Vladimir Putin and Boris Yeltsin

Putin: After former Russian leader Boris Yeltsin resigned back on December 31, 1999, his Prime Minister Vladimir Putin took over the reins, inheriting a country in a dire economic situation and struggling with lawlessness, according to Russia Today. Thus, the largely-unknown Putin was faced with challenges. RT looks back at his years as president and all the important benchmarks on the way. The Western press instantly took a liking to him, some saying he combined liberal-mindedness and toughness that seem to appeal to Russian people. He pronounced what would become one of the catchphrases that illustrate his powerful political hand: We will hunt down the terrorists everywhere, in airports, and if we capture them in toilets, we’ll waste them in the outhouse. First, Putin dealt with the crisis in the Russian Republic of Chechnya, which at the time was a terrorist hotspot. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.