Seven key moments wey make Vladimir Putin

As Vladimir Putin dey near im 70th birthday on Friday, here na seven ogbonge moments for im life wey help shape im thinking.

Taking up judo, 1964

Young Vladimir Putin wey dem born for Leningrad na combative boy for school, - im best friend remember one thing about am and say;

"E fit get into a fight with anyone" because "e no dey fear".

Nonetheless, as a young boy wey wan get di upper hand for city wey dey full with street gangs, at di age of 12 e take up first sambo, one Russian martial art, and then judo.

E dey determine and disciplined, and by the time e reach 18 years, e get judo black belt and third place in di national junior competition.

Of course, e don dey use dis since as part of wetin make am tough, but e also confirm im early belief dat for dangerous world, you need to dey confident but also realise that, for im own words, wen pesin no fit avoid a fight, "you must hit first, and hit so hard that your opponent no go rise to im feet".

Asking di KGB for job, 1968

On di whole, pipo dey avoid to go to 4 Liteyny Prospekt, di KGB political police HQ for Leningrad.

So many don pass through dia interrogation cells to di gulag labour camps during di Stalin era wey di bitter joke na say di so-called Bolshoi Dom, di "Big House", na di tallest building for Leningrad, because pesin fit see Siberia from di basement.

When e be 6, Putin enter dia red-carpeted reception and ask one officer behind di desk how e fit join.

Di officer tell am say e need to don complete military service or degree, and so e even ask which degree be di best.

Dem tall am say na Law - and from dat point, Putin dey determine to graduate in law, afta which dem recruite am.

To Putin di street-smart bruiser, di KGB na di biggest gang in town, offering security and advancement even to someone with no Party connections.

But e also represented a chance to be a mover and shaker - as e imsef tok about di spy films wey e watch as teenager, "one spy fit decide di fate of thousands of pipo".

Surrounded by mob for 1989

For all im hope, Putin KGB career never really take off. E be solid worker, but no high flier.

Nonetheless, e occupy imsef to learning German, and dis give am appointment to di KGB liaison offices for Dresden for 1985.

For dia, e settle into comfortable expat life, but for November 1989, di East German regime begin to collapse, with shocking speed.

On 5 December, one mob surround di Dresden KGB building.

Putin quickly ring di nearest Red Army garrison to request protection, and dey reply am say; "we no fit do anything without orders from Moscow. And Moscow dey silent.

"Putin learn to fear di sudden collapse of central power - and determin never to repeat wetin e feel say be Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev mistake, not to respond with speed and determination wen opposition face am.

Brokering di 'Oil for Food' programme for 1992

Putin wey go later leave di KGB as di Soviet Union collapse, but soon secure one position as fixer for di reformist new mayor of wetin now be St Petersburg.

Di economy dey for freefall, and Putin dey charged with managing one deal to try and help di city pipo survive by swapping $100m (£88m) worth of oil and metal for food.

In practice, no one see any food, but according to one investigation, wey dem quickly suppress, Putin, im friends and di city gangsters pocket di money.

For di "wild 90s", Putin quickly learn say political influence na monetisable commodity, and gangsters fit make useful allies.

Wen everyone around am dey profit from dia positions, why im too no go profit?

Invading Georgia for 2008

Wen Putin become Russian president for 2000, e dey hope to dey able to build positive relationship with di West - on im own terms, including an environment of influence across di former Soviet Union.

E soon come dey disappointed, then angry, believing say di West dey actively try to isolate and look down on Russia.

Wen Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili say e kontri go join Nato, Putin see red and Georgian attempt to regain control over di Russian-backed breakaway region of South Ossetia become one excuse for one harsh operation.

In five days, Russian forces shatter di Georgian military and force humiliating peace on Saakashvili.

Di West vex, yet within a year, US president Barack Obama dey offer to "reset" relations with Russia, and dem even award Moscow di right to host di 2018 football World Cup.

To Putin, e dey clear say e fit make am right - and weak and changing West would rest and even back down wen dem dey faced with strong power.

Protests for Moscow, 2011-13

One widespread - and credible - belief dat dem rig di 2011 parliamentary elections cause protests wey ginger pipo wen Putin announce say e go stand for re-election for 2012.

Known as di "Bolotnaya Protests" afta di Moscow square wey dem fill, dis represent di largest expression of public opposition yet under Putin.

Im belief be say di na washington initiate, encourage and direct di rallies, blaming US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton personally.

To Putin, dis na evidence dat di gloves dey off, and di West dey come directly for am, and dat, in effect, e don dey at war now.

Isolating from Covid, 2020-21

Wen Covid-19 sweep across di globe, Putin go into isolation.

Dis dey unusual for strong leader like am, as anybody wey wan go meet am for isolation under guard, dem go pass through one corridor bath in germ-killing ultraviolet light and in disinfectant.

For dis time, di number of allies and advisers wey dey able to get face time with Putin reduce well-well to just few yes-men and odas wey dey like am.

As im dey expose to few alternative opinions and hardly even see im own kontri, e be like say Putin come "learn" say all im assumptions dey right and all im thinking dey justified, and di seed of di invasion of Ukraine dey planted.