Russian President Vladimir Putin: How old is Putin, Putin's wife, and where is Putin today?

Find out more about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin heavily in the House of Commons yesterday.

"President Putin offered the absurd pretext that he offered the de-militarisation and de-Nazification of Ukraine. In fact he is hurling the might of his military machine against a free and peaceful neighbour.

“For this Putin will stand condemned in the eyes of the world and by history. He will never be able to cleanse the blood of Ukraine from his hands.

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting of big businesses at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 24th. Putin said on Thursday that his country wanted to remain part of the world economy and had no plans to harm it. Photo: ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images.

"I am driven to conclude that Putin was always determined to attack his neighbour, no matter what we did. Now we see him for what he is: a blood-stained aggressor who believes in imperial conquest."

Mr Johnson’s comments echo sentiments of other world leaders since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with politicians and heads of state from various countries harshly condemning his actions.

The Prime Minister also labelled Putin a dictator and implied that he may well face charges of war crimes for his actions.

In light of recent events, here’s what you need to know about the Russian president at the core of this conflict.

A demonstrator holds a placard as people gather in Lafayette Square to protest Russia's invasion of Ukraine in Washington, DC. Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images.

How long has Putin been president?

Putin first became Acting President in 1999, after the then-President Boris Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned.

As Yeltsin’s Prime Minister, Putin then stepped into the role, before winning his own presidential election three months later with 53% of the vote.

Putin then served for two terms, until 2008. He won his second term with 71% of the vote.

The Constitution barred him from running for a third consecutive term, but he did serve as Prime Minister for Dmitry Medvedev, ostensibly maintaining his political clout.

He ran for and won a third presidential term in 2012 with 64% of the vote, after Medvedev revealed that the two men had cut a deal years previously to allow this to happen.

2018 saw him win his fourth election with over 76% of the vote. This term will last until 2024.

On May 25th of 2018, Putin announced that he would not run for president in 2024, in compliance with the Russian Constitution.

However, he also introduced major amendments to the Russian Constitution that could extend his power beyond this fourth term.

How old is Putin?

Vladimir Putin was born October 7th, 1952, making him 69 years old.

He was born in Leningrad in the Soviet Union, now known as St Petersburg of Russia.

Who is Putin’s wife?

On July 28th, 1983, Putin married Lyudmila Shkrebneva.

The couple lived together in East Germany from 1985 to 1990 and had two daughters together.

Mariya Putina, born on April 28th, 1985 in St Petersburg (then Leningrad), and Yekaterina Putina was born on August 31st, 1986 in Dresden, East Germany.

In 2008, rumours began circulating that Putin had divorced Shkrebneva and was involved with ex-Olympic gymnast and politician Alina Kabaeva.

The story was denied and the newspaper, Moskovsky Korrespondent, that reported it was shut down.

Later, unconfirmed reports came out that Putin and Kabaeva had several children together, with one daughter reportedly born in 2015 and twin sons in 2019.

Putin and Shkrebneva’s divorce was ultimately announced on June 6th, 2013.

Where is Putin today?

Putin has made several television addresses since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and so is believed to be in Moscow.