Born in Leningrad in 1952, Vladimir Putin is Russia’s current president. The former Prime Minister started his political career as an officer in the Soviet Union’s secret police, the KGB. It was in 1999 when Russian President Boris Yeltsin fired his prime minister to promote Vladimir Putin in his place. After Yeltsin resigned, he made Putin president, who was re-elected in 2004 and 2012. Currently, he’s caught in several global crises, in Syria and Ukraine, so it should be interesting to have a closer look at 10 surprising facts about Russia’s notorious leader.
#1 Vladimir Putin Loves Dogs
In spite of a macho image he portrays in front of the people, Vladimir Putin loves dogs. He’s the proud owner of a Labrador Retriever whose name is Koni. Putin takes Koni with him everywhere, even at important cabinet meetings with foreign leaders. He’s frequently photographed petting, talking to and hugging other dogs around Russia; once he mentioned that he can read in a dog’s eyes and understand what they’re thinking.