1 — The number of rare tiger cubs Putin was given on his birthday in 2008. He declined to reveal who gave him the cubs. But Putin Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a Putin appointee, is known to be the proud owner of a pet tiger.

2.6 — The price in U.S. dollars of a barrel of oil in 1952, the year Putin was born in Leningrad.

6 — The number of years that have passed since Journalist Anna Politkovskaya was shot dead outside her apartment in Moscow on October 7, 2006, Putin’s 54th birthday.

11 — Putin’s age when he began learning sambo and judo. He holds a black belt in the latter.

12 — The number of female Moscow State University students who posed in lingerie to mark Putin’s 58th birthday in 2010 in a racy calendar.

16 — The number of years Putin served in the KGB. Five of these Putin worked in Dresden in East Germany. In 1991, he officially retired from the KGB as a lieutenant colonel and became deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, serving under his old law professor Anatoly Sobchak.

20 — The number of palaces, dachas, and country retreats at Putin’s disposal, according to a report drafted by opposition figure Boris Nemtsov. The report, released earlier this year, is ironically titled “The Life of a Galley Slave,” in reference to a phrase Putin once used to describe his life as president.

26.1 — The price in U.S. dollars of a barrel of oil in December 1999 when Putin became Russia’s acting president after Boris Yeltsin’s resignation.

29 — The age of Alina Kabayeva, one of Russia’s most successful rhythmic gymnasts, now a State Duma deputy for United Russia. Russian media has reported on widespread — and unconfirmed — rumors that Kabayeva is Putin’s mistress.

54 – The age of Lyudmila Putina, Putin’s estranged wife.

58 — The number of airplanes and helicopters at President Putin’s disposal, according to Nemtsov’s “Life of a Galley Slave” report.

87.9 — The price in U.S. dollars of a barrel of oil on the eve of Putin’s 60th birthday.

140 — The number of characters used in an impromptu Twitter flash mob last year to mark Putin’s 59th birthday, in which the opposition popularized the “Thank Putin for That” hashtag (#CпасибоПутинуЗаЭто). It was followed by a stream of ironic jibes at the president.

1600 — The time on October 7 that the opposition plans to announce the winner of the most “creative” birthday present for the president. The voting will take place via Facebook on a page called “Let’s Help An Old Man Retire.” It is being organized by Rosagit, a group affiliated with anticorruption blogger Aleksei Navalny.

2002 — The year Putin received for his birthday a dog that could bark “Vova” — the diminutive and affectionate form of his first name, Vladimir.

2,370 — Russia’s average monthly salary in rubles when Putin came to power.

4,230 — The number of days that Putin will still be in the Kremlin if he successfully serves two more terms, until May 7, 2024. He would be 72 years old.

20,702 — The average Russian salary in rubles in 2011, according to Rosstat.

120,000 — Putin’s official salary in dollars.

141.9 million — Russia’s current population. Russia has been in the grips of a demographic crisis spurred by its low male life expectancy and low birth rate, although there is evidence that Russia is beginning to reverse these trends.

146.3 million – The Russian population when Putin came to power.

260 billion — Russia’s GDP in U.S. dollars when Putin first came to power.

1.86 trillion – Russia’s GDP in U.S. dollars in 2011.

RFE/RL correspondent Tom Balmforth

Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty