Putin: A legacy cemented

History has shown that the Russian people can overcome any challenge if they are united. We are not afraid of difficulties; we will face them with strength and determination.

- SANTHOSH MATHEW

— Vladimir Putin. On 26 March 2000, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin rose to power, marking the beginning of a new chapter in Russia's history. Twenty-five years later, Putin remains the unchallenged ruler of Russia, shaping the nation's political, military, and geopolitical destiny with an iron grip reminiscent of the Soviet era.

As Russia stands on the global stage, locked in conflict with Ukraine and challenging Western dominance, Putin's rule evokes comparisons with another towering figure from Russian history — Joseph Stalin. Like Stalin, Putin has not only consolidated power domestically but also revived Russia's position as a formidable force in global politics. After Lenin and Stalin, Russian glory seems to have reached its highest point under Putin's regime.

Stalin ruled the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1953, for nearly three decades, transforming it into a superpower through ruthless political purges, military expansion, and industrialization. Putin, whose rise to power was forged in the shadow of the collapsing Soviet Union, has followed a strikingly similar path. Both leaders emerged from periods of national turmoil, restored military strength, centralized political control, and challenged Western hegemony.

Stalin used the Red Army to expand Soviet influence across Eastern Europe; Putin, through the annexation of Crimea and the war in Ukraine, has reasserted Russia's territorial ambitions. Stalin crushed internal dissent through brutal purges; Putin has silenced the opposition with calculated precision, imprisoning critics and consolidating media control.

Putin's journey to power began long before he entered the Kremlin. Born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) in 1952, he grew up in the harsh environment of post-war Soviet Russia. His career as a KGB officer in East Germany during the Cold War gave him the strategic and tactical acumen that would define his political style.