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In this August 27, 1999 file photo, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, right, presents an award to a local police officer at a Russian military base in the mountains of the Botlikh region, Dagestan. Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin named the relatively little-known Vladimir Putin as his prime minister, on Aug. 9, 1999 days after Islamic militants based in Chechnya staged armed incursions into Dagestan. Russian forces entered Chechnya weeks after the attacks, starting the second of two post-Soviet wars in the mostly Muslim region and driving its separatist leadership from power. (Photo by AP Photo)
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