Communist-era secret police became hate figures across much of the Soviet bloc during the Cold War. When those regimes unravelled in the late 80’s and early 90’s, people celebrated their demise. Archives were opened, informers were exposed, former dissidents became presidents.

But in Russia, things turned out differently. After a decade of unpredictable change – in which jobs, savings, and many of the certainties that had come with communism simply disappeared – Russians looked for another solution.

In March 2000, they turned not to a dissident writer or activist. Instead, they elected a former KGB officer to lead the country. As he prepares to leave office next spring, Vladimir Putin enjoys popularity ratings his predecessors could never have dreamed of. His KGB past has proved no obstacle to widespread support among the population. Indeed, this week Russian communists laid flowers at the tomb of Soviet secret police founder Felix Dzerzhinsky, on his 130th birth anniversary.

The secret police under one name or another were a hugely influential force in Russia throughout the Soviet period. They began as the “Cheka” – from the Russian letters standing for “Extraordinary Commission”. In that incarnation, they gave the Russian language the word “Chekist”. The ties of loyalty that agents develop are supposed to last for life. As the saying goes, “there’s no such thing as a former Chekist.” KGB veterans may add: “there are only traitors.”

Many of Mr Putin’s former fellow officers have prospered during his tenure. They are known in Russian today as the “siloviki.” The name comes from the Russian word sila, meaning “strength” or “power”. In Soviet times, those who joined the KGB’s ranks were in a position of privilege. They were considered reliable enough to see and hear things that the Soviet regime kept from the majority of the population.

Not only have they survived, some say they have succeeded. KGB agents, and those from the KGB’s main successor agency, the FSB (Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti, or State Security Service), are among those making millions from Russia’s economic boom.

Mr Putin himself has spoken proudly of his past in the KGB, suggesting that the experience has helped him as head of state. Many of those now occupying positions of power in the Kremlin, and in the top levels of Russian business – the two often overlap – are believed to have been KGB agents. Their official biographies rarely spell it out, but gaps in individual CVs, or foreign postings during Soviet times, strongly suggest it. One of those who makes no secret of his KGB past is Sergei Ivanov, Deputy PM. He is frequently spoken of as a likely successor to Mr Putin. The "siloviki" look set to stay strong.