Regarding Putins background: from Wiki..:
Some researchers speculate that Putin´s ancestry might be linked to Putyanin clan, “one of the oldest clans in the Russian history” with links to all the royal families of Europe.[24]
On 1 September 1960, he started at School No. 193 at Baskov Lane, just across from his house. By fifth grade he was one of a few in a class of more than 45 pupils who was not yet a member of the Pioneers, largely because of his rowdy behavior. In sixth grade he started taking sport seriously in the form of sambo and then judo. In his youth, Putin was eager to emulate the intelligence officer characters played on the Soviet screen by actors such as Vyacheslav Tikhonov and Georgiy Zhzhonov.[25]
Putin graduated from the International Law branch of the Law Department of the Leningrad State University in 1975, writing his final thesis on international law.[26] His thesis was titled “The Most Favored Nation Trading Principle in International Law”.[27] While at university he had to join the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and remained a member until the party was dissolved in December 1991.[28] Also at the University he met Anatoly Sobchak who later played an important role in Putin’s career. Anatoly Sobchak was at the time an Assistant Professor and lectured Putin’s class on Business Law (khozyaystvennoye pravo).[29]
NEMO