Putin's People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took On the West
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- Create Date：2022-03-01 07:53:51
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Catherine Belton
- ISBN：0374238715
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Summary
Interference in American elections。 The sponsorship of extremist politics in Europe。 War in Ukraine。 In recent years， Vladimir Putin’s Russia has waged a concerted campaign to expand its influence and undermine Western institutions。 But how and why did all this come about， and who has orchestrated it？
In Putin’s People， the investigative journalist and former Moscow correspondent Catherine Belton reveals the untold story of how Vladimir Putin and the small group of KGB men surrounding him rose to power and looted their country。 Delving deep into the workings of Putin’s Kremlin， Belton accesses key inside players to reveal how Putin replaced the freewheeling tycoons of the Yeltsin era with a new generation of loyal oligarchs， who in turn subverted Russia’s economy and legal system and extended the Kremlin's reach into the United States and Europe。 The result is a chilling and revelatory exposé of the KGB’s revanche―a story that begins in the murk of the Soviet collapse， when networks of operatives were able to siphon billions of dollars out of state enterprises and move their spoils into the West。 Putin and his allies subsequently completed the agenda， reasserting Russian power while taking control of the economy for themselves， suppressing independent voices， and launching covert influence operations abroad。
Ranging from Moscow and London to Switzerland and Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach―and assembling a colorful cast of characters to match―Putin’s People is the definitive account of how hopes for the new Russia went astray， with stark consequences for its inhabitants and， increasingly， the world。
In Putin’s People， the investigative journalist and former Moscow correspondent Catherine Belton reveals the untold story of how Vladimir Putin and the small group of KGB men surrounding him rose to power and looted their country。 Delving deep into the workings of Putin’s Kremlin， Belton accesses key inside players to reveal how Putin replaced the freewheeling tycoons of the Yeltsin era with a new generation of loyal oligarchs， who in turn subverted Russia’s economy and legal system and extended the Kremlin's reach into the United States and Europe。 The result is a chilling and revelatory exposé of the KGB’s revanche―a story that begins in the murk of the Soviet collapse， when networks of operatives were able to siphon billions of dollars out of state enterprises and move their spoils into the West。 Putin and his allies subsequently completed the agenda， reasserting Russian power while taking control of the economy for themselves， suppressing independent voices， and launching covert influence operations abroad。
Ranging from Moscow and London to Switzerland and Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach―and assembling a colorful cast of characters to match―Putin’s People is the definitive account of how hopes for the new Russia went astray， with stark consequences for its inhabitants and， increasingly， the world。
Reviews
Tim
，
A great analysis of a psychotic terrorist with grandiose visions of himself and former glory of USSR。 Hope I never have to see his f*cking face again， cause it pisses me off
Lorenzo
，
Este libro es ejemplo de cómo debe hacerse una investigación periodística。 La corrupción， los juegos políticos， las guerras y las muertes que han dado forma a la carrera política de Putin， a su régimen y a sus aliado en el poder， quedan meticulosamente develados por Catherine Belton。 Un libro poderoso que deja claro cómo Putin ha hecho y seguirá haciendo todo lo posible， invirtiendo todo el dinero que sea necesario， para conseguir dos objetivos fundamentales: regresar a Rusia a las glorias de su Este libro es ejemplo de cómo debe hacerse una investigación periodística。 La corrupción， los juegos políticos， las guerras y las muertes que han dado forma a la carrera política de Putin， a su régimen y a sus aliado en el poder， quedan meticulosamente develados por Catherine Belton。 Un libro poderoso que deja claro cómo Putin ha hecho y seguirá haciendo todo lo posible， invirtiendo todo el dinero que sea necesario， para conseguir dos objetivos fundamentales: regresar a Rusia a las glorias de su pasado imperial y destruir el orden impuesto por las potencias occidentales desde el fin de la Guerra Fría。 Una lectura escalofriante e impactante。 。。。more
Eoin
，
Excellent read and obviously very relevant to the current news， thoroughly researched but reads a bit like a thriller。 Helps to explain how Putin's strategy has shifted over his 22 years in power， and also gives a good sense of how London is awash with Russian oligarchy money。 Highly recommend。 Excellent read and obviously very relevant to the current news， thoroughly researched but reads a bit like a thriller。 Helps to explain how Putin's strategy has shifted over his 22 years in power， and also gives a good sense of how London is awash with Russian oligarchy money。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Tim Martin
，
An epic， doorstop book at 500 pages of primary text， it is well worth reading。 It is primarily on the rise of Vladimir Putin though can also be read as a history of Russia from the years just before the fall of the Soviet Union till the publication of the book （copyright 2020）。 If you want to get a good understanding of Putin， Russian politics， policies， and their economy， and even why Russia is invading Ukraine this is a superb read。 If I was to tell in a nutshell the point of the book， it is t An epic， doorstop book at 500 pages of primary text， it is well worth reading。 It is primarily on the rise of Vladimir Putin though can also be read as a history of Russia from the years just before the fall of the Soviet Union till the publication of the book （copyright 2020）。 If you want to get a good understanding of Putin， Russian politics， policies， and their economy， and even why Russia is invading Ukraine this is a superb read。 If I was to tell in a nutshell the point of the book， it is this。 The Russia of today isn’t really any different from the Russia before 1991 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union。 Not only are the viewpoints， world views， and goals for the most part the same， the same people are actually in charge。 Though the group in charge has a much better understanding of successfully presenting themselves to others especially in the West， telling those in the West （and in Russia） what they want to hear， of the importance of having good optics on media， and a far greater understanding of market economics and finance than Soviet leaders ever did （and has in fact as a group disavowed communism）， they otherwise are the same people with the same overall goals though this time shorn of any pretense of trying to achieve a Marxist workers’ paradise on earth。 What are those goals？ To make Russia a great power， to challenge the West for supremacy and if Russia can’t be the dominant power in the world， it can definitely at least not be subservient。 The author even argues that Russia hasn’t really changed since the times of the Tsar， that great power politics and ambitions has always been at the heart of Russian national politics， with the author pointing at such things as even during Soviet times the KGB and others reached out to White Russian emigrees living abroad for support in great power ambitions （and that help was given） and that Putin and others have trumpeted the return of the Russian Orthodox Church to life in Russia， all as a part of trying to revive a patriotic image of a powerful Russia。 Where there is a huge difference between the Soviet Union （or Tsarist times） and Putin’s Russia is in methods， of how Russia goes about challenging the West and aspiring to great power status。 Putin recognizes he can’t rely on allies abroad， at least nothing like a Warsaw Pact， and militarily can’t really meaningfully challenge the West。 No， the author shows how Putin challenges the West now and it all stems from methods learned in Putin’s days in the KGB in Cold War East Germany and from his connections with Russian organized crime。 Putin and the KGB as part of standard operating procedure had networks of people throughout Russia and the world that helped them， as well as friendly firms abroad doing business on the behalf of the KGB， and Putin’s people， recognizing the fall of the Soviet Union as unavoidable， preserved this network of allies and friendly companies abroad （some shell， some not） in order to continue to fund their activities and to continue their struggle against the West。 Taking a page from the Russian mafia， which alongside KGB officials make up the bulk of Putin’s people （along with pet business tycoons）， Putin and the Kremlin operate under the table， using money not officially part of the Kremlin’s treasury， to buy and influence （and corrupt） people at home and abroad。 Putin isn’t limited to the Kremlin’s budget， as over the decades since he ascended to power he created a situation where just about any business of any real size is ultimately still owned by the state， allowed to do what they want until Putin taps them for a favor or for some money for a project。 “The Russian president has access to the funds of their entire country” said a Putin ally， Vladmir Yakunin， because the way the Russian economy is set up， Putin can all upon anyone to do whatever he wants monetarily， with some people holding a state business as a front to say avoid sanctions。 If a business owner refuses， well he or she will simply have their business taken away and given to someone more compliant， with Putin using the veneer of legal means that state-controlled law enforcement and the court system provide him （to look good to foreign investors of course）。 This is “KGB capitalism，” and under it “all of Russia’s significant so-called ‘private’ businessmen had become agents of the state，” with these “private individuals” “a typical KGB tactic that allowed plausible deniability for any Kremlin involvement。” Further， all this dirty， off the books， kickback money， this untraceable “black cash，” corrupts whoever it touches abroad， and that in addition to getting people to do what Putin wants them do at home or abroad， is also something to hold over someone， as in “do what we say and not only will we stop sending you money， we will arrest you/have you arrested for taking bribes。” In essence， thanks to Putin’s training and “the West’s ‘light touch regulation’” the KGB， now FSB， has created “a vast web of black cash， far larger and far more sophisticated than the networks it had utilized for black ops and influence-peddling in the battle for empire of Soviet days，” coupled with the fact they have “become so complex that Western law enforcement， underfunded and understaffed， is still struggling to trace any of them。” Though the book is primarily about Putin and how he rose to power and how he wields that power， by necessity a lot of recent Russian history is covered。 Topics covered include a number of scandals such as the Bank of New York scandal， the Moldovan Laundromat， the Deutsche mirror trade scandal， and the Danske Bank Scam。 Ukraine figured a lot into the narrative， such as Putin’s views and involvement in the 2004 Orange Revolution， the Euromaidan protests of 2013-2014， and the 2014 annexation of Crimea。 The 2016 leak of the Panama Papers figures into the history the author related， as well as Russia’s 2008 war in Georgia， the rise of Alexei Navalny （the first charismatic leader who united Russian opposition since Boris Yeltsin）， Putin’s war with the oligarchs of the Yeltsin era， chiefly media tycoons Vladmir Gusinsky and Boris Berezovsky （both forced to hand over their TV channels to the state） and against Mikhail Khodorkovsky， at one time the richest man in Russia， later jailed by Putin and had his Yukos Oil Company （itself acquired in the mid-1990s under the controversial “loans for shares” auctions） taken away and destroyed as a company by Putin for Putin’s financial benefit and to destroy a political rival。 Putin and Russian connections to Donald Trump， his family， and friends are also discussed at length。 Even the 2000 Kursk nuclear submarine accident briefly figures into the narrative （an early test for Putin and a test he failed）。 A few things like the Anna Chapman spy incident and the 2006 polonium-poisoning death of Alexander Litvinenko， a former FSB agent， only get the briefest of mentions though。 I would have liked more information on the conflicts in Chechnya and Russian involvement in Syria but it seemed to be beyond the scope of the book。 Easily though the hardest parts of the book to read were about the October 2002 Dubrovka movie theater massacre in Moscow （with at least 115 hostages killed not by the terrorists but by Russian forces） and the September 2004 Beslan school massacre in the North Caucasus about seventy miles north of Chechnya （where 330 hostages died， more than half of them children， again because of Russian security forces）。 The suffering and the incompetence were hard enough to read about， but far worse was the fact how much of this was deliberate choice by Putin’s people， whether a decision to launch a massacre for political reasons （Beslan） or the entire terrorist incident may have been faked to start with （Dubrovka， though the civilian deaths were very real）。 Could be a bit dry at a times， and some of the financial sections could be dense， but it was an interesting book。 Lots of information of Putin’s life prior to become leader of Russia。 Also， a section of black and white photos in the middle and extensive end notes and a thorough index。 。。。more
Nilesh
，
Russia has replaced the virus as the biggest risk to world health at the time of this review。 Putin's People is the best and most updated book on the single most important individual at this moment。 There are informative descriptions of Russia-Ukraine history and dynamics too。 But most importantly， the book is unwittingly reflective of how Russia's staunchest opponents - many of them in the decision-making seats in the West - view its political class， which bodes ill for not just the Russians bu Russia has replaced the virus as the biggest risk to world health at the time of this review。 Putin's People is the best and most updated book on the single most important individual at this moment。 There are informative descriptions of Russia-Ukraine history and dynamics too。 But most importantly， the book is unwittingly reflective of how Russia's staunchest opponents - many of them in the decision-making seats in the West - view its political class， which bodes ill for not just the Russians but the whole world in light of recent events。Let's start with the last point first。 The book does not have a single good thing about Putin and his governments。 It often turns into the worst kind of partisan trope。 A kind that would make fruitful discussions between people on the opposing sides an impossibility， as we know from national politics in so many countries。 This reviewer has no way of verifying countless claims made without any qualification in the book。 However， what is implied in the section on Trump highlights how various well-researched verifiable facts， casual anecdotes， and rumors are stitched together to show the people the author strongly dislikes in the worst possible way。 The author must be commended not just for her meticulous research but more for her ability to create a politician-type， "this is the only fact" narrative。 Insufficient evidence will most obviously surface in the Trump section for any objective reader familiar with US politics irrespective of her political leanings。 By extension， the same is likely a possibility for many other topics in the book。 The book describes Putin's ascension and the subsequent power grab exceedingly well in the chaotic early years after the USSR break-up。 Much of it was not designed but accidental and fortuitous for him。 The set-up reads like a gang-war in movies where the most ruthless and one most willing to bend any moral/ethical laws （little other rules applied with the previous era constitution in tatters） emerges as the winner who takes it all。 It appears like there were no good people at the Russian political and corporate top in the last two decades; almost all named as the sufferers in the book - and not just those who sided with Putin - have their list of ethical inexactitudes。 That said， the author presents the best work so far on the kleptocrats that have emerged in Russia in the last twenty years。 There have been momentous events of all types in this young nation， and the book beautifully glides through the most disturbing ones。 。。。more
C Corbs
，
An extremely comprehensive book that reads like a report。 Exceptionally detailed research has clearly gone into this book， but at times I felt wanting an unbiased alternative narrative to play Devil’s advocate。
Sarah
，
it is finished！！！ I have been reading this book on and off since september last year and it honestly feels like I've studied for a degree; it's an absolute beast but also super informative and engaging。 I also now know more about the oil and gas industry than I ever wanted to。。。。whilst I really enjoyed the whole experience overall and genuinely took a lot from it， I would say that the second half is a lot more accessible than the first half - there are a LOT of names and the timeline/geography j it is finished！！！ I have been reading this book on and off since september last year and it honestly feels like I've studied for a degree; it's an absolute beast but also super informative and engaging。 I also now know more about the oil and gas industry than I ever wanted to。。。。whilst I really enjoyed the whole experience overall and genuinely took a lot from it， I would say that the second half is a lot more accessible than the first half - there are a LOT of names and the timeline/geography jumps around quite drastically at the beginning， so I had to read a lot of sections two or three times to fully understand what was going on。 the further I got with it all though， the easier it became to make sense of everything， and the book soon settled into a much more accessible rhythm。 I'd recommend this to anyone looking to learn more about the culture and politics of russia and the west， and especially to those who feel they don't understand the economic side of things too well - I've now got a much better understanding of all that！ 。。。more
Mike Horne
，
I found it difficult to follow （I was listening）， but I find all books with Russian names difficult。 If even half of this is true， very scary。 Western banks and corporations （to say nothing of politics） have been compromised by Russia。 I am glad of our unwieldy government （and the state/federal tension）。
Yates Buckley
，
An incredible story one would not believe if it was the plot of a film。 Its credibility here is high but perhaps even more powerful than what is real is what one could imagine being the case。 So in that sense the book has a bit of a conspiratorial tone and does not clarify how the system could remain sustainable and aligned over such a long timeline。Ultimately discussion is franed in a west vs east conflict without considering the complexity of political discourse in countries around the world。 An incredible story one would not believe if it was the plot of a film。 Its credibility here is high but perhaps even more powerful than what is real is what one could imagine being the case。 So in that sense the book has a bit of a conspiratorial tone and does not clarify how the system could remain sustainable and aligned over such a long timeline。Ultimately discussion is franed in a west vs east conflict without considering the complexity of political discourse in countries around the world。 The conflict might be better characterised by age old progressive versus conservative values where the tactics in the information age are much more sophisticated where countries and companies play through plausible deniability。It would have been interesting to consider the expected way ahead。 The book ends questioning sustainability of the system from economic point of view but does not spend much time explaining why and how it relates to governance。I think the story is not considering a flip side of the system that must be producing some economic development wifh success and this is a key difference to the USSR。 Maybe the route to a win win collaboration ahead some day。 。。。more
Anna Warkocka
，
Deeply researched， grimly fascinating
Jaanika Merilo
，
Really very well written and full of facts book。 Even though， if you are really into this topic （post-Soviet reforms， Jeltsin and Putin era）， there are not so many new facts。 If I would have to choose one book about those times， it would be "Oligarkhs" by David Hoffmann。But solid reding。 Really very well written and full of facts book。 Even though， if you are really into this topic （post-Soviet reforms， Jeltsin and Putin era）， there are not so many new facts。 If I would have to choose one book about those times， it would be "Oligarkhs" by David Hoffmann。But solid reding。 。。。more
John Bleasdale
，
Excellent and kind of terrifying。
Kevin Christiansen
，
A chilling read。
Tuomas
，
really nice
Tino
，
While Benton did a ton of research for this book I suppose it does suffer from a bit of confirmation bias。 However， I thought this book was written very well all in all and gave a profound look into Putin’s Russia。 4 stars。
Nick Caddick
，
Astonishing and scary！ A sober account of the greed inherent in Western culture exposed and manipulated by the greed of the Russian state， all enabled by mobsters and thugs。 A compelling reflection of the world order。
Joe
，
I found this a mostly excellently researched book - calling from accounts of many obscure characters within the Russian government and business world （such as they can be separated） and a wealth of revelations about the goings on and power politics within the Kremlin。 I learned many new things about Putin and his inner circle even I was not aware of。 The details of the preparations the KGB were making for the collapse of communism in the 1980's were particularly interesting as well as Putins tim I found this a mostly excellently researched book - calling from accounts of many obscure characters within the Russian government and business world （such as they can be separated） and a wealth of revelations about the goings on and power politics within the Kremlin。 I learned many new things about Putin and his inner circle even I was not aware of。 The details of the preparations the KGB were making for the collapse of communism in the 1980's were particularly interesting as well as Putins time out in the cold during his time in St Petersburg after the collapse of the USSR。 What in my opinion does let the book down is the same old tropes of Brexit and Donald Trump being all the work of the ever menacing and omnipresent Uncle Putin。 The author describes how Putin and his St Petersburg "security men" spent most of the 1990's out in the wilderness at the same time large volumes of illicit looted cash were being squirreled out of Russia and into Donald Trumps property empire。 The fact is everyone in the casino and construction business probably have had large volumes of illicit cash from every corrupt despotic regime in the world flow through their business。 Donald Trump is a sociopath who has made a career of stealing from people stupid enough to give him money。 If the Russians funneled money to him for something I doubt they got it。 The fact is like many neo-liberals in the corporate media I think Ms Belton is unable to come to grips with the fact that large numbers of people in the electorate have rejected globalism and the so called "rules based neoliberal order" - the same kind of neoliberal order which lead to utter chaos in Russia in the 1990's as gangsters like Kordokovsky looted the state for pennies on the dollar。 In the case of Brexit the EU and globalism laid to waste working class communities up and down Britain and filled the country up with migrants we had no ability to cope with。 However when you're a corporate journalist I suppose its easier to blame Putin than self reflect a little。 I have no doubt Vladimir Putin is a ruthless killer but the model of state capitalism， strong man rule and the ideas cultivated by the likes of Dugin of "orthodox civilisation" and "Eurasianism" are probably the future of the Europe at this point as the American Empire collapses。 。。。more
Ramūnas Žukauskas
，
Neradau lietuviško Briedžio leidyklos leidimo， tai įkėliau šitą
Blair Donkin
，
Excellent but thoroughly depressing read if one’s hope is in the human heart。Genesis 6:5-6[5] The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth， and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually。 [6] And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth， and it grieved him to his heart。Nothing has changed and our need of Christ as great as ever！
Charlene ♡ Gill
，
Fascinating book！！！ So much information to get your teeth into。
Joe Lucibello
，
Fantastic read about the KGB's revival。 Recommend for those looking to learn more about current events and how we ended up where we are。 Fantastic read about the KGB's revival。 Recommend for those looking to learn more about current events and how we ended up where we are。 。。。more
Aleks
，
8/10
Vaiva
，
"Jūs ten， Vakaruose， galvojate， kad su mumis lošiate šachmatais。 Tačiau jūs niekada nelaimėsite， nes mes nesilaikome jokių taisyklių。"Kažin， ar tai labai šokiruojantis teiginys žmonėms， bent kiek akyliau stebintiems šių dienų užsienio politiką， tačiau， be abejonės， tiesiog idealiai apibrėžiantis Putino Rusijos politiką， o visa knyga nepalieka jokių iliuzijų apie kokius nors pokyčius šioje šalyje ir dar kartą verčia suvokti， kokį klastingą ir pavojingą， jokių ribų nežinantį， turime kaimyną už sie "Jūs ten， Vakaruose， galvojate， kad su mumis lošiate šachmatais。 Tačiau jūs niekada nelaimėsite， nes mes nesilaikome jokių taisyklių。"Kažin， ar tai labai šokiruojantis teiginys žmonėms， bent kiek akyliau stebintiems šių dienų užsienio politiką， tačiau， be abejonės， tiesiog idealiai apibrėžiantis Putino Rusijos politiką， o visa knyga nepalieka jokių iliuzijų apie kokius nors pokyčius šioje šalyje ir dar kartą verčia suvokti， kokį klastingą ir pavojingą， jokių ribų nežinantį， turime kaimyną už sienos。 Politinis obščiakas， Kremliaus valdomi oligarchai， pasaulinio masto papirkinėjimas， visuotinis sekimas ir kontrolė， nevaldomas godumas， tai tik viso didžiulio ledkalnio viršūnė。 Daug didesnė grėsmė， slypinti daug giliau - gebėjimas laiku ir itin efektyviai pasinaudoti dvigubais Vakarų šalių standartais， kuomet finansinė nauda nusveria deklaruojamas vertybes ir parsiduodama už jachtą， salą， prabangesnę mašiną， akcijų paketą， nekyla klausimų apie lėšų kilmę， kuomet leidžiama susidoroti， sekti， manipuliuoti ir klaidinti， net ir žinant， kad tai visiškai prieštarauja visoms chartijoms， konvencijoms bei direktyvoms。 Vakarų silpnosios vietos jau surastos ir jomis naudojamasi， kol tie patys Vakarai trypčioja vietoje ir vis bando grąžinti Putino Rusiją "į tiesos kelią"。 Teisus buvo Vinstonas Čerčilis "Per vėlu dėrėtis su tigru， kuomet tavo galva jau jo nąsruose。" 。。。more
Huug Roosjen
，
This is an intriguing book， but it took a lot of effort to read for me…
Rosenkavalier
，
Follow the ObschackPer sapere come si è arrivati alla situazione odierna in Russia， questo è ragionevolmente il libro da leggere。 Dettagliato e documentato， come si conviene se si vuole evitare l'ormai consueto fuoco di fila di cause intentate a fini intimidatori dai personaggi del clan putiniano （o meglio， della gang）， è un resoconto anche storico interessante che parte， a sorpresa， dalla prima metà degli anni 80。Sì， perchè secondo la ricostruzione di Belton， confermata anche da altre fonti e r Follow the ObschackPer sapere come si è arrivati alla situazione odierna in Russia， questo è ragionevolmente il libro da leggere。 Dettagliato e documentato， come si conviene se si vuole evitare l'ormai consueto fuoco di fila di cause intentate a fini intimidatori dai personaggi del clan putiniano （o meglio， della gang）， è un resoconto anche storico interessante che parte， a sorpresa， dalla prima metà degli anni 80。Sì， perchè secondo la ricostruzione di Belton， confermata anche da altre fonti e racconti， è nei primi anni 80 che una fazione di alti ufficiali del KGB si rende conto dell'ormai inevitabile collasso dell'URSS e inzia a pianificare una via d'uscita per salvaguardare le reti di influenza costruite negli anni e soprattutto gli ingenti fondi segreti accumulati presso società di comodo estere。Sono gli "obschack"， parola russa che indica la "cassa comune" delle gang malavitose （sì， c'è di mezzo anche la mafia russa， da sempre "strumento" dei servizi）。Con la caduta del regime comunista， in una prima fase questa attività viene apertamente osteggiata da Yeltsin e dai famosi oligarchi di prima generazione （tutti finiti male）， ma a fine anni 90 la situazione si inverte e compare sulla scena nazionale un più o meno sconosciuto politico e amministratore di secondo piano， che riesce a guadagnarsi la fiducia （o la complicità） di Yeltsin mentre mantiene i contatti con i suoi vecchi compagni cekisti， fra i quali l'ex primo ministro Primakov， già capo del famigerato Primo Direttorato del KGB， quello destinato agli affari esteri （ossia， il Karla di Le Carré）。Il resto si sa （più o meno）， ma il libro lo racconta molto bene， sia pure con inevitabili lungaggini e una mole di nomi impressionante。Sicuramente una lettura che richiede motivazione o specifico interesse （ne esiste ora una traduzione in italiano pubblicata da La Nave di Teseo）， ma di grande valore， soprattutto nel momento presente。Chi volesse un bigino （assolutamente di parte） può cercare su PrimeVideo il documentario su uno dei pochi oligarchi della prima ora sopravvissuti， Mikhail Khodorkovskiy， cui va riconosciuto che si rifiutò di scappare quando ne aveva l'opportunità， fu condannato in un processo farsa e poi scontò otto anni di carcere durissimo in Siberia。 Ora vive a Londra e credo che， ogni volta che gira un angolo di strada， si chieda chi gli comparirà davanti。https://www。primevideo。com/detail/Cit。。。 。。。more
Heidi Smith
，
Incredibly well researched。 A little heavy in places - definitely not an easy read， but compelling none the less。
paul nevertoolatetostart
，
Wow！！！ This is THE book to read。 We always knew that the Russian government was corrupt but never really how much。 I really couldn’t put this book down。 Catherine must always sleep with one eye open。 My book of the year without a doubt。
Lynn
，
This is a very concerning account on how one man was able to finish off locking up power for himself by playing the players who were already doing it。 Pretty scary。 A good account but with so many people new to me， it was hard to keep up with the “cast of characters”。 Putin is a really bad person for Russia and other countries。 He’s intent on destroying everything that isn’t for his benefit。
Ed
，
Excellent。 Well researched。 “You in the West， you think you’re playing chess with us。 But you’re never going to win， because we’re not following any rules。”
E
，