Kgb Officer

From the rise of the former KGB officer to the Kremlin to his invasion of Ukraine, AFP looks at key moments in the rule of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is bidding to remain in power until 2030.

From the rise of the former KGB officer to the Kremlin to his invasion of Ukraine and a mutiny by the Wagner rebels who backed him, AFP looks at key moments in Vladimir Putin's rule.

Vladimir Putin, who exit polls say won a fourth term as Russian president in Sunday's election, has tightened the Kremlin's grip on society since taking power 18 years ago.

On Dec. 20, the Russian government proudly celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Cheka, the Soviet secret police. In his official message of congratulations to "officers and veterans" of the security services, President Vladimir Putin urged them to "honor the traditions and the legacy of their predecessors."

The KGB major was on vacation in the Russian countryside in August 1991 when he woke up to a radio broadcast announcing a state of national emergency. The bulletin contained something else: a secret code phrase for intelligence officers, summoning them back to their posts immediately.

Former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko developed a powerful animosity toward Vladimir Putin, accusing the Russian President of fomenting war and consorting with criminal gangs, the agent's widow testified on Monday.

Russia said on Tuesday it had caught an American red-handed as he tried to recruit a Russian intelligence officer to work for the CIA, a throwback to the Cold War era that risks upsetting efforts to improve relations.

Shortly after the radiation poisoning in London of a former K.G.B. officer, Alexander V. Litvinenko, a senior Russian official asserted that Moscow had been tailing his killers before he died but had been waved off by Britain's security services, according to a cable in the trove of secret American documents released by WikiLeaks. The Russian asser...

From the rise of the former KGB officer to the Kremlin to his invasion of Ukraine, AFP looks at key moments in the rule of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is bidding to remain in power until 2030.

From the rise of the former KGB officer to the Kremlin to his invasion of Ukraine and a mutiny by the Wagner rebels who backed him, AFP looks at key moments in Vladimir Putin's rule.

Vladimir Putin, who exit polls say won a fourth term as Russian president in Sunday's election, has tightened the Kremlin's grip on society since taking power 18 years ago.

On Dec. 20, the Russian government proudly celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Cheka, the Soviet secret police. In his official message of congratulations to "officers and veterans" of the security services, President Vladimir Putin urged them to "honor the traditions and the legacy of their predecessors."

The KGB major was on vacation in the Russian countryside in August 1991 when he woke up to a radio broadcast announcing a state of national emergency. The bulletin contained something else: a secret code phrase for intelligence officers, summoning them back to their posts immediately.

Former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko developed a powerful animosity toward Vladimir Putin, accusing the Russian President of fomenting war and consorting with criminal gangs, the agent's widow testified on Monday.

Russia said on Tuesday it had caught an American red-handed as he tried to recruit a Russian intelligence officer to work for the CIA, a throwback to the Cold War era that risks upsetting efforts to improve relations.

Shortly after the radiation poisoning in London of a former K.G.B. officer, Alexander V. Litvinenko, a senior Russian official asserted that Moscow had been tailing his killers before he died but had been waved off by Britain's security services, according to a cable in the trove of secret American documents released by WikiLeaks. The Russian asser...