Began practicing sambo and judo, and enjoyed reading Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Lenin.

Around the age of 12, Vladimir Putin not only began practicing sambo and judo, but he also developed an interest in reading the works of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Vladimir Lenin. These figures were central to the ideological foundation of the Soviet Union, and their writings were widely promoted in schools and youth organizations at the time. Putin’s early engagement with martial arts, particularly judo and sambo, reflected his growing sense of discipline and focus. These martial arts not only provided physical training but also instilled in him values of strategy, respect, and perseverance—qualities that would define much of his later life. At the same time, his readings of Marxist-Leninist theory showed an early exposure to the ideological underpinnings of Soviet society. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels laid the foundation for communist thought with their critiques of capitalism, class struggle, and the idea of a proletarian revolution. Lenin, adapting Marxist theory to the conditions in Russia, led the Bolshevik Revolution and founded the Soviet Union, cementing his status as a central figure in Soviet political education. For young Soviet citizens like Putin, reading these works was part of the broader state-driven effort to cultivate loyalty to communist ideals. While Putin’s future career in the KGB and eventually politics would be shaped by pragmatic decision-making, this early exposure to Soviet ideology likely helped shape his understanding of power, statecraft, and governance. This combination of physical discipline through martial arts and intellectual engagement with Marxist theory was emblematic of Putin’s youth in Soviet Leningrad, setting the stage for his eventual rise within the Soviet system and later, Russian politics. #VladimirPutin #Judo #Sambo #KarlMarx #Lenin #FriedrichEngels #SovietUnion #1960s #MomentsOfLife #MoofLife_Moment #MoofLife