Russia’s presidential system was first proposed in 1918 during the February Revolution, and implemented in 1991 following a vote.

Since the Soviet philosophy of governance denied the mere requirement of the presidential office, Russia was de-jure headed by collective bodies such as the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet.

In 1990, following Mikhail Gorbachev’s failed reforms of the Soviet Union’s one-party communist regime, the post of President of the Soviet Union was established. Gorbachev served as the Union’s first and last president.

Confrontation with Russia and other USSR republics was a hallmark of his presidency, leading to their eventual independence in late 1991.

Who were the Last 5 Russian Presidents?

These are the Presidents of the Russian Federation’s after they gained full independence in 1991.

Mikhail Gorbachev (March 11, 1985 — December 25, 1991)

Russian and former Soviet politician Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev From 1985 to 1991, he served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union’s eighth and final leader.

From 1988 to 1991, he served as the country’s head of state, chairing the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, the Supreme Soviet’s chairman from 1989 to 1990, and the Soviet Union’s president from 1990 to 1991.

Boris Yeltsin (July 10, 1991 — December 31, 1999)

Russian and former Soviet politician Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin served as the country’s first president from 1991 until 1999. During his time in the Soviet Union, he was an active member of the Communist Party. Later, he became a political outsider.

Vladimir Putin (May 7, 2000 — May 7, 2008)

Russian politician and ex-intelligence officer Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin has been president of Russia since 2012 and previously held the role from 1999 to 2008.

Dmitry Medvedev (May 7, 2008 — May 7, 2012)

Since the year 2020, Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev has served as Russia’s deputy chairman of the Security Council. From 2008 to 2012, Medvedev served as president of Russia, and from 2012 to 2020, as prime minister.

Vladimir Putin (May 7, 2012 — present)

More than 76% of the vote went to Vladimir Putin in Russia’s 2018 presidential election. On May 7, 2018, he began his fourth term, which would end in 2024.

Dmitry Medvedev accepted Putin’s invitation to establish a new administration on the same day. On May 15, 2018, Vladimir Putin took part in the opening of the roadway segment of the Crimean bridge, which connects Russia and Ukraine.