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Events on Wednesday 7 May 2008 2
2000 – 2008Putin 1st presidencyFirst and second terms — 2000 to 2008Putin was elected President on March 26, 2000, and re-elected in 2004. During his first two terms he consolidated state power, suppressed political opposition, benefited from oil revenues, and gradually reasserted Russian influence abroad.
2008 – 2012Medvedev presidencyPutin's placeholder president — 2008 to 2012Medvedev served as President from May 7, 2008 to May 7, 2012 while Putin served as Prime Minister — widely seen as a constitutional workaround to preserve Putin's grip on power. Medvedev oversaw Russia's war with Georgia in 2008.