Once Upon a Time in Russia: The Rise of the Oligarchs and the Greatest Wealth in History
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- Create Date：2022-03-04 08:53:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Ben Mezrich
- ISBN：178475000X
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Summary
A gripping and shocking insight into the lives of Russia’s most famous oligarchs from New York Times bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires and Bringing Down the House。
Once Upon a Time in Russia is the untold true story of the larger-than-life billionaire oligarchs who surfed the waves of privatization to reap riches after the fall of the Soviet regime: “Godfather of the Kremlin” Boris Berezovsky， a former mathematician whose first entrepreneurial venture was running an automobile reselling business， and Roman Abramovich， his dashing young protégé who built a multi-billion-dollar empire of oil and aluminium。 Locked in a complex， uniquely Russian partnership， Berezovsky and Abramovich battled their way through the “Wild East” of Russia with Berezovsky acting as the younger man’s krysha- literally， his roof， his protector。
Written with the heart-stopping pace of a thriller -but even more compelling because it is true - this story of amassing obscene wealth and power depicts a rarefied world seldom seen up close。 Under Berezovsky’s krysha， Abramovich built one of Russia’s largest oil companies from the ground up and in exchange made cash deliveries - including 491 million dollars in just one year。 But their relationship frayed when Berezovsky attacked President Vladimir Putin in the media - and had to flee to the UK。 Abramovich continued to prosper。
Dead bodies trailed Berezovsky’s footsteps， and threats followed him to London， where an associate of his died painfully and famously of Polonium poisoning。 Then Berezovsky himself was later found dead， declared a suicide。
Exclusively sourced， capturing a momentous period in recent world history， Once Upon a Time in Russia is at once personal and political， offering an unprecedented look into the wealth， corruption， and power behind what Graydon Carter called ‘the story of our age’。
Once Upon a Time in Russia is the untold true story of the larger-than-life billionaire oligarchs who surfed the waves of privatization to reap riches after the fall of the Soviet regime: “Godfather of the Kremlin” Boris Berezovsky， a former mathematician whose first entrepreneurial venture was running an automobile reselling business， and Roman Abramovich， his dashing young protégé who built a multi-billion-dollar empire of oil and aluminium。 Locked in a complex， uniquely Russian partnership， Berezovsky and Abramovich battled their way through the “Wild East” of Russia with Berezovsky acting as the younger man’s krysha- literally， his roof， his protector。
Written with the heart-stopping pace of a thriller -but even more compelling because it is true - this story of amassing obscene wealth and power depicts a rarefied world seldom seen up close。 Under Berezovsky’s krysha， Abramovich built one of Russia’s largest oil companies from the ground up and in exchange made cash deliveries - including 491 million dollars in just one year。 But their relationship frayed when Berezovsky attacked President Vladimir Putin in the media - and had to flee to the UK。 Abramovich continued to prosper。
Dead bodies trailed Berezovsky’s footsteps， and threats followed him to London， where an associate of his died painfully and famously of Polonium poisoning。 Then Berezovsky himself was later found dead， declared a suicide。
Exclusively sourced， capturing a momentous period in recent world history， Once Upon a Time in Russia is at once personal and political， offering an unprecedented look into the wealth， corruption， and power behind what Graydon Carter called ‘the story of our age’。
Reviews
Aditya Lakshay
，
Ben Mezrich has this unique writing style which gets one hooked from the get go。 He has way of describing things so visually and in a flow that one is able to get who is being talked about without even introducing the characters。I picked up this book in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine crisis。 Ben had written a twitter thread about the ascension of Putin in Stalin’s Dacha in the wake of the resignation by the ex-president。 Made me intrigued enough to do a double click on how Putin was able to orch Ben Mezrich has this unique writing style which gets one hooked from the get go。 He has way of describing things so visually and in a flow that one is able to get who is being talked about without even introducing the characters。I picked up this book in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine crisis。 Ben had written a twitter thread about the ascension of Putin in Stalin’s Dacha in the wake of the resignation by the ex-president。 Made me intrigued enough to do a double click on how Putin was able to orchestrate a tide in his favour， how from being awarded the position of FSB chief a year back， he was “crowned” the President。However， the book is not about him。 It is about a certain Boris Berezovsky who sees a meteoric rise in fortune and a similar fall in graces across multiple countries。 This book is about Oligarchs of Russia， how they came to be， how Roman Abramovich and co， became examples of what extremes working class people could become in the backdrop of complete and utter chaos that was Russia in the ‘90s。One can’t help but wonder， if history might repeat itself and if it does， will it lead to the rise of a new generation of oligarchs， this time， built not on the foundations of Natural Resources and the infamous “Shares for Loans” scheme， but technology based solutions？Would recommend for a 101 on Oligarchs of Russia。 。。。more
Kevin Casner
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Not as in depth as I would have liked， but kept my interest。
Rich
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-2。5- The source material for this book was fascinating， the writing however was anything but。 Utterly florid and almost as bad as a romance novel is how this book begins， by sheer force of will I managed to push past it and complete the book。 "the silence was excruciating， the minutes ticking by thick and heavy， time itself gorging on the tension in the humid air。" I expected a nip slip this writing was so hyperbolic。 Fortunately， it mostly settles down but Hemingway this is not。 Another issue -2。5- The source material for this book was fascinating， the writing however was anything but。 Utterly florid and almost as bad as a romance novel is how this book begins， by sheer force of will I managed to push past it and complete the book。 "the silence was excruciating， the minutes ticking by thick and heavy， time itself gorging on the tension in the humid air。" I expected a nip slip this writing was so hyperbolic。 Fortunately， it mostly settles down but Hemingway this is not。 Another issue for me was the book made up conversations between the participants and had the feel of a long wikipedia entry。 The rise of Putin and his use of the Russian Oligarchs to claim the throne （yes that is what it is） in Russia is quite interesting。 Boris Berezovsky comes across as an unstable douche who backed the wrong pony and over estimated his own importance。 Alexander Litvinenko's demise is horrific and yet not unexpected。 If I had any advice to give him in retrospect he should have picked who he sipped tea with more carefully （poisoned by polonium B， dead within three weeks）。 Even someone interested in this material can probably find a better book to get their fix。 。。。more
Niranjan Limaye
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When Boris Yeltsin kicked out communism and ushered in elections and privatisation， a few smart russians understood what opportunity it offered to make obsene wealth， rigged the privatisation process， rigged the elections and became “the select few who rule” i。e。 Oligarchs。 The book tells the story of their rise and fall through one of them - Boris Berezovsky。The setting and the events， of brazen corruption， arm twisting， misuse of power， raids， kidnapping， murders and arrests in Russia during 1 When Boris Yeltsin kicked out communism and ushered in elections and privatisation， a few smart russians understood what opportunity it offered to make obsene wealth， rigged the privatisation process， rigged the elections and became “the select few who rule” i。e。 Oligarchs。 The book tells the story of their rise and fall through one of them - Boris Berezovsky。The setting and the events， of brazen corruption， arm twisting， misuse of power， raids， kidnapping， murders and arrests in Russia during 1990-2005 is so dramatic and strangely fascinating that even if I were to write about them in plain English， it’ll make a rousing reading。 So， when I sat to read a bestseller， that was a given and I was expecting a well researched book connecting dots between hitherto unknown characters and events。However， Mezerich wastes this opportunity。 The book is bit superficial。 The author is obsessed with ‘fiction’ form of writing for this non-fiction book （maybe since this non-fiction is more surreal than fiction？）。 There are literally entire chapters devoted to creating ‘atmosphere’ and describing the feelings and thoughts of characters， when at the end of 20 pages we， perplexed find that the whole text can be summarised in max two lines。 The actual mechanism of how these Oligarchs swindled billions， the cunning share sale， the weak shallow stock market and the manipulation of prices， how they managed to externalise that money is too technical for Mezerich。Still this deserves 3 stars， simply for bringing that amazing， unbelievable period of Russia to the readers。 One rues what wonders an author like Michael Lewis would do with such a juicy material。 。。。more
Tim Murphy
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I've had this one on the shelf for a good while and it was yelling at me to read it。 I'm glad I did。 A compelling and twisted tale of modern Russia， the rise of Vladimir Putin， and the role of the oligarchs is a deep dive into a murky pool that I was at least vaguely familiar with。 The gem quality of the book is not to tell just the story of the meteoric rise to wealth and power， and subsequent fall of these billionaires， but the particular Russian context wrapped within and around this theme。 W I've had this one on the shelf for a good while and it was yelling at me to read it。 I'm glad I did。 A compelling and twisted tale of modern Russia， the rise of Vladimir Putin， and the role of the oligarchs is a deep dive into a murky pool that I was at least vaguely familiar with。 The gem quality of the book is not to tell just the story of the meteoric rise to wealth and power， and subsequent fall of these billionaires， but the particular Russian context wrapped within and around this theme。 Why did the collapsed Soviet state turn over all its valuable assets to a bunch of fancy pants gangsters？ Were the oligarchs gangsters or just savvy entrepreneurs in a wild east economy？ What is "roof" and why is it so key to the Russian business model？ How did Putin rise from KGB officer and judo champ to the steely， calculating， global power broker in a few short years？ This book is both a page turner and eye opener。 。。。more
Kate Backford
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Excellent peek int the world of the oligarchs of russia。 They are no longer as prevalent as they were in the 80s 90s but this is a great read。 Read it mostly because of research for my upcoming book。
Grant
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An excellent read that captures the flavor of the "Wild East" of privatization during the Yeltsin era， and Putin's subsequent reassertion of state control。 Mezrich tells a fascinating story well， with an abundance of personal detail， but sometimes goes beyond his sources in relating inner thoughts。 An excellent read that captures the flavor of the "Wild East" of privatization during the Yeltsin era， and Putin's subsequent reassertion of state control。 Mezrich tells a fascinating story well， with an abundance of personal detail， but sometimes goes beyond his sources in relating inner thoughts。 。。。more
Stacey Saladin
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Deep background on Russian oligarchs and the rise （and spectacular） fall of one in particular - Boris Berezovsky （aka The Godfather of the Kremlin）。 I found it an interesting history of his start in business - airplanes， media， aluminum， etc and his relationship with Yeltsin， and support of Putin in his rise。 In his later years though he turned dramatically against the Putin regime and spent the rest of his life in exile with his billions。 He was also a close ally of defector Alexander Litvenenk Deep background on Russian oligarchs and the rise （and spectacular） fall of one in particular - Boris Berezovsky （aka The Godfather of the Kremlin）。 I found it an interesting history of his start in business - airplanes， media， aluminum， etc and his relationship with Yeltsin， and support of Putin in his rise。 In his later years though he turned dramatically against the Putin regime and spent the rest of his life in exile with his billions。 He was also a close ally of defector Alexander Litvenenko of the famous polonium 210 poisoning， so I learned some background on how his life evolved。 It’s a dirty business and hard to wrap my head around how casually people destroy others’ lives， the corruption， the killings。 Ugh。 。。。more
Tom Oman
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Planning to write a review when I have time。
Elle B
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Despite enjoying two other books by this author I had to give up on this one after a few chapters。 Pretty sure there are some women in Russia somewhere but you wouldn't know it reading this。 Despite enjoying two other books by this author I had to give up on this one after a few chapters。 Pretty sure there are some women in Russia somewhere but you wouldn't know it reading this。 。。。more
Daisy
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Now I guess I know some of the WHAT， maybe some of the WHY （greed， pride， ego， “masculinity”）， but I’m still not sure HOW。3。66 stars
Vikash gupta
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Amazing page turnerGives you a thrilling overview of what went on in post Yeltsin Russia。 Must read for anyone interested in the region
Mark
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The fall of the Soviet Union led to the rise of the Oligarchs in Russia only to have their world's crash when a new power dynamic seeks to reclaim wealth to favoured state elites The fall of the Soviet Union led to the rise of the Oligarchs in Russia only to have their world's crash when a new power dynamic seeks to reclaim wealth to favoured state elites 。。。more
Millie Nevelos
，
This book navigates through the rising of oligarchs and their play in politics。 Reads a lot like a crime novel but is true which makes it all the more fascinating。 Very easy to follow and very interesting to become entangled with the storyline。 Would definitely recommend reading even if you're not the most interested in Russian politics， it is very much similar to a crime novel and easy to read。 This book navigates through the rising of oligarchs and their play in politics。 Reads a lot like a crime novel but is true which makes it all the more fascinating。 Very easy to follow and very interesting to become entangled with the storyline。 Would definitely recommend reading even if you're not the most interested in Russian politics， it is very much similar to a crime novel and easy to read。 。。。more
Adam
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A book that is as detailed as a spider web about various Russian oligarchs and the power of Vladimir Putin。 This book lost my attention at times but I got the main gist of the overarching themes and the rise of the modern state to be able to understand the power structures in place。
Fahaed Abdulghafour
，
This Biography reads like a thriller novel—a true story of ambition， wealth， betrayal， and murder。 Author Ben Mezrich gives a deep insight into the corruption that was taking place in Russia in the ’90s。After the fall of communism， Russia didn’t know how to do capitalism。 Corruption was rampant throughout the country。 It was survival of the fittest， and the strength of your “Krysha” or your connections determined how long you would last as 1000’s of businessmen were being assassinated at the tim This Biography reads like a thriller novel—a true story of ambition， wealth， betrayal， and murder。 Author Ben Mezrich gives a deep insight into the corruption that was taking place in Russia in the ’90s。After the fall of communism， Russia didn’t know how to do capitalism。 Corruption was rampant throughout the country。 It was survival of the fittest， and the strength of your “Krysha” or your connections determined how long you would last as 1000’s of businessmen were being assassinated at the time。 Politicians in the Kremlin would help businessmen privatize Russian resources through rigged auctions for dirt cheap prices。 Thus turning those businessmen into billionaires practically over night。 These businessmen were referred to as Oligarchs， and many of them were Jews living in an anti-Semitic Russia。President Yeltsin was dying， and the Oligarchs were looking for a new candidate to put into power that could be manipulated to cater to their needs。 Their candidate was a low-level KGB agent called Vladimir Putin。 Once elected， Vladimir turned on them and invited all the Oligarchs to Stalin's old mansion， where executions were held。 He made a firm stance and told the Oligarchs their time was over and that they should stay out of his way。 。。。more
Alex Lewis
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Written like a political thriller， this book was less about all the oligarchs as it was about Boris Berezevsky， and how Putin rose to power in post-Soviet Russia。 Very engrossing non-fiction style， and a good companion to Nothing is True and Everything is Possible， even if there's a fair amount of overlap between the two。 Written like a political thriller， this book was less about all the oligarchs as it was about Boris Berezevsky， and how Putin rose to power in post-Soviet Russia。 Very engrossing non-fiction style， and a good companion to Nothing is True and Everything is Possible， even if there's a fair amount of overlap between the two。 。。。more
Anthony
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Over-written and under-developed; reads like a poor Bond novel。
Stephen Heiner
，
This is my fourth Ben Mezrich book and as I finished it I thought I would actually poke around online to learn more about him。 I found a link to "Talks at Google，" which featured Ben himself talking about this book。 I found out that he writes a book thinking that it will be optioned into a movie， and that the film the Social Network had been optioned just off the outline of the book that he had not written yet。 David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin were so intrigued that they jumped at it and Mezrich j This is my fourth Ben Mezrich book and as I finished it I thought I would actually poke around online to learn more about him。 I found a link to "Talks at Google，" which featured Ben himself talking about this book。 I found out that he writes a book thinking that it will be optioned into a movie， and that the film the Social Network had been optioned just off the outline of the book that he had not written yet。 David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin were so intrigued that they jumped at it and Mezrich just locked himself in a hotel for three months and banged it out。Mezrich has such a talent for storytelling and it's no wonder that so much of what he writes has been optioned or has already made its way into Oscar-winning territory。 This book is ostensibly about the rise of the oligarchs， but it is really about one particular oligarch's rise and the people around him that rose and fell with him。 Putin is a character， but really in the peripheries。 Helpful for those who want one particular look into the "wild west capitalism" that dominated Russia in the 1990s。 。。。more
Evie Fowler
，
More narrative than I expected， and less informative。 Not much context given for the stories told， nor much insight drawn from them。
Forrest
，
This is a semi-nonfiction book with a lot of added fictional narrative intertwined。The tale revolves around Mikhail Ivanovich Barsukov， a Russian government intelligence official within the FSB。 He was fired from the FSB by Boris Yeltsin due to a plot to assassinate Boris Berezovsky， a powerful Russian businessman and media mogul who had introduced Putin to Yeltsin。 The author adds a lot of invented drama and fictional narrative to the book， but the premise remains true。 This is particularly ev This is a semi-nonfiction book with a lot of added fictional narrative intertwined。The tale revolves around Mikhail Ivanovich Barsukov， a Russian government intelligence official within the FSB。 He was fired from the FSB by Boris Yeltsin due to a plot to assassinate Boris Berezovsky， a powerful Russian businessman and media mogul who had introduced Putin to Yeltsin。 The author adds a lot of invented drama and fictional narrative to the book， but the premise remains true。 This is particularly evident through the details added during the scene covering the Kursk submarine disaster。 Many other intimate details such as words exchanged during conversations are probably fictional as well。 。。。more
Olive Fellows （abookolive）
，
This book tells the stories of how the oligarchs rose to power in Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the privatization of industry。 There are several main figures who we meet and follow - very rich men who used their wealth and status to ensure victory for Boris Yeltsin over the communist challenger in 1996， knowing that their existence as a class was at risk if the communist system returned。 Little did they know， Yeltsin's successor Vladimir Putin would make that a goal once This book tells the stories of how the oligarchs rose to power in Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the privatization of industry。 There are several main figures who we meet and follow - very rich men who used their wealth and status to ensure victory for Boris Yeltsin over the communist challenger in 1996， knowing that their existence as a class was at risk if the communist system returned。 Little did they know， Yeltsin's successor Vladimir Putin would make that a goal once he was handed the reigns。This is a really well-written book。 However - I can't pinpoint why， but halfway through the book I lost interest and getting through the rest was a struggle。 Because of that， I'm giving this one three stars， but I would certainly still recommend it， especially to anyone who liked the absurdity of The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine。 。。。more
Sisa Moyo
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 One of the best books I've read， especially as a History lover。 The way Mezrich manages to take actual historical and events and make you anticipate what happens next is so marvelling。 I enjoy post-Cold War history and this book but you within the Russian elites in a thrilling and action filled way。Also， it low-key made me cry especially towards the end when you see the rise and tragic fall of one of the main focuses。 One of the best books I've read， especially as a History lover。 The way Mezrich manages to take actual historical and events and make you anticipate what happens next is so marvelling。 I enjoy post-Cold War history and this book but you within the Russian elites in a thrilling and action filled way。Also， it low-key made me cry especially towards the end when you see the rise and tragic fall of one of the main focuses。 。。。more
Nicola
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This took quite a while to get into but once I’d understood some key concepts like the idea of a ‘roof’ it began to click and I read increasingly quickly。 It is interesting and was also useful that much of this is familiar and recent geopolitical history。 For example: Litvinenko and his demise。 Each chapter has an excellent scene-setting start and the way Mezrich writes transports you from place to place， across Russia， across European cities （and even deep below the frozen seas）。 It is importan This took quite a while to get into but once I’d understood some key concepts like the idea of a ‘roof’ it began to click and I read increasingly quickly。 It is interesting and was also useful that much of this is familiar and recent geopolitical history。 For example: Litvinenko and his demise。 Each chapter has an excellent scene-setting start and the way Mezrich writes transports you from place to place， across Russia， across European cities （and even deep below the frozen seas）。 It is important to return to the first chapter when reaching its chronological place in the book。 I think that Mezrich might agree with the coursework question - ha！ I also wonder if he has written about the more recent poisoning events in Salisbury。。？As with many books on Russia， I had to look up quite a few things about this brutal and murky world of the Russian oligarchs。 In the process， I was reminded of McMafia - a BBC drama I tried to watch a couple of years ago but couldn’t get into。 So I did a bit of research on that and finally understood the concept underpinning McMafia。 I have started to rewatch it。 I wonder if there is a link？Interestingly， the family at the centre of McMafia is named Godman。 Which is the family name of Papa Jack who runs the emporium in my new book: The Toy Makers。 And they too， of course， are Russians。 Also in exile in London， but at the turn of the twentieth century。 Will be very interesting to see how that develops。。。 。。。more
Sameer
，
Amazing！
Danny Kimani
，
Oh how the mighty fall。
SUNDAR
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Superb book。Extremely well written and easy to read。The author captures as to how the Oligarchs and the Russian establishment functioned during Yeltsin and the early Putin Years。Well worth buying 。。
Brien Desilets
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You can't make this stuff up！ It's a true life James Bond novel only more complex with more characters and less believable。 Russia in the 1990's is one of the most interesting and exciting topics in modern history。 Ben Mezrich does it justice by putting us there， on the streets of Moscow with battling private armies of oligarchs set against the backdrop of a crumbling empire and a new country rising from the ashes。 A great companion to The Oligarchs by David Hoffman。 You can't make this stuff up！ It's a true life James Bond novel only more complex with more characters and less believable。 Russia in the 1990's is one of the most interesting and exciting topics in modern history。 Ben Mezrich does it justice by putting us there， on the streets of Moscow with battling private armies of oligarchs set against the backdrop of a crumbling empire and a new country rising from the ashes。 A great companion to The Oligarchs by David Hoffman。 。。。more
Steve Bera
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Written by the author of 'Bring Down the House'， the story of MIT students who took Las Vegas for millions， this book did not measure up。 A story about Putin and several oligarchs never captured my attention。 A small sad story you should skip。 Written by the author of 'Bring Down the House'， the story of MIT students who took Las Vegas for millions， this book did not measure up。 A story about Putin and several oligarchs never captured my attention。 A small sad story you should skip。 。。。more
Abz
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