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See the guy with the camera around his neck standing behind the boy? That’s current Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin pretending to be a tourist when we know today that he was a KGB agent.

Sky News wrote:Originally Posted by Sky News
A picture has emerged apparently showing Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in his former days as a KGB officer.

The 20-year old photo depicts two world leaders - US President Ronald Reagan and the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev - in Moscow.

But, according to the man who took the photo, it also captures Mr Putin disguised as a tourist.


Pete Souza, now President Obama's official photographer, captured the moment when he worked for President Reagan during the political thaw that soon ended the Cold War.

Mr Reagan took a stroll around Red Square accompanied by the Russian leader, who then introduced him to a group of tourists.

In an interview, Mr Souza recounted being surprised at the "pointed" questions these supposed tourists asked the US leader.

They included searching enquiries on the state of human rights in the US.

The identity of the man on the left of the photo - complete with camera round his neck - was later revealed and "verified" to Mr Souza as none other than Mr Putin.

The planting of KGB officers as bystanders was a common practice in Soviet times.

During the tense stand-off of the Cold War, they would be used to challenge foreign leaders during visits to Russia.

But, while acknowledging this practice, a Russian political analyst and author of books on Vladimir Putin dismissed Mr Souza's claims as "nonsense".

"Vladimir Putin was a major serving in Dresden and he wasn't important enough at that time to be brought to Moscow", said Andrey Piontkovsky.

Mr Putin served as a KGB officer in the East German city of Dresden.

He was stationed there from 1985 until the fall of the Berlin Wall. He was later called back to Russia.

Not a huge amount is known about his work there, but it is widely believed he was a middle-ranking agent on his first and only foreign posting.

Aerosmith wrote:KGB or not Putin beats Reagan and Obama any day. Props to Russia Matoshka

kambuli wrote:When I was 15yrs old I read a book called" I was an NKGB agent" Till today I am scared of them...

zulaika wrote:

kambuli wrote:When I was 15yrs old I read a book called" I was an NKGB agent" Till today I am scared of them...

u were reading spy books @ 15? wow..that's impressive kam...aniga at that age my interests didn't go beyond teen magazines and boy bands.