Wednesday marked the 25-year anniversary since Vladimir Putin’s first election as Russia’s president. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it a “remarkable” day, and said Russia under Putin has stepped back from the “abyss” it was in before his rule.

Restoring the Soviet empire: Putin was voted in on March 26, 2000, with 52.9 percent of the vote. This was eight years after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, which Putin called the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.” Throughout his 25 years in power, Putin has been working to restore Russian power to Soviet levels.

Savior? During Putin’s first eight years in the Kremlin, Russia’s economy climbed steadily and millions were lifted out of poverty.

Because of this, a large portion of the 144 million people in the nation support his ongoing dominance of Russia and view him as the solution to their problems. They have rallied around him, calling him “savior” and “white rider.”

Bypassing the Constitution: In 2008, the Russian Constitution did not allow a president to rule more than two consecutive terms. So Putin became prime minister for four years, giving the presidency to his loyal protégé Dmitry Medvedev while pulling the strings behind the scenes.

In 2012, Putin returned to the presidency, and in 2020 he changed the constitution so he could remain in power.

Expanding Russia: As Russia has grown stronger, Putin has grown more aggressive. He began invading former Soviet territories to bring them under Russian control.

• In August 2008, Russian forces invaded the former Soviet state of Georgia and assumed control over about 20 percent of its territory.
• In March 2014, Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine and annexed it.
• In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in what has turned out to be a prolonged war with immense global geopolitical ramifications. Russia currently occupies almost 20 percent of Ukraine.

“Prince of Russia”: Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry, since 2014, has identified Putin as the “prince of Rosh” prophesied in Ezekiel 38:2. Other prophecies show this man will lead a massive Asian army of 200 million men.

Vladimir Putin is one we need to keep a particularly close eye on. His track record, his nationality and his ideology show that he is fulfilling a linchpin Bible prophecy. The time frame of his rule also shows that nobody else could be fulfilling the Ezekiel 38 and 39 prophecy.
—Gerald Flurry

To learn more, read our free booklet The Prophesied ‘Prince of Russia.’