The Central State Archive of Historical and Political Documents of St. Petersburg has published previously unseen profiles compiled by the KGB's Komsomol department, the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, on President Vladimir Putin.
The paper, which was compiled when Putin was serving in the KGB, describes the then 23-year-old officer as a "diligent, disciplined, conscientious and stress-resistant employee" who had earned the respect of his colleagues.
Master of Marital Arts
The profile separately underscores the president's athletic achievements, as Putin was already a master of sports in judo and sambo by that time and also became the Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) champion in 1976.
The Russian president continues to practice martial arts today, having achieved an 8th dan black belt in judo, 8th dan in Kyokushin karate, and a 9th dan in taekwondo. In an interview with the Mongolian newspaper Udriin Sonin, Putin said that judo improves a person's life, developing one's "willpower, respect for others, fortitude, ability to take a hit and emerge from any difficulties while retaining dignity".