Russian president Vladimir Putin is widely expected to win his fourth term when voters go to the polls on Sunday, March 18. Putin has been the ever-present face of Russian politics since he was elevated to the role of prime minister by Boris Yeltsen in 1999. Despite Putin’s near 20 years in power, his image has still remained tightly controlled. If he isn’t sternly overseeing a cabinet meeting or delivering a speech, he’s portrayed in state media, documented photo-ops touring factories, or engaging in some sort of manly endeavor.
These photos, syndicated through Western wire services, yet all originating from Russian state media, show that while aspects of Putin’s appearance have changed over time, the rigid posturing of statecraft has not.
1999
Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin gestures as he opens the Cabinet meeting on the 1999 budget, in Moscow on Nov. 4, 1999. (Pool/Reuters)
2000
Russian president Vladimir Putin speaks at a meeting with senior ministers in the Kremlin on Aug. 7, 2000. (ITAR-TASS/Kremlin Press Service via Reuters)
2001
Russian president Vladimir Putin gestures as he opens the Security Council session in Moscow, on Mar. 29, 2001. (ITAR-TASS/Kremlin Press Service via Reuters)
2002
Russian president Vladimir Putin speaks at a Cabinet meeting in Moscow, Jan. 28, 2002. (ITAR-TASS/Kremlin Press Service via Reuters)
2003
Russian president Vladimir Putin gestures as he speaks during the government meeting in Moscow on June 17, 2003. (ITAR-TASS/Kremlin Press Service via Reuters)
2004
Russian president Vladimir Putin heads the cabinet meeting in Moscow’s Kremlin on Mar. 1, 2004. (Pool/Reuters)
2005
Russian president Vladimir Putin speaks during a cabinet meeting in the Kremlin on Nov. 28, 2005. (Sergey Zhukov/ITAR-TASS/Presidential Press Service via AP)
2006
Russian president Vladimir Putin speaks during a cabinet meeting in Moscow’s Kremlin on July 10, 2006. (Itar-Tass/Presidential Press Service via Reuters)
2007
Russian president Vladimir Putin listens as he attends the cabinet meeting in the Kremlin on Jan, 15, 2007. (Itar-Tass/Presidential Press Service via Reuters)
2008
Russian president Vladimir Putin heads a cabinet meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow on Jan. 21, 2008. (RIA Novosti/Kremlin via Reuters)
2009
Russia’s prime minister Vladimir Putin chairs a cabinet meeting in Moscow on Sept. 15, 2009. (Ria Novosti/Pool/Alexey Druzhinin via Reuters)
2010
Russia’s prime minister Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting, dedicated to the control of foreign investments in the Russian Federation, in Moscow on Feb. 3, 2010. (RIA Novosti/Pool/Alexei Nikolsky via Reuters)
2011
Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin heads the Cabinet meeting at the government headquarters in Moscow on Nov. 10, 2011. (AP Photo/RIA Novosti/Alexei Nikolsky/Pool)
2012
Russian president Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on fulfilling social policy tasks in the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow on July 11, 2012. (AP Photo/RIA Novosti/Alexei Nikolsky/Pool)
2013
Russian president Vladimir Putin takes part in a meeting on social and economic development in Moscow’s Kremlin on Dec. 23, 2013. (Mikhail Metzel/RIA Novosti/Kremlin via Reuters)
2014
Russia’s president Vladimir Putin chairs a government meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside on July 30, 2014. (Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik/Kremlin via Reuters)
2015
Russian president Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council at the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 4, 2015. (Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik/Kremlin via Reuters)
2016
Russian president Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with members of the Central Election Commission at the Kremlin in Moscow on Sept. 23, 2016. (Sputnik/Kremlin/Michael Klimentyev via Reuters)
2017
Russian president Vladimir Putin attends a signing ceremony following the talks with Cypriot president Nicos Anastasiades at the Kremlin in Moscow on Oct. 24, 2017. (Sergei Chirikov/Pool/Reuters)
2018
Russian president Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council in Moscow, on Mar. 15, 2018. (Sputnik/Kremlin/Mikhail Klimentyev via Reuters)
