putin won in the first round with 53% of the vote. On 7 May 2000 took place his inauguration.

6. He is a huge Beatles fan

Platon, a British photographer, was sent in 2007 to take a portrait of Putin for Time Magazine. I was the ‘Person of the Year’ edition. In order to make a conversation, Platon said that he is a huge fan of the Beatles and asked Putin if he likes them too. Putin stated that he loves the Beatles and he said that his favorite song was ‘Yesterday’.

7. He owns a palace in the forest

Putin has an enormous home, located on the coast of the Black Sea in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The complex is breathtaking and inside there is a swimming pool, spa, Turkish baths, shops, a reading room, a music lounge, and the list goes on and on. The master bedroom is huge, having 260 m² in size. Impressive, isn’t it? The cost of the building was estimated to be around 100 billion rubles, in 2021.

8. He has at least 2 children

Vladimir Putin was married to Lyudmila Shkrebneva and they had 2 daughters, Maria and Katerina. It’s interesting how rarely he mentions his daughters. Moreover, they were never seen by the Russian people. So, his choice of keeping his private life to himself is very clear. In 2013, the couple divorced because they didn’t have time for each other.

Even though Putin denies this news, it has been written that he had at least one child with a gymnastics champion.

9. He was twice nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize

In 2014, Vladimir Putin was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize because he encouraged his friend, the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad to surrender Syria’s weapons peacefully as opposed to other options of aggressive intervention.

In 2021, Sergey Komkov, was the one who submitted, Putin’s nomination for the prize.

10. He loves animals

Putin owns a lot of dogs and he has been photographed while playing with a lot of animals during his political career. He is also known for pushing for laws for the better treatment of animals, some of them are: the prohibition of killing stray animals and the prohibition of petting zoos inside malls and restaurants.

Are you interested in learning more about Russia and Putin? You should also read: Learn These 10 Mind-Blowing Facts About Nuclear Bombs Before They Hit Your Town.