A young KGB officer in the former East Germany who became the long-term President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin has made a lasting impact on the history of Russia. Casting his worldview from the 18th century legacies of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great, Putin’s leadership focused on righting the wrongs the Western world wrought upon Russia over hundreds of years. Wanting to re-establish the glory days of the USSR, Putin has sought to assert Russia’s power on the world stage through strategic geopolitical, chess-like moves, especially one that might checkmate U.S. hegemony.