Russia: August 19, 2003

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Since Vladimir Putin was elected president of Russia in 2000, he has increased the percentage of former career military and KGB officers in senior government positions from 11 to 25 percent. The higher up you go, the more of these army and security people you find. At the highest levels, it's about 58 percent. Putin, a former KGB officer, preferred the military and KGB officers because they were less likely to be corrupt and more likely to carry out his orders.