Welcome to the inquiry. I'm Charmian Kosea. Each week one question, four experts and an answer. August 1999 Boris Yeltsin is unwell.

During his time in office the Russian president has taken his country from communism to capitalism.

Now his achievements are overshadowed by endless media reports of drinking, unpredictable behavior and heart problems.

As he enters his final term in office, who can replace him?

He's had five prime ministers in just over a year.

Yeltsin passes the baton to the latest one and it's a surprise choice,

a former KGB officer called Vladimir Putin, who's unknown to the

wider Russian public.

His current term ends in 2024. However, Russian people have been taking part in the national

vote on a range of constitutional reforms, including a crucial one which would allow Vladimir Putin to run for two more six-year

terms, that's if he's re-elected.

Initial results indicate that he has won the vote.

A few days before the vote in an interview on Russian state TV,

when asked whether he intends to keep going,

the president replied, we'll see. So this week we're asking, what

does Putin want? Part 1, securing the Home Front.

His most important issues are at home.

Dimitri Trennan is director of the Carnegie Moscow Centre, which provides analysis on Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union.

He spent a lot of time in the street.

Vladimir Putin's early life in St. Petersburg, formerly known as Leningrad, was tough.

His childhood home was a room in a shared apartment.

One sink and one gas stove in a dark narrow hallway was shared with two other families.

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