Portrait of the Despot as a Young Man.

PUTIN, Vladimir Vladimirovich, 1952-; PUBLISHED reprints; MAN Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin, The (Book); SOVIET Union. Komitet gosudarstvennoi bezopasnosti; RUSSIAN politics & government, 1991-

The article presents a reprint from the book "The Man Without a Face," by Masha Gessen. It examines the life and career of Russian leader Vladimir Putin including his involvement with the Russian KGB (Committee for State Security), his family background, and his personal relationships. It is suggested that Putin's leadership resulted from his life as a street thug.