Russia under Vladimir Putin
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Since 1999, Vladimir Putin has continuously served as either President or Prime Minister of Russia.
Putin and Chechen leader Akhmad Kadyrov at a meeting in 2001
Vladimir Putin official portrait
Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush at the 2005 Moscow Victory Day Parade
Silovik
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In the Russian political lexicon, a silovik is a person who works for any state organisation that is authorised to use force against citizens or others. Examples are the Russian Armed Forces, the Russian national police, Russian national drug control, Russian immigration control (GUVM), the Ministry of Justice, the Federal Security Service (FSB), former KGB personnel, GRU, the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), and the Federal Protective Service (FSO). This word is also used for a politician who came into politics from these organisations.
Sergei Ivanov and Nikolai Patrushev at a meeting of Vladimir Putin with officers and prosecutors appointed to senior positions, April 2015
Putin with Sergey Lavrov, Alexander Bortnikov, and Sergei Naryshkin, 19 December 2016
![Igor Sechin is often described as one of the closest siloviki to Vladimir Putin. His nickname is Darth Vader [citation needed].](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Igor_Sechin1_%28cropped%29.jpg/500px-Igor_Sechin1_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Igor Sechin is often described as one of the closest siloviki to Vladimir Putin. His nickname is Darth Vader [citation needed].