Russian President Vladimir Putin may never have been the high-ranking and daring Soviet spy as the whole world knew, an investigation has revealed. The stories about Putin's exploits as an intelligence officer during the 80s vary: the Cold War era is shrouded in mystery.
Many stories published in Russia and around the world portrayed him as a hero who, among other things, defended KGB offices from looters. According to Der Spiegel's report, most of Putin's work was actually limited to banal and routine administrative tasks.