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Different tracks

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, speaks with Dmitry Medvedev in October. Associated Press (File Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
The Spokesman-Review
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, speaks with Dmitry Medvedev in October. Associated Press (File Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

On the surface, Medvedev and Putin cut radically different profiles. Putin rose quietly through the ranks of the KGB and was a virtual unknown when Boris Yeltsin chose him as his successor in 1999. Medvedev has no known ties to the intelligence services, but he has served in a series of high-profile jobs under Putin.