Putin lived in Dresden 1985-1990. He worked at the KGB office on Angelikestrasse
as KGB Officer. The lived in a special apartment block for KGB and Stasi employees.
A Stasi Identity card was found after the fall of the wall. Putin's second daughter,
Katerina was born in Dresden in 1986. Dresden was important to the KGB, because
of the Semper opera, and art filled museums which attracted many Western visitors
Many Westerners falling foul of "Honey Traps" at the Bellevue hotel were rich pickings
for Putin's masters. His German is excellent, albeit, with a Russian accent.
The eastern states, (Uzbekistan) have a large number of German speakers, because
of the Soviets moving the "Volga Russians" to the East in 1941, when they thought
they ma be German collaborators.