Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the President of Russia since 2012, having previously held the position from 2000 to 2008. He also served as the Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000, and again from 2008 to 2012. Putin's political career began in Saint Petersburg in 1991. He later moved to Moscow in 1996 to join the administration of President Boris Yeltsin. He briefly served as the director of the Federal Security Service (FSB), before being appointed prime minister in August 1999, and became acting president following Yeltsin's resignation.

During Putin's tenure, he led Russia in a conflict against Chechen separatists, reestablishing federal control over the region. He also oversaw a military conflict with Georgia and enacted military and police reforms. He launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, leading to international sanctions and a financial crisis in Russia. Putin also ordered a military intervention in Syria to support his ally Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian civil war. Despite numerous controversies, Putin remained a dominant political figure in Russia and has reshaped the country's political system into an authoritarian dictatorship marked by corruption and human rights violations.