World Leaders: Vladimir Putin

TOP: Portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: Wikimedia.

Synopsis: Vladimir Putin is the president of Russia. He has been the president three times.

Putin was also Russia's prime minister, almost like a vice president.

Early Political Career

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was born in Russia in 1952. He studied law and worked for the

KGB until 1990. The KGB was the main spy agency in the Soviet Union. It shut down in

1991. This is when the Soviet Union broke apart into smaller countries, including Russia. In

1998, he started to work for Boris Yeltsin. Yeltsin was Russia's president then.

In 1999, Yeltsin dismissed his cabinet and prime minister. Putin became the prime minister.

This is the leader of the cabinet. The cabinet helps the president make important

decisions.

President of Russia: 1st And 2nd Terms

In 1999, Yeltsin quit as president of Russia. He made Putin the temporary president until

people could vote for a new president. Putin won the next race.

By Biography.com Editors and A+E Networks, adapted by Newsela staff on 11.04.16

Word Count 637

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In 2004, Putin was re-elected president. He could not run again in 2008. Russia has laws

against being president three times. But Russia's new president, Dmitry Medvedev, was a

friend of Putin's. He made Putin the prime minister again. Putin still had power.

Third Term As President

Putin became president for the third time in 2012. Many people wondered if the election

results were honest. Putin made Medvedev the prime minister.

Putin made the United States unhappy in many ways. He would not allow Americans to

adopt Russian children anymore. Putin also allowed American Edward Snowden to stay in

Russia. Snowden is wanted by the United States. He shared U.S. government secrets.

Putin also made many people angry with his anti-gay laws.

Chemical Weapons In Syria

In 2013, the United States told Syria to give up its chemical weapons. The weapons were

used in the war there. The United States threatened military action if Syria did not do

this. Then, the Russian and U.S. governments made a deal with Syria. Chemical weapons

in Syria were destroyed. But, Putin said that Syria's government hadn't been using

chemical weapons. Putin said the rebels had. He also said U.S. action in Syria would make

the war worse.

Invading Crimea

Putin sent Russian troops into the Ukraine in 2014. They went to an area called Crimea. It

was part of Russia a long time ago. Russia denies that it tried to take over Crimea. Putin

said that it was just trying to help the people of Crimea. Russia still has some power over

Crimea. Ukraine is not happy about this.

Syrian Airstrikes

Russia began airstrikes in Syria in 2015. Putin said the strikes were targeting the group

called Islamic State (IS), which is also called ISIS. It is a violent group. It wants to start its

own country in the Middle East. Its fighters have taken over parts of Syria and Iraq. Many

believe Russia is bombing IS to help Syria's president keep his job. Syria's president is

friends with Putin.

U.S. Election Hacks

Months before the U.S. presidential election, Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails

were hacked into. This means a person or group illegally broke into DNC email accounts.

They stole the emails they read. The DNC is the group that sets rules for the U.S.

Democratic party.

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John Podesta's emails were also hacked. At the time, Podesta was running Hillary Clinton's

presidential campaign. The emails were given to WikiLeaks. This group publishes

government and business secrets online.

U.S. intelligence groups agreed that Russia was behind both hacks. In December 2016,

top CIA officers said they had a lot of proof that Putin was involved. The officials said the

hacked emails were meant to damage Clinton's campaign. They were supposed to help

improve the chances of her opponent, Donald Trump.

Two more government groups, the FBI and the National Intelligence Agency, agree with

the CIA's findings.

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Quiz

1 Select the paragraph from the section "Third Term As President" that BEST explains how Putin

angered many people around the world.

2 Which sentence from the section "Chemical Weapons In Syria" explains why Putin did not want

the United States to go into Syria?

(A) In 2013, the United States told Syria to give up its chemical weapons.

(B) The United States threatened military action if Syria did not do this.

(C) Then, the Russian and U.S. governments made a deal with Syria.

(D) He also said U.S. action in Syria would make the war worse.

3 Read the section "Early Political Career."

Which event happened FIRST in Putin's life?

(A) He studied law.

(B) He worked for the KGB.

(C) He worked for Boris Yeltsin.

(D) He became prime minister.

4 Read the section "Invading Crimea."

What does Putin say is the main reason why he sent troops to Crimea?

(A) Crimea used to be part of Russia.

(B) Russia was trying to help the people of Crimea.

(C) The people of Ukraine were unhappy about Russia leaving.

(D) Russia had power over the people in Crimea.

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Answer Key

1 Select the paragraph from the section "Third Term As President" that BEST explains how Putin

angered many people around the world.

Paragraph 6:

Putin made the United States unhappy in many ways. He would not allow

Americans to adopt Russian children anymore. Putin also allowed American

Edward Snowden to stay in Russia. Snowden is wanted by the United States. He

shared U.S. government secrets. Putin also made many people angry with his

anti-gay laws.

2 Which sentence from the section "Chemical Weapons In Syria" explains why Putin did not want

the United States to go into Syria?

(A) In 2013, the United States told Syria to give up its chemical weapons.

(B) The United States threatened military action if Syria did not do this.

(C) Then, the Russian and U.S. governments made a deal with Syria.

(D) He also said U.S. action in Syria would make the war worse.

3 Read the section "Early Political Career."

Which event happened FIRST in Putin's life?

(A) He studied law.

(B) He worked for the KGB.

(C) He worked for Boris Yeltsin.

(D) He became prime minister.

4 Read the section "Invading Crimea."

What does Putin say is the main reason why he sent troops to Crimea?

(A) Crimea used to be part of Russia.

(B) Russia was trying to help the people of Crimea.

(C) The people of Ukraine were unhappy about Russia leaving.

(D) Russia had power over the people in Crimea.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5