The day Putin rose from obscurity to one of the world's most powerful jobs
Vladimir Putin has towered over politics in Russia since ascending to the country's top office, initially as president for eight years, then as prime minister until that pesky thing called the constitution could be altered to allow him to run again.
It is December 31, 1999. Savage Garden is dominating global music charts and rugby fans are celebrating the Wallabies' World Cup win.
The fallout from Australia's failed republic referendum is boiling away as everyone sweats on something called the Y2K software bug.
Elsewhere, a man many people have never heard of — Vladimir Putin — is sworn in as Russia's caretaker president.
Jump forward to 2025: Savage Garden broke up two decades ago, and the Wallabies have just lost every match on their recent European tour (even to Italy).
The republic debate has been consigned to the history books. Fears of ringing in the new millennium with a massive computer meltdown are long-forgotten.
And Putin? These days, pretty much everyone knows who he is.
Vladimir Putin has an international arrest warrant out against him for alleged war crimes, which makes travel abroad difficult. (Reuters: Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool)
King of his isolated castle
Putin has towered over politics in Russia since ascending to the country's top office, initially as president for eight years, then as prime minister while that pesky thing called the constitution was altered to allow him to run again.
And since 2012, the president's office is where he has stayed — these days, that line can almost be taken literally: Putin has an international arrest warrant out against him for alleged war crimes, which makes travel abroad difficult.
With every "election" (if that is what we are to call the fraud-fests Russia specialises in), the 73-year-old's victory margin balloons to even more fantastical levels.
Last year, official results claimed Putin gained more than 88 per cent of the vote. That made-up figure would be more impressive, of course, if most of the president's major political opponents had not been barred from running.
Still, there is no doubt that Putin remains popular in Russia.
Russia's economy grew steadily each year after Vladimir Putin came to office — until 2014. (Reuters: Kevin Lamarque)
A popular leader
He took over as president from Boris Yeltsin, who had led the country into capitalism after the chaotic collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
But eight years later, for many Russians, life was worse. Severe inflation and a struggling economy meant their income was down in real terms.