1. VLADIMIR PUTIN AND RUSSIA

2.  Background Born in 1952 in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg His paternal grandfather was Lenin’s cook, and later was Stalin’s cook as well. VLADIMIR PUTIN

3.  As a child, he emulated intelligence officer characters from Soviet film, and after completing university, he went into training for the KGB. PUTIN: BACKGROUND

4.  Flying military jets.  Martial arts..  Adventures in the wild. On his trip to Tuva in August 2007, Putin was riding horses, fishing and swimming in a cold Siberian river (doing all that mostly bare-chested)  Tranquilizing tigers. In 2008 Putin visited Ussuri national park, where he had to sedate a tiger, who broke on the loose from a trap, with a tranquilizer gun. Then he helped measure tiger's teeth.  Tranquilizing polar bears.  Riding a motorbike. In July 2010 Putin appeared at a Bikers festival riding a Harley Davidson tricycle. He was voted into a Hells Angel rank. PUTIN’S FEATS

5. PUTIN’S FEATS, (CON’D)  Firefighting from the air.  Firing darts at whales.  Driving a race car.  Scuba diving.  Playing ice hockey.

6. PRESIDENT PUTIN  After Boris Yeltsin resigned in 1999, Putin was elected president the following year.  He went on to be president until 2008, and became prime minister under Dmitry Medvedev, creating a tandemocracy.  In September 2011, it was decided that Putin would run for president again.

7. PUTIN PROS  9 straight years of economic growth.  Decreased poverty by 50%  Monthly salary increases from $80 a month to $640 a month.  Strong energy policy

8.  Undemocratic State controlled media Rigged elections But, to the Russian people, more democratic than before.  Corruption  Hardline policies, i. e. Chechnya  Disturbing rise in nationalism PUTIN CONS

9. PROTESTS  Led by Alexei Navalny  December 4- Fraudulent Parliamentary elections take place.  December 5- Rally against rigged elections, crowds of 5-10,000 people. 250 arrested.  December 6- White ribbon becomes symbol of the protest. Organization of rallies begins on Facebook.

10. PRESIDENT AGAIN  March 4, 2012, Putin is re-elected as president of the Russian Federation under an extended 6 year term.  Protests break out, resulting in the arrests of over 550 people.