Russian rulers, through the ages, came to power in different ways, writes the BBC in an article entitled "The man who helped former KGB officer Putin become president".
For the emperor, it was by birth; Vladimir Ilyich Lenin - with the revolution, the general secretaries of the Soviet Communist Party climbing the party ladder to the Politburo and waiting for their turn for the highest state office, writes the BBC, as reported by N1.
But the current president, Vladimir Putin, got power on a plate.
The former agent of the Soviet secret service, the KGB, was chosen by former Russian President Boris Yeltsin and his inner circle to lead the country in the 21st century.
The question arises - why Putin?
Valentin Yumashev played a key role in bringing Putin to the head of Russia. The former journalist, who became one of Yeltsin's most trusted associates, rarely gives interviews, but he agreed to talk to a BBC journalist and tell his story, reports N1.
Yumashev married Yeltsin's daughter Tatyana.
As Yeltsin's chief of staff, he gave Putin his first Kremlin job in 1997.
"The outgoing head of the first deputy prime minister under Yeltsin, Anatoly Chubais, told me that he knew a capable manager who would be a good deputy. He introduced me to Vladimir Putin, and we started working together. I immediately noticed Putin's fantastic work. He was is brilliant in formulating ideas, analyzing and presenting his case," Jumašev remembers.
When asked by a journalist if at some point he thought that Putin could be president, Yumashev said that at one point he discussed it with Yeltsin.
According to him, the then president of Russia (1991-1999) had several candidates in mind who could succeed him as head of state: Boris Nemtsov. Sergey Stepashin and Nikolay Aksenyenkov.
Yeltsin asked me: "What do you think of Putin?"
"I think he's an outstanding candidate," I replied. "I think you should take him into consideration. It's clear from the way he does his job that he's ready for much more difficult tasks," Jumasev said.
Yeltsin DID come under greater public attention after Mikhail Gorbachev (political leader of the USSR from 1985 to 1991 and general secretary of the Communist Party of the USSR), as a trusted man, brought him from the Sverdlovsk region to Moscow and appointed him head of the city organization of the CPSUSR. Yeltsin came into conflict with Gorbachev because he advocated an even more radical implementation of perestroika, writes the BBC, as reported by N1.
He came under even greater public attention in May 1990, when he was elected president of the Russian parliament, in which he openly promoted the idea of Russian independence. A year later, he became the first president of the Russian Federation.
Gorbachev himself, who introduced Perestroika (realignment in economic and social policy), led to the end of the Cold War, but also to the end of the total power of the Communist Party of the USSR and the collapse of the Soviet Union. He also received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.
But after all those changes, how did the secret services react? And, did the KGB reject Putin, in some way?
"Many KGB agents, like Putin, left the service, realizing that it was discredited. The fact that he is a former KGB member means nothing. Putin stood out as a liberal and a democrat who wanted to continue with market reform," Yumashev believes. writes the BBC, transmitted by N1.
How Putin got power
In August 1999, Boris Yeltsin appointed Vladimir Putin as Prime Minister. This was a clear sign that President Yeltsin was preparing Putin for the Kremlin, according to a BBC journalist, reports N1.
Yeltsin did not have to leave office for another year, but in December 1999, he prematurely decided to do so.
After many corruption scandals, and pressure to retire due to alcoholism and as many as five heart surgeries, Yeltsin relented.
"Three days before the New Year (1999), Yeltsin invited Putin to the head of the country. He asked me to be present, as well as his new chief of staff, Alexander Voloshin. He told Putin that he would not wait until July. He resigned on the 31st. December," Jumasev said.
He added that only a few people from the highest Russian ranks knew him: Voloshin, Putin and Yeltsin's daughter Tatiana.
"Yeltsin didn't even tell his wife," said Yumashev, who had the honor of writing Yeltsin's farewell speech.
"It was difficult to write that speech. It was clear that the text would go down in history. The message was important. That's why I wrote that famous 'Forgive me,'" Jumasev remembers.
But Yeltsin recorded his last address on TV in the Kremlin.
"It was a shock to everyone present. Except for me, who wrote the speech. People were bursting with tears. It was a very emotional moment. But at the same time, it was important that the news did not leak. There were still four hours left until the announcement, and all the people in the room remained locked. They were not allowed to leave. I took the tape and went to the station. The speech was broadcast at noon," Yumashev said.
After three months, Putin won the election.
Now, Valentin Yumešev called that family, the inner Yeltsin club, "myth and invention".
But, a BBC journalist assesses that during the 1990s, Yeltsin, a man whose health was getting worse, transferred his power to a narrow circle of relatives, friends and business associates, reports N1.
"There were two categories of people who loved Putin: childhood friends, such as the Rotenberg brothers, as well as those who served in the KGB. But never overestimate their loyalty. Yeltsin trusted his family members. Putin trusted no one." , said political scientist Valery Solovei, writes the BBC.
"It is clear that Russians trust Putin"
Putin has already been in power, as president or prime minister of Russia, for 20 years. During that time, he created a system of government that revolved around him. Under his government, according to the BBC, as well as many other Western media, Russia has become an authoritarian state, with fewer democratic rights and freedoms, reports N1.
"Yeltsin believed he had a mission, and so does Putin. Yeltsin saw himself as Moses, he wanted to get his country out of communist slavery. Putin's mission is to go back in time. He and his entourage, former KGB officers, believe that the collapse of the USSR was brought about by the work of Western intelligence services," Solovei said.
According to the BBC, Putin can hardly be recognized as a liberal figure today, from Yumašev's memory, reports N1.
Does that mean his former boss regrets giving him the job?
"I have no regrets. It is clear that the Russians trust Putin," Yumashev said.
However, he adds, Yeltsin's resignation is a kind of example for future Russian presidents, in the sense that "it is important to step down from power and open the way for younger people."
Bonus video:
