
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who is the president of Russian Federation. Putin has held continuous positions as president or prime minister since 1999, as prime minister from 1999 to 2000 and from 2008 to 2012, and as president from 2000 to 2008 and since 2012. Putin is the second-longest current serving European president after Alexander Lukashenko.