Happy 71st birthday to Vladimir Putin! Here's all you need to know about the Russian leader

 Happy 71st birthday to Vladimir Putin! Here's all you need to know about the Russian leader

Vladimir Putin, a politician and former intelligence officer who has been in office as president of Russia since 2012, was 71 on October 7.

Putin, the smallest of Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin and Maria Ivanovna Putina's three children, was born in Leningrad, Soviet Union, on October 7, 1952.

According Russian information, Spiridon Putin, his grandpa, cooked for both Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Lenin. In the early 1930s, his father enlisted in the Soviet Navy and served in the submarine fleet. However, his father participated in the NKVD's demolition unit during the Nazi German invasion of the Soviet Union. He then went to the regular army and was seriously wounded in 1942.

He earned his law degree from Leningrad State University (now Saint Petersburg State University) in 1975, and in 1997, the Saint Petersburg Mining University awarded him a Ph.D. in economics for an essay on the tactical preparation of the mining economy.

In addition to his academic work, he studied German at Saint Petersburg High School and is fluent in the language. He trains in judo and sambo.

Career: After enrolling in the 401st KGB School in Leningrad's Okhta, Putin joined the KGB in 1975. He was relocated during his career to locations including East Germany and New Zealand.

In 1997, President Boris Yeltsin appointed him to the positions of chairman of the Main Control Directorate of the Presidential Property Management Department and deputy chief of the National Staff.

In 1998, Putin was named chairman of the committee and first deputy chief of the presidential staff for the regions.

In 1999, President Yeltsin designated him as one of the three first deputy prime ministers and because acting prime minister of the Government of the Russian Federation.

Since 1999, Putin has held both the presidency and the office of prime minister continuously. He served as president from 2000 to 2008 and since 2012, as well as prime minister from 1999 to 2000 and from 2008 to 2012.