Russian President Putin and the secret East German secret agent card he owns
Russian President Putin is famous for his background as a former Soviet KGB intelligence officer. But he also possessed a Stasi secret agent card from East Germany.
Recently, a Stasi card was discovered in Germany, which bears the name of Putin, the current head of state of Russia. Stasi is the name of the famous security-intelligence agency of the Socialist East Germany. Here are some “revealed” information related to this card:
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| Russian President Putin. Photo: Getty Images |
1. Stasi
Stasi is the abbreviation of the German word Staatssicherheitsdienst, which means Ministry of State Security of the German Democratic Republic, i.e., socialist East Germany.
The security agency is known for its extensive network of informants and close surveillance system.
Although modeled after the Soviet security-intelligence agency KGB, the Stasi was an independent agency with its own internal structure.
2. So did Putin work for the Stasi when he had a card from this organization?
No! Although the card was issued by the Stasi and bears Vladimir Putin's portrait and signature, it does not mean that Putin was in the ranks of the East German secret police.
In fact, every KGB officer stationed in East Germany automatically received a Stasi card that gave them access to local Stasi headquarters and the Stasi's informant and information system.
Putin worked for the KGB in Dresden, Germany, from 1985 to early 1990. The Stasi card mentioned above may indicate that his duties in the East German city included liaison and coordination between the KGB and the Stasi.
3. Why in his ID photo, Putin doesn't look directly at the camera?
The photo shows the 33-year-old KGB officer Putin looking out of the camera lens. His head is tilted slightly as if to show both the front and side of his face.
In fact, KGB ID photos before 1990 also used this shooting style. This angle allows the viewer to see more of the subject’s face, showing both the front and the profile in the same photo.
The term Bezirksverwaltung refers to the Stasi region where the card was issued. In Putin's case, it was the city of Dresden where he was stationed.
5. What are the stickers on the back of the card for?
These are stamps that ensure the card is still valid and to guard against security breaches. The card is renewed quarterly throughout the year.
It is worth noting that Putin's card does not have a validation stamp for the last quarter of 1986. This could be because the Stasi overlooked this or Putin did not need to approach the Stasi at that time.
6. What was President Putin's reaction to the discovery of his card?
Russian President Putin has not commented on the discovery of his Stasi ID card. The Russian President's press secretary, Dmitri Peskov, said that since the KGB and Stasi cooperated closely, the possibility of someone issuing such a card is not surprising./.
