Throughline: Vladimir Putin - a podcast by NPR

As tensions between Ukraine and Russia escalate, we decided to take a look at the man who has been running Russia for two decades: Vladimir Putin. 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 of Throughline, we follow the life of Vladimir Putin and try to understand how he became Russia's new "tsar."

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