Presidential terms in Russia had been extended to six years, but this change did not benefit Putin. He was beholden to the previous Constitutional rules. So how did he get to stay in power? The man who was elected Russia's next President, Dmitri Medvedev was a protege of Putin's, and had benefitted from Putin's rise to power. Neither he nor Putin wanted Putin to be pushed off the international stage, and so Medvedev named Putin as Russia's Prime Minister - a position he had previously held under Boris Yeltsin. After thirteen years in leadership, Putin would remain at the highest levels of Russia's government. He and his supporters were able to keep him in power, and stay in line with the law, although perhaps not in line with its exact intent. During his third term as Prime Minister from 2008-2012, Putin focused on dealing with the economic crisis that swept the world, as well as Russia's population problems. Russia's population was falling by one million people a year - a devastating number for a country whose population is only 150 million. In 2010, the trend reversed and Russia's population began to grow. The reversal is in part credited to Putin's economic reforms - when people have more money, it is easier to support a larger family. One of Putin's economic reforms included joining the World Trade Organization in 2012. Negotiations for Russia to join the WTO lasted nearly two decades (as they had started after the fall of the Soviet Union.) Russia was granted entry into the WTO after negotiations reached a point which granted Russia permission to phase in the opening of markets, while it aligned with other WTO trading requirements. Now, while his political party retained dominance, and Putin was again the candidate for President in 2012, he did not escape politically unscathed from his maneuver to hold on to power by sidestepping the term limits. The elections in 2012 were heavily protested, with claims of fraud tainting Putin's election to a third term... 'The task of the government is not only to pour honey into a cup, but sometimes to give bitter medicine.' But, despite those protests, he was inaugurated in May of 2012, and this time his term would be six years. This means that Putin will be President of Russia until at least 2018, and with allegations of his interference in United States elections, his prominence in the world only seems to grow...

Controversy

Putin has continued to be re-elected and re-appointed to positions at the highest level of Russian government, but his time in office has not been without questions surrounding his shady actions. Among the high points - or low points we should say - of intrigue surrounding Putin are the murders of Russian journalists. Deaths of journalists were a point of concern in Russia long before Putin's rise to power, but the issue began to get a lot of international attention during Putin's second term as President when journalist Anna Politkovskaya was murdered. This journalist had been a strong critic of Putin and particularly the war in Chechnya. Even before her death, she was poisoned but ultimately recovered. Her murder remains unsolved, but there is suspicion that Putin and his government targeted her... Politkovskaya is far from the only Putin opponent whose death has occurred in suspicious circumstances. In March 2017 the Washington Post even published a list of ten such deaths. Among those deaths were a former Deputy Prime Minister and Putin critic who was shot outside the Kremlin. He was a tycoon whose death was initially called a suicide but now that is unsure. He was also a journalist who was kidnapped and shot in the woods, and a former KGB agent who was found to be poisoned by Russian agents. Then is the journalist who died of a "mystery illness" and whose medical records have been sealed... Certainly, plenty of intrigue...

Though many of these deaths may never be proven beyond doubt to be the work of Putin's government, one thing is absolutely certain - Vladimir Putin does not like to be viewed as weak. He has done all he can to prove his strength, and to show the world that he is strong and manly. Beyond his active participation in martial arts, he shows his power and dominance by hunting, tracking, and posing with wild animals. He's caught huge fish - including a 46 pound pike - and shot a crossbow at a whale... only to tranquilize it though! He also once saved a camera crew from a Siberian tiger that was about to attack them during a tour of a wildlife sanctuary. Further, he's gotten close enough to polar bears to attach a tracking device to them to help out with a research project. Polar bears might look cute from afar, but they're actually incredibly vicious creatures. Putin has also attached himself to an experimental flying machine to accompany birds on migration. He always does these things carefully making sure there were photographers present... 'The more I know about people, the more I like dogs. I simply like animals.' When he's not hanging out with wild animals, Putin makes time for other adventurous and athletic activities. He dives in the Black Sea, explores shipwrecks, plays hockey, rides snowmobiles and motorcycles, and has driven a Formula One race car. Once, during a visit to a Russian youth camp he even challenged attendees to arm wrestle with him! Then, not content with arm wrestling as a show of strength, he tried to bend a frying pan with his bare hands. Naturally, photographers caught all of these shows of strength and the photos have been distributed and viewed around the world. From his days at school cultivating an athletic reputation, to his time as President and Prime Minister, Putin has made it known that he is a man to be reckoned with.

Putin Today

During his most recent term as President, with two years of a term yet to go, Putin has found himself centered on the world stage. Russia has been involved in the Syrian Civil War, supporting the government of Bashar Al-Assad. In early July of 2017, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump announced a ceasefire in southwestern Syria, and weeks later Russia announced that it had signed a deal with Syria allowing Russia to keep its airbase in the country for at least fifty more years. In addition to Syria, perhaps Putin's most talked about involvement has been the alleged interference of Russia in the U.S. elections. From hacking allegations to questions of illicit meetings and deals with members of Trump's inner circle, the U.S and world media have made Putin and his political dealings a household conversation topic... Vladimir Putin began his life growing up in a communal apartment in the midst of Russia during the Cold War, and has become an internationally polarizing figure. He's been strong and unapologetic in his foreign policy and use of force, and questions swirl around his treatment of political opponents and critical journalists. Putin is unwilling to sit back and be a shrinking violet on the world stage, ensuring Russia remains a world power with a great deal of influence. He has done all that he can to cultivate an image of strength both for Russia as a country and for himself personally, showing no signs of stopping his adventurous and daredevil lifestyle even as he enters his sixties... Vladimir Putin has undoubtedly made a place for himself in world history, and with him eligible for re-election in 2018 we may still have many years of Putin on the world stage ahead of us... So I hope you like the video. If you didn't know what to do, hit that thumbs up button below. Don't forget to subscribe below, we put out brand new videos twice a week so subscribe for more things just like this if you did like them. Also over there on the right a couple of other videos that you might like to check out if you enjoyed this one. And as always thank you for watching.