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123-687: On 4 November 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Kuban Vice Governor and Kuban Cossack Host Ataman Nikolai Doluda as Ataman of the Society. Cossack General Doluda was appointed two years after the atamans and the Cossacks created it in October 2017. The idea was first proposed in 1994. On 27 November 2018, delegates of the Constitutive Assembly voted for the establishment of the society and adopted its official statute. Doluda

246-658: A plagiarist according to Western standards. One book from which he copied entire paragraphs is the Russian-language edition of King and Cleland 's Strategic Planning and Policy (1978). Balzer wrote on the Putin thesis and Russian energy policy and concludes along with Olcott that "The primacy of the Russian state in the country’s energy sector is non-negotiable", and cites the insistence on majority Russian ownership of any joint-venture, particularly since BASF signed

369-706: A " shock therapy ". It was based on the policies associated with the Washington Consensus , recommendations of the IMF and a group of top American economists, including Larry Summers who in 1994 urged for "the three '-ations'—privatization, stabilization, and liberalization" to be "completed as soon as possible." With deep corruption afflicting the process, the result was disastrous, with real GDP falling by more than 40% by 1999, hyperinflation which wiped out personal savings, crime and destitution spreading rapidly. The jump in prices from shock therapy wiped out

492-474: A 'grand bargain' with them. This bargain allowed the oligarchs to maintain most of their powers, in exchange for their explicit support for—and alignment with—Putin's government. The Moscow theater hostage crisis occurred in October 2002. Many in the Russian press and in the international media warned that the deaths of 130 hostages in the special forces' rescue operation during the crisis would severely damage President Putin's popularity. However, shortly after

615-646: A 13% fall in the value of the rouble against the dollar and a current account surplus estimated in to be falling by 80% from the annual 2022 surplus of $ 233 billion. After 11 years of negotiations, on 8 June 2023, in Sochi, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan signed the Commonwealth of Independent States Agreement on Free Trade in Services, Establishment, Operations and Investment to partly integrate Uzbekistan and Tajikistan on

738-534: A beneficiary developing country effective October 3, 2014." U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) indicated that Russia formally graduated from the GSP program on 4 October 2014. As of 2015, real income was still lower for 99% of Russians than it was in 1991. The Russian economy risked going into recession from early 2014, mainly due to falling oil prices , sanctions , and the subsequent capital flight . While in 2014 GDP growth remained positive at 0.6%, in 2015

861-465: A better than expected 0.6% in 2014. Russia is rated one of the most unequal of the world's major economies. As a result of the World Bank's designation of a high-income economy, Barack Obama issued a proclamation 9188: "I have determined that Russia is sufficiently advanced in economic development and improved in trade competitiveness that it is appropriate to terminate the designation of Russia as

984-460: A boom in private consumption. The number of people living below poverty line declined from 30% in 2000 to 14% in 2008. Russia repaid its borrowing of $ 3.3 billion from the IMF three years early in 2005. Inflation remained a problem however, as the central bank aggressively expanded money supply to combat appreciation of the ruble. Nevertheless, in 2007 the World Bank declared that

1107-519: A deficit 2.4 trillion roubles – ($ 29.4 billion) Following Central Bank of Russia interventions, the exchange rate of the rouble against the dollar remained relatively stable in 2022, although in 2023 it started to decrease significantly, reaching RUB 97 per USD 1 on 15 August 2023. Both the interventions and the exchange rate decrease resulted in significant criticism of the Central Bank by Russian state propaganda. Quarter 2 of 2023 saw

1230-642: A devaluation of the ruble, which made domestic producers more competitive nationally and internationally. Between 2000 and 2002, significant pro-growth economic reforms included a comprehensive tax reform, which introduced a flat income tax of 13%; and a broad effort at deregulation which benefited small and medium-sized enterprises . Between 2000 and 2008, Russian economy got a major boost from rising commodity prices. GDP grew on average 7% per year. Disposable incomes more than doubled and in dollar -denominated terms increased eightfold. The volume of consumer credit between 2000 and 2006 increased 45 times, fuelling

1353-499: A founding member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which replaced EurAsEC and envisaged a supranational economic union (the deepest stage of economic integration ). Rapid GDP and income growth continued until 2013. The most important topic of discussion in the economy for a decade was the middle-income trap . In 2013, the World Bank announced that Russia had graduated to a high-income economy based on

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1476-518: A furor among the German press corps. When asked about the incident in a January 2016 interview with Bild , Putin claimed he was not aware of her phobia, adding, "I wanted to make her happy. When I found out that she did not like dogs, I of course apologized." Merkel later told a group of reporters, "I understand why he has to do this – to prove he's a man. He's afraid of his own weakness. Russia has nothing, no successful politics or economy. All they have

1599-611: A lack of free and fair elections . Russia has consistently received very low scores on Transparency International 's Corruption Perceptions Index , The Economist Democracy Index , Freedom House 's Freedom in the World index, and the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index . Putin was born on 7 October 1952 in Leningrad, Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg, Russia),

1722-420: A member in 2012. Russia has large amounts of energy resources throughout its vast landmass, particularly natural gas and petroleum , which play a crucial role in its energy self-sufficiency and exports. The country has been widely described as an energy superpower ; with it having the largest natural gas reserves in the world, the second-largest coal reserves , the eighth-largest oil reserves , and

1845-504: A member of the Saint Petersburg city government, was one of the suspects, was dropped. On 30 December 2000, yet another case against the prosecutor general was dropped "for lack of evidence", despite thousands of documents having been forwarded by Swiss prosecutors. On 12 February 2001, Putin signed a similar federal law which replaced the decree of 1999. A case regarding Putin's alleged corruption in metal exports from 1992

1968-501: A multilateral free trade regime in 1999. Bilateral free trade agreements, except for Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan (all of these are in force as of 2024), ceased to apply only after 2012 with Russia's accession to the new multilateral CIS free trade area. Further integration took place outside the legal framework of the CIS. Pursuant to the Treaty on the creation of an Economic Union,

2091-637: A potential successor. Following the September 1999 Russian apartment bombings and the invasion of Dagestan by mujahideen , including the former KGB agents, based in the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria , Putin's law-and-order image and unrelenting approach to the Second Chechen War soon combined to raise his popularity and allowed him to overtake his rivals. While not formally associated with any party, Putin pledged his support to

2214-555: A private taxi driver to earn extra money, or considered such a job. On 28 June 1991, Putin became head of the Committee for External Relations of the Mayor's Office , with responsibility for promoting international relations and foreign investments and registering business ventures. Within a year, Putin was investigated by the city legislative council led by Marina Salye . It was concluded that he had understated prices and permitted

2337-748: A prolonged recession in the EU , which is Russia's largest trading partner, stagnant oil prices, lack of spare industrial capacity and demographic problems . Political turmoil in neighbouring Ukraine added to the uncertainty and suppressed investment. Following the annexation of Crimea in March 2014 and Russia's involvement in the ongoing War in Donbas , the United States, the European Union, Canada, and Japan imposed sanctions on Russia. This led to

2460-790: A shrinking labor force, and an aging and declining population also remain major barriers to future economic growth. Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , the country has faced extensive sanctions and other negative financial actions from the Western world and its allies which have the aim of isolating the Russian economy from the Western financial system. However, Russia's economy has shown resilience to such measures broadly, and has maintained economic stability and growth—driven primarily by high military expenditure , rising household consumption and wages , low unemployment , and increased government spending . Yet, experts predict

2583-482: Is an emerging and developing , high-income , industrialized, mixed market-oriented economy. It has the eleventh-largest economy in the world by nominal GDP and the fourth-largest economy by GDP ( PPP ). Due to a volatile currency exchange rate , its GDP measured in nominal terms fluctuates sharply. Russia was the last major economy to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), becoming

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2706-553: Is lower than in other countries. The key explanation for this could be the low involvement of the Russian economy in global value supply chains and its focus on production of raw materials. However, 60% of Russia's imports come from the countries that have announced sanctions against Russia. TASS reported poor results for the Russian economy the first quarter of 2023 with revenue of 5.7 trillion roubles – down 21% (mainly due to falling oil revenue), expenditure 8.1 trillion roubles – up 34% (mainly due to increased military costs), creating

2829-472: Is not based on promises." Putin was barred from a third consecutive term by the Constitution . First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was elected his successor. In a power-switching operation on 8 May 2008 , only a day after handing the presidency to Medvedev, Putin was appointed Prime Minister of Russia , maintaining his political dominance. Putin has said that overcoming the consequences of

2952-401: Is the third-largest exporter of arms in the world. The oil and gas industry accounted up to 41% of Russia's federal budget revenues by mid-2024, while fossil fuels accounted up to 43% of its merchandise exports in 2021. Russia's human development is ranked as "very high" in the annual Human Development Index . Roughly 70% of Russia's total GDP is driven by domestic consumption, and

3075-603: Is the longest-serving Russian or Soviet leader since the 30-year tenure of Joseph Stalin . Putin worked as a KGB foreign intelligence officer for 16 years, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel . He resigned in 1991 to begin a political career in Saint Petersburg. In 1996, he moved to Moscow to join the administration of President Boris Yeltsin . He briefly served as the director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and then as secretary of

3198-783: Is this." In a speech in February 2007 at the Munich Security Conference , Putin complained about the feeling of insecurity engendered by the dominant position in geopolitics of the United States and observed that a former NATO official had made rhetorical promises not to expand into new countries in Eastern Europe. On 14 July 2007, Putin announced that Russia would suspend implementation of its Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe obligations, effective after 150 days, and suspend its ratification of

3321-622: The Adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty , which treaty was shunned by NATO members abeyant Russian withdrawal from Transnistria and the Republic of Georgia . Moscow continued to participate in the joint consultative group, because it hoped that dialogue could lead to the creation of an effective, new conventional arms control regime in Europe. Russia did specify steps that NATO could take to end

3444-589: The Federal Security Service (FSB), the primary intelligence and security organization of the Russian Federation and the successor to the KGB. In 1999, Putin described communism as "a blind alley, far away from the mainstream of civilization". On 9 August 1999, Putin was appointed one of three first deputy prime ministers, and later on that day, was appointed acting prime minister of the Government of

3567-481: The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes related to his alleged criminal responsibility for illegal child abductions during the war . In April 2021, after a referendum , he signed into law constitutional amendments that included one allowing him to run for reelection twice more, potentially extending his presidency to 2036. In March 2024, he

3690-433: The Mayor of Leningrad . Putin claims that he resigned with the rank of lieutenant colonel on 20 August 1991, on the second day of the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt against Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev . Putin said: "As soon as the coup began, I immediately decided which side I was on", although he noted that the choice was hard because he had spent the best part of his life with "the organs". In May 1990, Putin

3813-689: The Permanent Arbitration Court in The Hague . On 7 October 2006, Anna Politkovskaya , a journalist who exposed corruption in the Russian army and its conduct in Chechnya , was shot in the lobby of her apartment building, on Putin's birthday. The death of Politkovskaya triggered international criticism, with accusations that Putin had failed to protect the country's new independent media. Putin himself said that her death caused

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3936-658: The Presidential Staff , a post which he retained until May 1998, and chief of the Main Control Directorate of the Presidential Property Management Department (until June 1998). His predecessor in this position was Alexei Kudrin and his successor was Nikolai Patrushev , both future prominent politicians and Putin's associates. On 3 April 1997, Putin was promoted to 1st class Active State Councillor of

4059-714: The Russian invasion of Ukraine which will likely result in a steep recession. Since early 2022, many official economic statistics have not been published. Sanctions also included asset freezes on the Russian Central Bank , which holds $ 630 billion in foreign-exchange reserves , to prevent it from offsetting the effects of sanctions. According to most estimates, every day of the war in Ukraine costs Russia $ 500 million to $ 1 billion. On 27 June 2022, Russia defaulted on part of its foreign currency, its first such default since 1918 . In November 2022, it

4182-545: The Security Council of Russia before being appointed prime minister in August 1999. Following Yeltsin's resignation, Putin became acting president and, in less than four months, was elected to his first term as president. He was reelected in 2004 . Due to constitutional limitations of two consecutive presidential terms, Putin served as prime minister again from 2008 to 2012 under Dmitry Medvedev . He returned to

4305-734: The Siege of Leningrad by Nazi Germany 's forces in World War II . Putin's mother was a factory worker, and his father was a conscript in the Soviet Navy , serving in the submarine fleet in the early 1930s. During the early stage of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union , his father served in the destruction battalion of the NKVD . Later, he was transferred to the regular army and

4428-540: The Syrian civil war , ultimately securing permanent naval bases in the Eastern Mediterranean . In February 2022, during his fourth presidential term, Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine , which prompted international condemnation and led to expanded sanctions . In September 2022, he announced a partial mobilization and forcibly annexed four Ukrainian oblasts into Russia . In March 2023,

4551-447: The WTO was accepted in 2011. Russia joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 22 August 2012 after 19 years of negotiations. On 20 September 2012, the multi-lateral Free Trade Area of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS FTA) came into force for Russia and subsequently superseded previous bilateral agreements among 9 participating post-Soviet states. In 2015, Russia became

4674-481: The bureaucracy to report satisfied targets and quotas, thus entrenching the crisis. Starting in 1986, Mikhail Gorbachev attempted to address economic problems by moving towards a market-oriented socialist economy . Gorbachev's policies of Perestroika failed to rejuvenate the Soviet economy; instead, a process of political and economic disintegration culminated in the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. Following

4797-632: The "billionaire capital of the world". In July 2010, Russia, together with Belarus and Kazakhstan, became a founding member of the Customs Union of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC), and the EurAsEC Single Economic Space , a common market of the same countries, came into force on 1 January 2012, superseding the bilateral agreements on free trade. At the same time Russia's membership to

4920-493: The 15th anniversary party of Gazprom , its employees threatened Ukraine with a stoppage of flow. On 4 April 2008 at the NATO Bucharest summit , invitee Putin told George W. Bush and other conference delegates: "We view the appearance of a powerful military bloc on our border as a direct threat to the security of our nation. The claim that this process is not directed against Russia will not suffice. National security

5043-716: The 1930s. Third is technological underdevelopment, eased somewhat by borrowing from the West in the 1920s. And fourth lower living standards compared to Western Europe and North America. The economy of the Russian Empire covers the economic history of Russia from 1721 to the October Revolution of 1917 (which ushered in a period of civil war, culminating in the creation of the Soviet Union). Russian national income per capita increased and moved to closer to

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5166-604: The 8th highest concentration of high-tech public companies, such as internet and aerospace and the third highest graduation rate of scientists and engineers. According to the British company BP (Statistical Yearbook 2018), proven oil reserves in Russia at the end of 2017 were 14.5 billion tonnes (14.3 billion long tons; 16.0 billion short tons), natural gas was 35 trillion cubic metres (1.2 quadrillion cubic feet). Gold reserves in Russia's subsoil, according to

5289-683: The Agreement on the Customs Union between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus was signed on 6 January 1995 in Minsk. The Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Government of the Russian Federation, on the one side, and the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on the other side, signed an Agreement on the Customs Union in Moscow on 20 January 1995 in order to move towards

5412-465: The EAEU is not a party to the agreement. In August and September 2023, the Central Bank of Russia started raising the key lending rate, ending up at 13% in September, while USD to RUB exchange rate remained at RUB 95. As of June 2023 share of Russia's exports to EU dropped to 1.7% while Russia's imports from EU dropped to 1.5%. In October 2023 the "psychological barrier" of RUB 100 per USD 1

5535-615: The East German communist regime commended Putin with a bronze medal for "faithful service to the National People's Army ". Putin has publicly conveyed delight over his activities in Dresden, once recounting his confrontations with anti-communist protestors of 1989 who attempted the occupation of Stasi buildings in the city. "Putin and his colleagues were reduced mainly to collecting press clippings , thus contributing to

5658-816: The Gazprom Nord Stream - Yuzhno-Russkoye deal in 2004 with a 49–51 structure, as opposed to the older 50–50 split of British Petroleum 's TNK-BP project. In 1975, Putin joined the KGB and trained at the 401st KGB School in Okhta, Leningrad . After training, he worked in the Second Chief Directorate ( counterintelligence ), before he was transferred to the First Chief Directorate , where he monitored foreigners and consular officials in Leningrad. In September 1984, Putin

5781-608: The German Democratic Republic or of the USSR. He explained that many documents were left to Germany only because the furnace burst but many documents of the KGB villa were sent to Moscow. After the collapse of the Communist East German government , Putin was to resign from active KGB service because of suspicions aroused regarding his loyalty during demonstrations in Dresden and earlier, although

5904-624: The KGB and the Soviet Army still operated in eastern Germany. He returned to Leningrad in early 1990 as a member of the "active reserves", where he worked for about three months with the International Affairs section of Leningrad State University , reporting to Vice-Rector Yuriy Molchanov , while working on his doctoral dissertation. There, he looked for new KGB recruits, watched the student body, and renewed his friendship with his former professor, Anatoly Sobchak , soon to be

6027-458: The KGB villa in Dresden for the official authorities of the would-be united Germany to prevent demonstrators, including KGB and Stasi agents, from obtaining and destroying them. He then supposedly burnt only the KGB files, in a few hours, but saved the archives of the Soviet Cultural Center for the German authorities. Nothing is told about the selection criteria during this burning; for example, concerning Stasi files or about files of other agencies of

6150-409: The Kremlin. Khodorkovsky was arrested, Yukos was bankrupted, and the company's assets were auctioned at below-market value, with the largest share acquired by the state company Rosneft . The fate of Yukos was seen as a sign of a broader shift of Russia towards a system of state capitalism . This was underscored in July 2014, when shareholders of Yukos were awarded $ 50 billion in compensation by

6273-402: The Kuban Cossack Army in Krasnodar , dedicated to the anniversary of the adoption of the law on the rehabilitation of the Cossacks. There is usually a traditional prayer service, before the Cossack pass along Krasnaya Street to the City Square, to which the parade begins at 12:00 am. The parade is opened by a platoon of drummers of the Novorossiysk Cossack Cadet Corps and among the participants in

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6396-441: The RAF in West Germany. Klaus Zuchold, who claimed to be recruited by Putin, said that Putin handled a neo-Nazi , Rainer Sonntag, and attempted to recruit an author of a study on poisons. Putin reportedly met Germans to be recruited for wireless communications affairs together with an interpreter. He was involved in wireless communications technologies in South-East Asia due to trips of German engineers, recruited by him, there and to

6519-492: The Russian Federation by President Yeltsin . Yeltsin also announced that he wanted to see Putin as his successor. Later on that same day, Putin agreed to run for the presidency. On 16 August, the State Duma approved his appointment as prime minister with 233 votes in favor (vs. 84 against, 17 abstained), while a simple majority of 226 was required, making him Russia's fifth prime minister in fewer than eighteen months. On his appointment, few expected Putin, virtually unknown to

6642-409: The Russian Federation —the highest federal state civilian service rank . On 27 June 1997, at the Saint Petersburg Mining Institute , guided by rector Vladimir Litvinenko , Putin defended his Candidate of Science dissertation in economics, titled Strategic Planning of the Reproduction of the Mineral Resource Base of a Region under Conditions of the Formation of Market Relations . This exemplified

6765-403: The Russian economy achieved "unprecedented macroeconomic stability". Until October 2007, Russia maintained impressive fiscal discipline with budget surpluses every year from 2000. Russian banks were affected by the 2007–2008 financial crisis , though no long term damage was done due to a proactive and timely response by the government and central bank. A sharp, but brief recession in Russia

6888-445: The Russian economy shrunk by 3.7% and was expected to shrink further in 2016. By 2016, the Russian economy rebounded with 0.3% GDP growth and officially exited recession. The growth continued in 2017, with an increase of 1.5%. In January 2016, Bloomberg rated Russia's economy as the 12th most innovative in the world, up from 14th in January 2015 and 18th in January 2014. Russia has the world's 15th highest patent application rate,

7011-472: The Saint Petersburg branch of the pro-government Our Home – Russia political party, the liberal party of power founded by Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin . In 1995, he managed the legislative election campaign for that party, and from 1995 through June 1997, he was the leader of its Saint Petersburg branch. In June 1996, Sobchak lost his bid for re-election in Saint Petersburg, and Putin, who had led his election campaign, resigned from his positions in

7134-558: The U.S. Geological Survey, were 5,500 tonnes (5,400 long tons; 6,100 short tons) at the end of 2017. In 2019, the Ministry of Natural Resources estimated the country's mineral reserves in physical terms. At the end of 2017, oil reserves were 9.04 billion tonnes (8.90 billion long tons; 9.96 billion short tons), gas reserves were 14.47 trillion cubic metres (511 trillion cubic feet), gold reserves were 1,407 tonnes (1,385 long tons; 1,551 short tons), and diamonds reserves were 375 million carats (75 tonnes). Then for

7257-465: The US, for the first time since the downfall of the USSR. In December 2007, United Russia —the governing party that supports the policies of Putin—won 64.24% of the popular vote in their run for State Duma according to election preliminary results. United Russia's victory in the December 2007 elections was seen by many as an indication of strong popular support of the then Russian leadership and its policies. On 11 February 2008, while Putin addressed

7380-424: The United States or the United Kingdom; and twice that of China or India. Russia was a late industrializer . Beginning in 1928, the course of the Soviet Union 's economy was guided by a series of five-year plans . By the 1950s, the Soviet Union had rapidly evolved from a mainly agrarian society into a major industrial power. By the 1970s the Soviet Union was in an Era of Stagnation . The complex demands of

7503-430: The West. However, a 2023 investigation by Der Spiegel reported that the anonymous source had never been an RAF member and is "considered a notorious fabulist" with "several previous convictions, including for making false statements". According to Putin's official biography, during the fall of the Berlin Wall that began on 9 November 1989, he saved the files of the Soviet Cultural Center (House of Friendship) and of

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7626-452: The adoption of a new classification of reserves in Russia and the object of the methodology was only those fields for which a license was issued, so the assessment of the Ministry of Natural Resources is less than the total volume of explored reserves. Experts criticized such "an unsuccessful attempt to estimate reserves," pointing out that "one should not take such an estimate seriously" and "the form contains an incorrect formula for calculating

7749-492: The age of 12, he began to practice sambo and judo. In his free time, he enjoyed reading the works of Karl Marx , Friedrich Engels , and Lenin. Putin attended Saint Petersburg High School 281 with a German language immersion program. He is fluent in German and often gives speeches and interviews in that language. Putin studied law at the Leningrad State University named after Andrei Zhdanov (now Saint Petersburg State University ) in 1970 and graduated in 1975. His thesis

7872-432: The category of high-income economies by 2022, if counted at purchasing power parity rather than the exchange rate but could fall below the threshold due to the invasion of Ukraine. In December 2022, a study at Bank of Russia's Research and Forecasting Department, found that the import dependence of the Russian economy is relatively low, does not exceed the median for other countries, and the share of imports in most industries

7995-443: The city administration. He moved to Moscow and was appointed as deputy chief of the Presidential Property Management Department headed by Pavel Borodin . He occupied this position until March 1997. He was responsible for the foreign property of the state and organized the transfer of the former assets of the Soviet Union and the CPSU to the Russian Federation. On 26 March 1997, President Boris Yeltsin appointed Putin deputy chief of

8118-419: The collapse of the Soviet Union , Russia underwent a radical transformation, moving from a centrally planned economy to a globally integrated market economy . Corrupt and haphazard privatization processes turned over major state-owned firms to politically connected " oligarchs ", which has left equity ownership highly concentrated. Yeltsin 's program of radical, market-oriented reform came to be known as

8241-472: The collapsing economy and dependence on short-term borrowing to finance budget deficits led to the 1998 Russian financial crisis . In the 1990s, Russia was a major borrower from the International Monetary Fund , with loan facilities totalling $ 20 billion. The IMF was criticised for lending so much, as Russia introduced little of the reforms promised for the money and a large part of these funds could have been "diverted from their intended purpose and included in

8364-478: The commission for the preparation of agreements on the delimitation of the power of the regions and head of the federal center attached to the president, replacing Sergey Shakhray . After Putin's appointment, the commission completed no such agreements, although during Shakhray's term as the head of the Commission 46 such agreements had been signed. Later, after becoming president, Putin cancelled all 46 agreements. On 25 July 1998, Yeltsin appointed Putin director of

8487-403: The common standards of the WTO ( General Agreement on Trade in Services ) and the EAEU (some provisions were borrowed from EAEU law) even without their membership in the WTO (Uzbekistan) or the EAEU (Uzbekistan and Tajikistan). The Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union has preserved international agreements on trade in services in the sphere of national competence of the member states therefore,

8610-407: The consumption of meat decreased: in 1990, an average citizen of the RSFSR consumed 63 kg of meat a year; by 1999, it had decreased to 45 kg. The majority of state enterprises were privatized amid great controversy and subsequently came to be owned by insiders for far less than they were worth. For example, the director of a factory during the Soviet regime would often become the owner of

8733-419: The country has the world's twelfth-largest consumer market . Its social security system comprised roughly 16% of the total GDP in 2015. Russia has the fifth-highest number of billionaires in the world. However, its income inequality remains comparatively high, caused by the variance of natural resources among its federal subjects , leading to regional economic disparities. High levels of corruption ,

8856-594: The creation of an economic union as envisaged by the treaty. The implementation of these agreements made it possible to launch the Customs Union of the Eurasian Economic Community in 2010. According to the database of international treaties of the Eurasian Economic Union , these agreements are still in force as of 2024 and apply in part not contrary to the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union. International agreements such as

8979-480: The custom in Russia whereby a young rising official would write a scholarly work in mid-career. Putin's thesis was plagiarized . Fellows at the Brookings Institution found that 15 pages were copied from an American textbook. On 25 May 1998, Putin was appointed First Deputy Chief of the Presidential Staff for the regions, in succession to Viktoriya Mitina . On 15 July, he was appointed head of

9102-482: The decline of the Russian ruble and sparked fears of a Russian financial crisis. Russia responded with sanctions against a number of countries, including a one-year period of total ban on food imports from the European Union and the United States. According to the Russian economic ministry in July 2014, GDP growth in the first half of 2014 was 1%. The ministry projected growth of 0.5% for 2014. The Russian economy grew by

9225-636: The establishment of the Parliamentary elections and a Regional Government. Throughout the Second Chechen War , Russia severely disabled the Chechen rebel movement; however, sporadic attacks by rebels continued to occur throughout the northern Caucasus. On 14 March 2004, Putin was elected to the presidency for a second term, receiving 71% of the vote. The Beslan school hostage crisis took place on 1–3 September 2004; more than 330 people died, including 186 children. The near 10-year period prior to

9348-520: The export of metals valued at $ 93 million in exchange for foreign food aid that never arrived. Despite the investigators' recommendation that Putin be fired, Putin remained head of the Committee for External Relations until 1996. From 1994 to 1996, he held several other political and governmental positions in Saint Petersburg. In March 1994, Putin was appointed as first deputy chairman of the Government of Saint Petersburg . In May 1995, he organized

9471-659: The first time the Ministry evaluated the mineral reserves of Russia in terms of value. The value of oil reserves amounted to 39.6 trillion rubles, the value of gas amounted to 11.3 trillion rubles, coking coal amounted to almost 2 trillion rubles, iron ore amounted to 808 billion rubles, diamonds amounted to 505 billion rubles, gold amounted to 480 billion rubles. The combined value of all mineral and energy resources (oil, gas, gold, copper, iron ore, thermal and lignite coal, and diamonds) amounted to 55.24 trillion rubles (US$ 844 billion), or 60% of GDP for 2017. The assessment occurred after

9594-480: The flows of capital that left the country illegally". On 24 September 1993, at a meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Council of Heads of State in Moscow , Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan signed the Treaty on the creation of an Economic Union which reinforces by an international agreement the intention to create an economic union through

9717-542: The following have further deepened trade and economic relations and integration with Belarus. The Community of Belarus and Russia was founded on 2 April 1996. The "Treaty on the Union between Belarus and Russia" was signed on 2 April 1997. And finally the Treaty on the Creation of a Union State of Russia and Belarus was signed on 8 December 1999. Russia recovered quickly from the August 1998 financial crash, partly because of

9840-429: The four alliance members outside the original treaty, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovenia, join it." In early 2007, " Dissenters' Marches " were organized by the opposition group The Other Russia , led by former chess champion Garry Kasparov and national-Bolshevist leader Eduard Limonov . Following prior warnings, demonstrations in several Russian cities were met by police action, which included interfering with

9963-423: The general public, to last any longer than his predecessors. He was initially regarded as a Yeltsin loyalist; like other prime ministers of Boris Yeltsin , Putin did not choose ministers himself, his cabinet was determined by the presidential administration. Yeltsin's main opponents and would-be successors were already campaigning to replace the ailing president, and they fought hard to prevent Putin's emergence as

10086-467: The government more problems than her writings. In January 2007, Putin met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at his Black Sea residence in Sochi , two weeks after Russia switched off oil supplies to Germany. Putin brought his black Labrador Konni in front of Merkel, who has a noted phobia of dogs and looked visibly uncomfortable in its presence, adding, "I'm sure it will behave itself", causing

10209-607: The international Agreement on the Establishment of a Free Trade Area in order to move towards the creation of an economic union. Article 17 also confirmed the intention to conclude a free trade agreement in services. Article 1 indicated that this was "the first stage of the creation of the Economic Union", but in 1999 the countries agreed to remove this phrase from the agreement. Russia concluded bilateral free trade agreements with all CIS countries and did not switch to

10332-407: The largest oil shale reserves in Europe. Russia is the world's leading natural gas exporter , the second-largest natural gas producer , the second-largest oil exporter and producer , and the third-largest coal exporter. Its foreign exchange reserves are the fourth-largest in the world. Russia has a labour force of about 72 million people, which is the eighth-largest in the world. It

10455-405: The last four centuries in a broad sense, there were four main characteristics of the Russian economy that have shaped the system and persisted despite the political upheavals. First of all the weakness of the legal system means that impartial courts do not rule and contracts are problematic. Second is the underdevelopment of modern economic activities, with very basic peasant agriculture dominant into

10578-476: The modern economy and inflexible administration overwhelmed and constrained the central planners. The volume of decisions facing planners in Moscow became overwhelming. The cumbersome procedures for bureaucratic administration foreclosed the free communication and flexible response required at the enterprise level for dealing with worker alienation, innovation, customers, and suppliers. From 1975 to 1985, corruption and data manipulation became common practice within

10701-475: The modest savings accumulated by Russians under socialism and resulted in a regressive redistribution of wealth in favour of elites who owned non-monetary assets. Shock therapy was accompanied by a drop in the standard of living, including surging economic inequality and poverty, along with increased excess mortality and a decline in life expectancy. Russia suffered the largest peacetime rise in mortality ever experienced by an industrialized country. Likewise,

10824-415: The most developed economies of Northern and Western Europe from the late 17th century to the mid 18th century. After the mid 18th century, the Russian economy stagnated and declined. In the 18th century, Russian national income per capita was about 40–70% of British per capita income but higher than Poland's. By 1860, Russian GDP per capita was similar to that of Japan; one-third of GDP per capita in

10947-399: The mountains of useless information produced by the KGB", Russian-American Masha Gessen wrote in their 2012 biography of Putin. His work was also downplayed by former Stasi spy chief Markus Wolf and Putin's former KGB colleague Vladimir Usoltsev. Journalist Catherine Belton wrote in 2020 that this downplaying was actually cover for Putin's involvement in KGB coordination and support for

11070-401: The need to diversify the economy away from its dependence on oil and gas and foster a high-technology sector. In 2012 oil, gas and petroleum products accounted for over 70% of total exports. This economic model appeared to show its limits, when after years of strong performance, the Russian economy expanded by a mere 1.3% in 2013. Several reasons were proposed to explain the slowdown, including

11193-609: The newly formed Unity Party , which won the second largest percentage of the popular vote (23.3%) in the December 1999 Duma elections , and in turn supported Putin. On 31 December 1999, Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned and, according to the Constitution of Russia , Putin became Acting President of the Russian Federation . On assuming this role, Putin went on a previously scheduled visit to Russian troops in Chechnya. The first presidential decree that Putin signed on 31 December 1999

11316-537: The parade are equestrian groups, honor guards and youth cadet corps. Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2012. At 24 years, 10 months and 28 days, he

11439-468: The parade for the 75th anniversary in 2020 (due to COVID-19 restrictions), a Don Cossack contingent took part in its place, representing the society and carrying a military flag handed by President Putin. General Doluda described the participation of the Cossacks in the Victory Day Parade as "an example of an unbroken spirit". In late April of every year, the society organizes a parade of

11562-550: The period preceding Putin's rule. In 2005, the National Priority Projects were launched to improve Russia's health care , education , housing , and agriculture . The continued criminal prosecution of the wealthiest man in Russia at the time, president of Yukos oil and gas company Mikhail Khodorkovsky , for fraud and tax evasion was seen by the international press as a retaliation for Khodorkovsky's donations to both liberal and communist opponents of

11685-435: The presidency in 2012, following an election marked by allegations of fraud and protests , and was reelected in 2018 . During Putin's initial presidential tenure, the Russian economy grew on average by seven percent per year, driven by economic reforms and a fivefold increase in the price of oil and gas. Additionally, Putin led Russia in a conflict against Chechen separatists , reestablishing federal control over

11808-570: The procedures of the society. The 4th Guards Cossacks Cavalry Corps took part in the Moscow Victory Parade of 1945 on Red Square . This was the first time that Cossacks have appeared on such a large scale celebration in Russia. In 2015, a contingent of Kuban Cossacks led by General Doluda took part in the 70th anniversary Moscow Victory Day Parade for the first time. Although the Kuban Cossacks were not able to return to

11931-509: The region. While serving as prime minister under Medvedev, he oversaw a military conflict with Georgia and enacted military and police reforms . In his third presidential term, Russia annexed Crimea and supported a war in eastern Ukraine through several military incursions, resulting in international sanctions and a financial crisis in Russia . He also ordered a military intervention in Syria to support his ally Bashar al-Assad during

12054-481: The results of 2012 but in 2016 it was reclassified as an upper-middle income economy due to changes in the exchange rate of the Russian ruble, which is a floating currency . While the UN Human Development Index , which assesses progress in the standard of living, health and education, ranks Russia among the ' very high human development ' countries. Russian leaders repeatedly spoke of

12177-479: The rise of Putin after the dissolution of Soviet rule was a time of upheaval in Russia. In a 2005 Kremlin speech, Putin characterized the collapse of the Soviet Union as the "greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the twentieth century". Putin elaborated, "Moreover, the epidemic of disintegration infected Russia itself." The country's cradle-to-grave social safety net was gone and life expectancy declined in

12300-524: The same enterprise. Under the government's cover, outrageous financial manipulations were performed that enriched a narrow group of individuals at key positions of business and government. Many of them promptly invested their newfound wealth abroad, producing an enormous capital flight. This rapid privatization of public assets, and the widespread corruption associated with it, became widely known throughout Russia as "prikhvatizatisiya," or "grab-itization." Difficulties in collecting government revenues amid

12423-708: The sanctions will have a long-term negative effect on the Russian economy. The Russian economy has been volatile over the past multiple decades. After 1989, its institutional environment was transformed from a command economy based upon socialist organizations to a capitalistic system . Its industrial structure dramatically shifted away over the course of several years from heavy investment in manufacturing as well as in traditional Soviet agriculture towards free market related developments in natural gas and oil extraction in additional to businesses engaged in mining . A service economy also expanded during this time. The academic analyst Richard Connolly has argued that, over

12546-409: The siege had ended, the Russian president enjoyed record public approval ratings—83% of Russians declared themselves satisfied with Putin and his handling of the siege. In 2003, a referendum was held in Chechnya , adopting a new constitution which declares that the Republic of Chechnya is a part of Russia; on the other hand, the region did acquire autonomy. Chechnya has been gradually stabilized with

12669-482: The step-by-step creation of a free trade area, a customs union and conditions for the free movement of goods, services, capital and labor. All these countries have ratified the Treaty and it entered into force on 14 January 1994. Turkmenistan and Georgia joined in 1994 and ratified the Treaty, but Georgia withdrew in 2009. On 15 April 1994, at a meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Council of Heads of State in Moscow , all 12 post-Soviet states signed

12792-484: The suspension. "These include [NATO] members cutting their arms allotments and further restricting temporary weapons deployments on each NATO member's territory. Russia also want[ed] constraints eliminated on how many forces it can deploy in its southern and northern flanks. Moreover, it is pressing NATO members to ratify a 1999 updated version of the accord, known as the Adapted CFE Treaty , and demanding that

12915-517: The terrorist Red Army Faction , whose members frequently hid in East Germany with the support of the Stasi. Dresden was preferred as a "marginal" town with only a small presence of Western intelligence services. According to an anonymous source who claimed to be a former RAF member, at one of these meetings in Dresden the militants presented Putin with a list of weapons that were later delivered to

13038-526: The travel of the protesters and the arrests of as many as 150 people who attempted to break through police lines. On 12 September 2007, Putin dissolved the government upon the request of Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov . Fradkov commented that it was to give the President a "free hand" in the run-up to the parliamentary election. Viktor Zubkov was appointed the new prime minister. On 19 September 2007, Putin's nuclear-capable bombers commenced exercises near

13161-724: The value". In the International Comparison Program 2021, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region was linked through the standard global core list approach, unlike in ICP 2017. Based on the results, the World Bank announced that in 2021 Russia was the 4th largest economy in the world ($ 5.7 trillion and 3.8 percent of the world) and the largest economy in Europe and Central Asia when measured in PPP terms. In 2022, heavy sanctions were enacted due to

13284-442: The world economic crisis was one of the two main achievements of his second premiership. The other was stabilizing the size of Russia's population between 2008 and 2011 following a long period of demographic collapse that began in the 1990s. The Russo-Georgian War that both started and finished in August 2008 was imagined by Putin and communicated to his staff as early 2006. Russian economy The economy of Russia

13407-428: The youngest of three children of Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin (1911–1999) and Maria Ivanovna Putina ( née  Shelomova ; 1911–1998). His grandfather, Spiridon Putin (1879–1965), was a personal cook to Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin . Putin's birth was preceded by the deaths of two brothers: Albert, born in the 1930s, died in infancy, and Viktor, born in 1940, died of diphtheria and starvation in 1942 during

13530-401: Was reelected to another term. Under Putin's rule , the Russian political system has been transformed into an authoritarian dictatorship with a personality cult . His rule has been marked by endemic corruption and widespread human rights violations , including the imprisonment and suppression of political opponents , intimidation and censorship of independent media in Russia , and

13653-504: Was a combined result of the 2000s commodities boom , high oil prices , as well as prudent economic and fiscal policies. However, these gains have been distributed unevenly, as the 110 wealthiest individuals were found in a report by Credit Suisse to own 35% of all financial assets held by Russian households . Russia also has the second-largest volume of illicit money outflows, having lost over $ 880 billion between 2002 and 2011 in this way. Since 2008 Forbes has repeatedly named Moscow

13776-427: Was appointed as an advisor on international affairs to the mayor of Leningrad Anatoly Sobchak . In a 2017 interview with Oliver Stone , Putin said that he resigned from the KGB in 1991, following the coup against Mikhail Gorbachev, as he did not agree with what had happened and did not want to be part of the intelligence in the new administration. According to Putin's statements in 2018 and 2021, he may have worked as

13899-581: Was brought back by Marina Salye , but she was silenced and forced to leave Saint Petersburg. While his opponents had been preparing for an election in June 2000, Yeltsin's resignation resulted in the presidential elections being held on 26 March 2000; Putin won in the first round with 53% of the vote. The inauguration of President Putin occurred on 7 May 2000. He appointed the minister of finance , Mikhail Kasyanov , as prime minister. The first major challenge to Putin's popularity came in August 2000, when he

14022-449: Was criticized for the alleged mishandling of the Kursk submarine disaster . That criticism was largely because it took several days for Putin to return from vacation, and several more before he visited the scene. Between 2000 and 2004, Putin set about the reconstruction of the impoverished condition of the country, apparently winning a power-struggle with the Russian oligarchs , reaching

14145-476: Was crossed. In July 2024 the Russian Central Bank raised the key interest rate to 18%. The 2024 budget expects revenues of 35 trillion rubles ($ 349 billion) with expenditure of 36.6 trillion, based on a Urals oil forecast of $ 71.30 per barrel, a 90.1 rubles to USD 1 exchange rate and inflation of 4.5%. Defence spending will double to 10.78 trillion, 29.4% of expenditure. Russia currently has

14268-461: Was followed by a strong recovery beginning in late 2009. Between 2000 and 2012, Russia's energy exports fuelled a rapid growth in living standards , with real disposable income rising by 160%. In dollar -denominated terms this amounted to a more than sevenfold increase in disposable incomes since 2000. In the same period, unemployment and poverty more than halved and Russians' self-assessed life satisfaction also rose significantly. This growth

14391-605: Was influential in Putin's career in Moscow. In 1997, Putin received a degree in economics ( kandidat ekonomicheskikh nauk ) at the Saint Petersburg Mining University for a thesis on energy dependencies and their instrumentalisation in foreign policy. His supervisor was Vladimir Litvinenko , who in 2000 and again in 2004 managed his presidential election campaigns in St Petersburg. Igor Danchenko and Clifford Gaddy consider Putin to be

14514-626: Was on "The Most Favored Nation Trading Principle in International Law". While there, he was required to join the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU); he remained a member until it ceased to exist in 1991. Putin met Anatoly Sobchak , an assistant professor who taught business law , and who later became the co-author of the Russian constitution . Putin was influential in Sobchak's career in Saint Petersburg, and Sobchak

14637-635: Was reported that Russia had officially entered a recession as the Federal State Statistics Service had reported a national GDP loss for the second consecutive quarter. As part of the sanctions imposed on Russia, on 2 September 2022, the finance ministers of the G7 group agreed to cap the price of Russian oil and petroleum products , designed to allow Russia to maintain production, but limiting revenue from oil sales. In 2022, The Economist calculated that Russia did graduate into

14760-597: Was sent to Moscow for further training at the Yuri Andropov Red Banner Institute . From 1985 to 1990, he served in Dresden , East Germany , using a cover identity as a translator. While posted in Dresden, Putin worked as one of the KGB's liaison officers to the Stasi secret police and was reportedly promoted to lieutenant colonel . According to the official Kremlin presidential site,

14883-545: Was severely wounded in 1942. Putin's maternal grandmother was killed by the German occupiers of Tver region in 1941, and his maternal uncles disappeared on the Eastern Front during World War II. On 1 September 1960, Putin started at School No. 193 at Baskov Lane, near his home. He was one of a few in his class of about 45 pupils who were not yet members of the Young Pioneer ( Komsomol ) organization. At

15006-725: Was then nominated for head of the society, in which he was backed by the Presidential Council on Cossack Affairs. In November 2023, Doluda resigned voluntarily to focus on legislative work. The head of the Terek Cossack Society, General Vitaly Kuznetsov, was appointed in his place. In July 2019, the State Duma voted to give President Putin the exclusive right to appoint and remove the Society Ataman, as well as to require that all Cossack units obey

15129-480: Was titled "On guarantees for the former president of the Russian Federation and the members of his family". This ensured that "corruption charges against the outgoing President and his relatives" would not be pursued. This was most notably targeted at the Mabetex bribery case in which Yeltsin's family members were involved. On 30 August 2000, a criminal investigation (number 18/238278-95) in which Putin himself, as

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