Podcast:Throughline Published On: Thu Mar 14 2019 Description: Vladimir Putin has been running Russia since 2000 when he was first elected as President. How did a former KGB officer make his way up to the top seat — was it political prowess or was he just the recipient of a lot of good fortune? In this episode, we dive into the life of Vladimir Putin and try to understand how he became Russia's new "tsar."Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy