Why Putin? Russia is no longer a pathetic, poor slob and that is worth a lot | Abroad

Vladimir Putin was not one of the big boys as a kid. He is only a small man, or so the legend goes, a little thin even. Volodya, as his mother calls him, was born in the fall of 1952 in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). The family is not poor, but they do live in a kommunalka: a sort of student house, but for families. They have their own room, but have to share the bathroom and kitchen. That is no fun, the toilets are not too fresh and often there is only cold water.

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