Vladimir Putin

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(born 1952). In an announcement that surprised the locals as much as the rest of the world, Russia’s President Boris Yeltsin resigned on December 31, 1999. Yeltsin left in his place a relatively unknown man named Vladimir Putin, whom Yeltsin had elevated to the post of prime minister a scant five months earlier. A career foreign intelligence officer by background, Putin was described as austere, reserved, and disciplined. A deeply private person, he had the reputation of a man who got things done quietly and efficiently and who inspired respect, even fear, in those with whom he came in contact.

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