Can the former KGB spymaster deliver on promises to fix the chaotic Russian economy?
Until a few months ago, he was virtually unknown even in his own Russia. Trained as a lawyer, he spent much of his working life as an economic spy in Germany, scooping up Western technology for the KGB, whose successor agency he eventually came to run. Now, at 47, Vladimir V. Putin has been catapulted into the Russian presidency by Boris N. Yeltsin’s surprise resignation on Dec. 31. Unless he makes a horrible mistake, the former spymaster is almost certain to win a mandate to lead Russia for a four-year term when voters head to the polls for early elections on Mar. 26. Will Putin’s rise to power usher in a new era of stability in Russia? From Moscow to Washington to Tokyo, politicians and diplomats are debating whether Putin, who spent only four months as Prime Minister, will be his own man or a mere puppet of Yeltsin’s entourage. Many note with alarm that Putin’s first move as Acting President was to sign a decree immunizing Yeltsin from future prosecution on any corruption charges. ‘
