To the dear people who have faith in me, The first step to become the President of a Nation is to have childhood dreams of seeing yourself far from where you are now. “I have some rules of my own. One of them is never to regret anything. Over time, I came to the conclusion that this was the right thing to do. As soon as you start regretting and looking back, you start to sour. You always have to think about the future. You always have to look ahead. Of course you have to analyze your past mistakes, but only so that you can learn and correct the course of your life.”

I was born on the 7th of October 1952 in St. Petersburg, back then known as Leningrad. I was as normal as any child could get. I practiced Sambo and Judo when I was around 12, purely because I wanted to become the Russian equivalent of James Bond. And then fast forwarding years forward, I did get my wish. I was a KGB intelligence officer in 1975. I joined the KGB after graduating from Leningrad State University. I was sent for training by the KGB to ‘Andropov Red Banner Institute’ to prepare for a project in Germany. During the period 1985-90, I operated in the Dresden city of East Germany as an undercover agent.

I worked hard. This promoted me to the position of lieutenant colonel and eventually the senior assistant to the head of the department in the intelligence office. In 1990, I travelled back to Leningrad and was appointed to the ‘Leningrad State University’ as the rector, where I handled international relations. I chaired the ‘Committee for International Relations’ at St. Petersburg City Hall in 1991, and a few years later, also joined the St. Petersburg City Government as the Deputy Chairman. Soon after joining the City Hall, I resigned from my post at the KGB.

If you want to be a political figure in a country, you have to delve into the world of politics. I shifted to Moscow in the year 1996, along with my family. In Moscow I was appointed to the ‘Presidential Property Management Directorate’ as the Deputy Chief. The following year, I joined office of the Presidential Executive Office as the Deputy Chief of Staff and also Chief of Main Control Directorate. I became the First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office in 1998, and the same year, I joined office as the Director of the Federal Security Service.

The following year, I became the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation. Dreams do come true, when you work towards your goal. I was chosen as the Prime Minister of Russia by the then President of Russia Boris Yeltsin in 1999. By the end of that year, the then President stepped down nominating me as his successor for the post. In March 2000, I was elected as the President of Russia and also served a second term after being re-elected to the office in 2004. As per Russian constitution, I was ineligible to run for presidency for the third consecutive term.

However, I saw how great Russia can be and I had a vision for the country. I loved the citizens and developing the Nation. Hence, in 2008, Dmitry Medvedev ran for the office of the President and won the election. Medvedev appointed me as Prime Minister of Russia. In 2011, the presidential term was extended from four years to six years. In 2012, I once again contested in the presidential election and won by polling 64% of vote. In 2018, I was re-elected for the fourth term as the President. I got 76% of votes and will be in office till 2024. “One has to be insincere and promise something which you cannot fulfill.

So you either have to be a fool who does not understand what you are promising, or deliberately be lying.” I believe in fulfilling promises that I make to my people. I’ve been criticised for who I am and people like to paint different images of me. We fear what we don’t know. But know at all times that we are all connected and that we’re as capable as one another. We just need direction, focus and big dreams in life. If I didn’t learn martial arts or study to be the best, I wouldn’t have been a KGB officer. If I hadn’t been intelligent enough to calculate on how I can achieve my dreams, I wouldn’t be the Russian President for the fourth time. Hard work, intelligence and timing is all it takes. And remember I am human, just like you.

Vladimir Putin.

Written by Devuni Goonewardene email feedback to [email protected]