Judo champions and powerful political leaders do not usually appear in the same conversation: unless that conversation involves Vladimir Putin. This man has led an interesting life. He was born into a lower-middle-class family, and as a teenager he began practicing martial arts. He later became a champion of St. Petersburg as well as a KGB agent. He is now a politician. Since August 1999 until today, he has led Russia as Prime Minister or President (Aron 7). After coming to power, Putin instituted policies that led to authoritarian rule and corruption that threaten Russia's economic future. Boris Yeltsin's presidency helped Putin rise to power and led to many of his policies. Boris Yeltsin took office in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He pushed through capitalist and democratic reforms that led to the privatization of many companies. The government then distributed vouchers to buy shares in these companies. Most people did not understand their value and sold them to businessmen who had since become extremely wealthy. These men are now known as oligarchs (Mandel 22). The government, unable to collect taxes, was forced to enter into secured borrowing deals with the oligarchs. This allowed oligarchs to become owners of large energy companies (24). Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin joins the presidential administration. He held several positions, including head of the FSB, heir to the KGB. In August 1999 he was appointed Prime Minister and in 2000 he won the presidential election (Aron 7). After this election victory, Putin passed laws that increased the power of the president and the federal government. He expanded the middle of the paper......d Co.: What to do? Comment May 1, 2008: n. page. Global issues in context. Internet. March 3, 2014. “Russia.” CIA Global Information Manual. CIA, nd Web. April 6, 2014. “Russian Economy: Quick Overview --- Manufacturing performance is weak. » Economist Intelligence Unit: Country Viewswire February 17, 2014: n. page. Global issues in context. Internet. February 28, 2014. “Russia's Booming Economy; Russia's strong economy; The strength of the Russian economy is not based solely on oil.” Global Agenda June 18, 2007: n. page. Global issues in context. Internet. February 28, 2014. Yaffa, Joshua. “The Waste and Corruption of Vladimir Putin’s 2014 Winter Olympics.” Bloomberg Businessweek January 2, 2014: n. page. Bloomberg Business Week. Internet. April 6. 2014. .