Vladimir Putin quiz about the Russian president

[2tallbill]

1. In what city, since renamed, was Vladimir Putin born?
Andropov (now Rybinsk)
Leningrad (now St. Petersburg)
Leninsk (now Taldom)
Stalingrad (now Volgograd)
 
2. 2. Putin rose to power in part due to his success at the KGB,
the Soviet spy agency. In what country was Putin a spy?
Britain
East Germany
West Germany
Poland

3. Putin held several posts in the Kremlin before being elected president.
Which of the following did Putin hold?
Acting president
FSB (formerly KGB) chief
Prime minister
All of the above

4. Putin held most of those positions during the administration of which
Russian/Soviet leader?
Mikhail Gorbachev
Andrei Gromyko
Dmitry Medvedev
Boris Yeltsin

5. Which world leader claims to have looked into Putin’s eyes and gotten a
sense of his soul?
Tony Blair
Gordon Brown
George W. Bush
Barack Obama

6. Putin’s warming to Bush may have been spurred by his own problem with terrorism. What nationality of separatists troubled Putin’s administration?
Chechen
Circasian
Rom
Ukrainian

7. Putin likes to project a 'tough guy' image, and is often shown in the Russian press in that vein. Which of the follow was one of his 'marquee moments'?
Hunting buffalo
Tranquilizing a tiger
Wrestling a bear
All of the above

8. Which of these events was also a Putin 'marquee moment'?
Finding an ancient amphora while diving at an ancient Greek colony
Singing US golden oldies at a charity event
Trying to bend a frying pan with his bare hands
All of the above

9. Putin may be popular in Russia, but he is highly criticized by the West.
Which of these is -not- a reason for Western criticism of Putin?
Cracking down on Russian media and dissent
Hoarding natural resources for domestic use
Undermining Russian democracy
Widespread corruption

10. Putin has been elected president of Russia three times - despite constitutional
limits of only two terms in a row. How?
He amended the Constitution to remove term limits
He ignored the law completely and ran again anyway
He ran as vice president under Dmitry Medvedev then forced Medvedev to quit
He swapped jobs with Medvedev after two terms so that he could run again after Medvedev’s term
 
11. Name which of the following Putin didn't do
Hunted Rats In an apartment block during his childhood.
Used one of his dogs to terrify German Chancellor Angela Merkel
He sang jazz for Kevin Costner and Gerard Depardieu
His Grandfather cooked meals for Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin
He has two sons which he keeps away secret from the media

[Faux Pas]

I saw some biography on Putin (Frontline I think) where they indicated he gained most of his power to springboard nationally as an assistant Mayor in St Petersburg. It said he stole a lot of money from the Russian coffers on the behalf of others (one being Yeltsin) to later use it as blackmail to rise in the Kremlin. FWIW

[AkMike]

For a lifetime civil servant he's doing quite well. Forbes shows him as being worth 200 BILLION Dollars.


 Russia must pay their government worker very well.   

[Anotherkiwi]

For a lifetime civil servant he's doing quite well. Forbes shows him as being worth 200 BILLION Dollars.


 Russia must pay their government worker very well.   

Maybe he married money? 

[JayH]

Maybe he married money? 

He created a billionaire in his own daughter -- and another in his own right in her husband-also now a billionaire!

The sheer magnitude of the greed is amazing.

Dare I remind all-- that this is all at the expense of the Russian people at large.

[mendeleyev]

Leningrad - St Petersburg

Stationed in East Germany (where he became close friends with Angela Merkel)

All of the above

Started with Yeltsin, then stepped aside to be PM for one term while Medvedev took the reins

George W Bush

Chechen  (Russia could not afford to lose the oil, and control of pipelines) in Chechnya

Tranquilizing a tiger and wrestling a bear yes, but while Russia does have buffalo I am not aware of him hunting buffalo

All of the above (although the ancient Greek civilization sheds light on the lie that lands have historically belonged to Russia)

Hoarding natural resources for domestic use

He swapped jobs with Medvedev after two terms so that he could run again after Medvedev’s term (during which time the Constitution was amended to make the length of terms to be six years). Technically, since he was "Acting President" prior to his first full term, some way that his second full term was a violation.

He has two sons which he keeps away secret from the media (they are daughters, not sons)

[2tallbill]

Leningrad - St Petersburg

100% !!