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Russian President Vladimir Putin (Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin) has been a prominent leader of Russia for nearly two decades. To reach where he is today, President Putin has experienced numerous ups and downs and relentless efforts. Join Mytour in learning new vocabulary through the biography of Russian President Vladimir Putin.Discovering new vocabulary through the biography of Russian President Vladimir Putin
Putin’s early years
Born in 1952 in what was once called Leningrad, USSR, now known as St. Petersburg, Russia. He spent 15 years in the KGB, the Soviet-era counterpart to the CIA. This spy agency was a notorious symbol of the Cold War and inspired a series of American spy novels and movies.
During that period, in 1983, he wedded a flight attendant named Lyudmila. They had two daughters. Putin and Lyudmila ended their marriage in 2013.
By 1994, Putin had risen to deputy mayor in his birth city, and by 1998, he led the FSB, the KGB’s successor in domestic affairs. A year later, Putin assumed the role of prime minister, then president – positions he has held ever since.
Domestic challenges
Over the past two decades, Putin has strengthened his control over Russia’s judiciary, media, and other governing bodies to serve the personal desires of one individual: himself. He has allocated generously to military expenditures, banned or imprisoned dissenting politicians and journalists, and cultivated support from right-wing nationalist factions. He amended Russia’s fundamental law to extend his tenure until 2036, possibly beyond.
Putin has also overseen the rise of a burgeoning Russian middle class, modernized sectors of the economy such as banking and technology, and navigated through
On the global stage
Due to his extensive time in office, Putin has witnessed five U.S. presidents come and go. During this period, there has been collaboration on trade, nuclear arms control, and combating terrorism.
However, significant disagreements have also arisen – over human rights, conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, the rule of law, Moscow’s perceived or tacit support for cyber attackers, and the self-determination of countries like Ukraine and Georgia, which emerged after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Ukraine aims to join the 30-nation NATO alliance, founded post-World War II to maintain peace in Europe, and looks west towards EU democracies.
Putin views NATO’s eastward expansion toward Russia’s borders as a threat to Moscow’s security and sphere of influence. Analysts believe this partly drove Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its support for separatist rebels in Ukraine’s Donbass region, where conflict has persisted for eight years and remains a focal point of international attention concerning Putin’s military intervention strategies.
Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/02/19/putin-biography/6830111001/
FOCUS ON KEY VOCABULARY
- notorious (adj) khét tiếng
- Consolidate (v) củng cố
- Whim (n) ý thích
- Lavishly (adv) một cách xa hoa
- Opposition (n) sự đối lập
- Constitution (n) hiến pháp
- successive (adj) liên tiếp
- Crisis (n) khủng hoảng
- Dissent (n) bất đồng quan điểm
- Longevity (n) sự bền bỉ, lâu dài
- Treaty (n) hiệp ước
- divergence (n) sự khác nhau, phân cực
- Invasion (n) sự xâm lược
