Putin's People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took On the West
- Downloads：4936
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-20 10:51:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Catherine Belton
- ISBN：1250787327
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
A New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller | A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
Named a best book of the year by The Economist | Financial Times | New Statesman | The Telegraph
"[Putin's People] will surely now become the definitive account of the rise of Putin and Putinism。" —Anne Applebaum， The Atlantic
"This riveting， immaculately researched book is arguably the best single volume written about Putin， the people around him and perhaps even about contemporary Russia itself in the past three decades。" —Peter Frankopan， Financial Times
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。
Named a best book of the year by The Economist | Financial Times | New Statesman | The Telegraph
"[Putin's People] will surely now become the definitive account of the rise of Putin and Putinism。" —Anne Applebaum， The Atlantic
"This riveting， immaculately researched book is arguably the best single volume written about Putin， the people around him and perhaps even about contemporary Russia itself in the past three decades。" —Peter Frankopan， Financial Times
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。
Reviews
Suzanne
，
Good， in depth information。 The audiobook was hard to follow。 It jumped around a lot。
Sonia Belviso
，
This is， in fact， a documentary about organized crime。
Urban
，
Die Journalistin und Russlandexpertin Catherine Belton legt einen gut recherchierten 600-Seiten Report über die Ära Putin vor。 Ihr Blick reicht von den 80er Jahren bis kurz vor die Wahl Joe Bidens zum Präsidenten 2020。 Obwohl der aktuelle Angriffskrieg Russlands nicht mehr Teil der erfassten Zeitleiste ist， so würde er sich nahtlos an die Schilderungen anschließen。Mir wurde nach der Lektüre die Epochenwende deutlich， die sich nach der Zepterübergabe Jeltsins an Putin zum Jahreswechsel 2000 ereig Die Journalistin und Russlandexpertin Catherine Belton legt einen gut recherchierten 600-Seiten Report über die Ära Putin vor。 Ihr Blick reicht von den 80er Jahren bis kurz vor die Wahl Joe Bidens zum Präsidenten 2020。 Obwohl der aktuelle Angriffskrieg Russlands nicht mehr Teil der erfassten Zeitleiste ist， so würde er sich nahtlos an die Schilderungen anschließen。Mir wurde nach der Lektüre die Epochenwende deutlich， die sich nach der Zepterübergabe Jeltsins an Putin zum Jahreswechsel 2000 ereignet hat。 Mit ihr kam eine relativ junge Truppe von KGB-Offizieren an die Macht， die wie Putin ihr Handwerk im letzten Jahrzehnt des kalten Krieges gelernt hatten。 Stück für Stück vereinnahmten sie in den Nuller-Jahren die großen russischen Rohstoff-Unternehmen und transferierten die $$-Milliarden zu einem großen Teil in eine global angelegte Schattenwirtschaft。 Mit diesen Kriegskassen ließ sich wie zu Sowjetzeiten Spaltung und Hetze im Westen finanzieren。 Die USA und der Westen werden nach wie vor als Klassenfeind betrachtet。 Nur der Mantel des Kommunismus wurde durch einen neuen orthodoxen Nationalismus ausgetauscht。Der Westen hielt lange an der Hoffnung fest， Russland würde sich in die globale Weltwirtschaft einordnen und über kurz oder lang zu einem respektablen Partner entwickeln。 Signale， wie z。B。 die Kriege in Tschetschenien， Georgien oder Moldawien oder die Abschaffung des Rechtsstaats wurden geflissentlich übersehen， denn man konnte ja gute Geschäfte mit russischen Firmen tätigen。 Die Rechnung wurde von Jahr zu Jahr höher。 Heute erst sehen wir das ganze Ausmaß der verfehlten Außen- und Wirtschaftspolitik der letzten 20 Jahre。Natürlich kann die Autorin keine gerichtsfesten Beweise für ihre Erzählung vorlegen。 Ihre Recherchequellen aber legt sie vorbildlich offen， so dass beim Leser der Eindruck entsteht， dass es zwar einzelne Fehldeutungen geben kann， aber die "rote Linie" keinesfalls verfehlt wird。Ein sehr lesenswertes Buch für diejenigen， die sich für Hintergründe und Zusammenhänge interessieren。 。。。more
Sam
，
A fascinating insight that explains all of Russia’s actions today
Peter Lipták
，
Obraz postupného （a plánovaného） návratu KGB do čela krajiny。 Písané predovšetkým z ekonomicko-hospodárskeho hľadiska， ale s presahom do všetkých sfér ako žial vidieť v súčastnosti na Ukrajine。
Jeff Birk
，
I read this book coming off finishing Bill Browder's two excellent books on Putin and the Russian efforts to bring him down。 Browder's books were very engaging， almost like reading a spy novel but this book was more of a historical account and record of how Putin came to power and what he is doing with that power。 I guess I was a bit disappointed thinking that this book might have the same energy， but it didn't。 Nevertheless， this book really lays out some very well researched facts about the ma I read this book coming off finishing Bill Browder's two excellent books on Putin and the Russian efforts to bring him down。 Browder's books were very engaging， almost like reading a spy novel but this book was more of a historical account and record of how Putin came to power and what he is doing with that power。 I guess I was a bit disappointed thinking that this book might have the same energy， but it didn't。 Nevertheless， this book really lays out some very well researched facts about the main premise: Putin started his young career in the KGB and has now put himself and his KGB cronies in charge of everything。 In the circles of Russian influence and power， Putin is referred to as the "number one。" He has his hands in everything by virtue of his status while getting any assistance he needs through organized crime channels at his bidding。 The author also lays out well-founded research of Trump's reliance upon Russia that goes back to his Taj Mahal Casino days。 Glad to have read this book。 To me， it was a non-biased treatment which simply laid out the facts。 。。。more
Reda Mikalauskaite
，
How big money is way more important then values&humanity。。。
Mary E SMYTH
，
This is very readable account of a vast and difficult subject。 I was truly impressed by the documentation/ verification supplied by the author。 I have been aware for some time of the dirty dealings in Putin's Russia 。However the sheer extent of the thievery and mobster culture within the government of this unfortunate country is overwhelming。 Not to mention Donald Trump's involvement with these gangsters 。 Follow the money hardly covers it。 I confidently recommended this book to anybody who is i This is very readable account of a vast and difficult subject。 I was truly impressed by the documentation/ verification supplied by the author。 I have been aware for some time of the dirty dealings in Putin's Russia 。However the sheer extent of the thievery and mobster culture within the government of this unfortunate country is overwhelming。 Not to mention Donald Trump's involvement with these gangsters 。 Follow the money hardly covers it。 I confidently recommended this book to anybody who is interested in world affairs。 The content is especially relevant in 2022。 。。。more
Infosoph
，
A tour de force through （probably just） a part of the network of people connected to power in modern Russia。At times a bit too long and hard to follow due to all the Russian names。 Also it really could have used some diagrams。
Tony Rogers
，
I liked this book a lot。 Some of the detail around all the various characters and deals got a little tedious， but overall it provides great context around the corruption in Russia and how politics work there。
Martin D。 Madaus
，
We read this book in our book club about 1。5 years ago。 Highly recommend this book to understand how Putin came to power and how he operates。 It explains a lot about modern day Russia and the kleptocratic nature of the country。 It's eye opening particularly for for German appeasement politicians。 We read this book in our book club about 1。5 years ago。 Highly recommend this book to understand how Putin came to power and how he operates。 It explains a lot about modern day Russia and the kleptocratic nature of the country。 It's eye opening particularly for for German appeasement politicians。 。。。more
Iván
，
Extraordinario ensayo。 Una investigación y análisis detallado de la Rusia de Putin。
J。
，
This is an epic investigatory report， on the finances of the Modern Russian state and its architect， little Vlad Putin， the boy who wanted to be a spy and a tough guy。 But it has none of the bitter drama of that description。 It's a clear-headed， well-documented economic report， and most if not all of the overarching dramatic threads must be drawn by the reader。 This took me all of last summer to read and it was absolutely worth it。 No one knew then， that The Littlest Czar would pull an internati This is an epic investigatory report， on the finances of the Modern Russian state and its architect， little Vlad Putin， the boy who wanted to be a spy and a tough guy。 But it has none of the bitter drama of that description。 It's a clear-headed， well-documented economic report， and most if not all of the overarching dramatic threads must be drawn by the reader。 This took me all of last summer to read and it was absolutely worth it。 No one knew then， that The Littlest Czar would pull an international wobbly and go face down in the historical chip-dip。 But he has。 This book would take a twelve-page review to sum， analyze and draw conclusions from all the material included。 But a funny thing has happened on the way to that necessity--- because Vlad has skipped the exposition and proceeded straight to the spoiler， with his Ukraine misadventure。 This was a great book in many instances， and clearly required grueling sky-high amounts of data and historical archaeology to produce。 It's also a great book to have absorbed prior to Vlad's cross-border road trip。 As such， probably best to leave this one to the economists and historians and not the casual readers。 Be assured that the evidence is damning。 。。。more
JimA
，
Author has mentioned President Donald Trump twice before I reached page 1。 I hate paying good money for a book and have the author subject me to their leftist political views。
Dovaidas Pabiržis
，
Labai detali knyga， tikrai gera， nors kartais įmonių pavadinimų ir pavardžių daugoka， o apibendrinimai ima kartotis。 Labiau patiko pirma knygos dalis apie gilesnę praeitį， Putino veiklą Dresdene， laukinius 90-uosius Peterburge， surežisuotus teroro aktus。 Mažiau žinomų faktų， daugiau pasvarstymų ir paaiškinimų。 Artėjant prie šiandienos faktai daugiau žinomi， o finansinės ir politinės schemos darosi klampios， autorei rašant tiesiogiai apie savo žurnalistinius tyrimus。 Bet iš principo labai verta d Labai detali knyga， tikrai gera， nors kartais įmonių pavadinimų ir pavardžių daugoka， o apibendrinimai ima kartotis。 Labiau patiko pirma knygos dalis apie gilesnę praeitį， Putino veiklą Dresdene， laukinius 90-uosius Peterburge， surežisuotus teroro aktus。 Mažiau žinomų faktų， daugiau pasvarstymų ir paaiškinimų。 Artėjant prie šiandienos faktai daugiau žinomi， o finansinės ir politinės schemos darosi klampios， autorei rašant tiesiogiai apie savo žurnalistinius tyrimus。 Bet iš principo labai verta dėmesio knyga šiandieninės Rusijos pažinimui， beveik enciklopedija。 。。。more
Sean
，
Probably worth mentioning that the author， Catherine Belton， was the subject of multiple lawsuits over this book: 4 oligarchs， including Roman Abramovich， and Rosneft， the Russian oil company。 When Belton and HarperCollins settled they agreed to some changes and clarifications in the book， although major changes weren't made。 One of Belton's statements Abramovich had a problem with was the claim that Abramovich bought the Chelsea Football Club under Putin's direction， for nefarious purposes。 Peo Probably worth mentioning that the author， Catherine Belton， was the subject of multiple lawsuits over this book: 4 oligarchs， including Roman Abramovich， and Rosneft， the Russian oil company。 When Belton and HarperCollins settled they agreed to some changes and clarifications in the book， although major changes weren't made。 One of Belton's statements Abramovich had a problem with was the claim that Abramovich bought the Chelsea Football Club under Putin's direction， for nefarious purposes。 People should not， however， jump to the conclusion that Belton was inaccurate。 Oligarchs love to use "libel tourism，" and exploit the most friendly legal systems; London is a top destination。 A main point of Putin's People is that Putin and his siloviks are using the money they've looted from Russia to create strategic stores of "black cash，" designed to undermine western democracies in various ways。 Putin's disagreement with the west isn't really one based on ideology， instead it is just based on out of control megalomania。 Putin also recognizes， correctly， that for all the grandstanding about our ideologies in the west， money and power is what really motivates people and they are corruptible。 This was on display in March， shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began， and a few days before Abramovich finally had his assets frozen by the UK government for his ties to Putin。 Abramovich had recently announced he was selling his football club。 Prior to a game， there was supposed to be a moment of solidarity for the people of Ukraine， but many English fans instead used this time to shout "Abramovich！ Abramovich！” They still supported the man， despite everything going on， because he had turned their destitute football team into championship winners。 。。。more
Oli H
，
Eye-opening！ Wish I had read it years earlier - and before Putin‘s mafia state rolled into Ukraine， the biggest European disaster since the days of Hitler and Stalin。 How could the West have been so blind？
David Evans
，
Putin’s Russia is corrupt and is posing an increasing threat to the Western liberal order。 The country has what appears to be a market economy， but one that’s guided by Putin and his cronies。 This meticulously researched book provides a history of Putin’s rise to power and the corrupt influences he has on Russia and， more recently， beyond those borders。 His history in the KGB and close ties to the mafia set the stage for his corruption of the Russian economy。 Trying to undo Yeltsin’s fumbling - Putin’s Russia is corrupt and is posing an increasing threat to the Western liberal order。 The country has what appears to be a market economy， but one that’s guided by Putin and his cronies。 This meticulously researched book provides a history of Putin’s rise to power and the corrupt influences he has on Russia and， more recently， beyond those borders。 His history in the KGB and close ties to the mafia set the stage for his corruption of the Russian economy。 Trying to undo Yeltsin’s fumbling - where vast portions of Russia’s wealth was divided amongst certain oligarchs - Putin claimed to be taking back the wealth for Russian people， only to spread it according to his design。 Any resistance to his version of market forces led to imprisonment or worse。 The police， the judiciary， the church， all work to his form and perpetuate this corruption。 This book is a must read for anyone interested in learning more about Putin or the dark forces that move the Russian economy。 。。。more
Kerry R
，
This was a very informative book。 It was interesting （disturbing，tiring） learning about Putin/the KGB’s rule， and it reaffirmed my understanding that money and power makes some people really gross！ Also， trump fam ❤️s Russian influence/$。
Nils
，
Die Journalistin Catherine Benton schafft es in dem Buch eindrucksvoll， das Panorama Vladimir Putins Russland aufzuzeichnen。 Dabei beleuchtet sie das Netz der ehemaligen KGB-Mitglieder， die Putin erst den Weg an die Spitze Russlands ebnen konnten und die den Kreis bilden， in dem er sich seither bewegt。Man merkt dem Buch die jahrelange Recherche und das tiefgründige Hintergrundwissen der Autorin an。 Jede noch so kleine Verbindung der einzelnen Akteure wird minutiös ausgebreitet und das Geflecht h Die Journalistin Catherine Benton schafft es in dem Buch eindrucksvoll， das Panorama Vladimir Putins Russland aufzuzeichnen。 Dabei beleuchtet sie das Netz der ehemaligen KGB-Mitglieder， die Putin erst den Weg an die Spitze Russlands ebnen konnten und die den Kreis bilden， in dem er sich seither bewegt。Man merkt dem Buch die jahrelange Recherche und das tiefgründige Hintergrundwissen der Autorin an。 Jede noch so kleine Verbindung der einzelnen Akteure wird minutiös ausgebreitet und das Geflecht hinter Putin wird sichtbar。 Für Insider bestimmt interessant， für mich manches mal etwas zuviel， so dass ich hier und da etwas den Überblick verloren habe， was auch an der ungemeinen Menge an vorkommenden Personen liegen mag。Wer mehr über die jüngere Geschichte Russlands erfahren möchte und welchen Einfluss Putin und seine Umgebenden auf das Weltgeschehen haben， für den ist das Buch mit Sicherheit ein Gewinn。 。。。more
Tina Persson
，
Gediget och ögonöppnande och som en riktigt bra thriller， fast på riktigt。
Ryan O'B
，
Dense and somewhat repetitive。 But it's a 500 page book that deals largely （a fair amount of hearsay towards the end） in non-fiction， so I guess it's hard to be detailed without being tedious。 It was really interesting to get a sense of Putin's world view， his nationalism， and the ways these concepts intersect with the blatant thievery of the power apparatus that he controls。 Dense and somewhat repetitive。 But it's a 500 page book that deals largely （a fair amount of hearsay towards the end） in non-fiction， so I guess it's hard to be detailed without being tedious。 It was really interesting to get a sense of Putin's world view， his nationalism， and the ways these concepts intersect with the blatant thievery of the power apparatus that he controls。 。。。more
The Bamboo Traveler
，
Brilliant book！ Best researched book on Putin and how he came to power。 Very eye-opening。 But I have to say I still didn't understand everything I read--was it me or is the author just not good at explaining complicated money laundering schemes？ Brilliant book！ Best researched book on Putin and how he came to power。 Very eye-opening。 But I have to say I still didn't understand everything I read--was it me or is the author just not good at explaining complicated money laundering schemes？ 。。。more
Anna
，
US politics since 2016 make a bit more sense now。Sickening。 And this was published before Putin’s illegal occupation of Ukraine。
Sierra
，
Certainly not a relaxing or quick read。 Personally not something I’d pick to take on a holiday， however， you should still definitely read it。 It was a thorough， cohesive， and well documented investigative journalism piece that describes how the KGB obtained power in Russia using previous networks， government officials， and the oligarchy to manipulate and corrupt the western financial system while Russia shapes into an authoritarian regime at the hands of Putin。 There was truly a lot of informati Certainly not a relaxing or quick read。 Personally not something I’d pick to take on a holiday， however， you should still definitely read it。 It was a thorough， cohesive， and well documented investigative journalism piece that describes how the KGB obtained power in Russia using previous networks， government officials， and the oligarchy to manipulate and corrupt the western financial system while Russia shapes into an authoritarian regime at the hands of Putin。 There was truly a lot of information to cover， but Belton did a incredible job bringing it all together。 For anyone interested in this subject， I highly recommend to add this to your TBR。 Will I get assassinated for leaving this review？ Not sure， guess we will find out。 Also， I hope you have a good memory because the names in this book will test it for sure。 At least you don’t have to pronounce them out loud。 。。。more
Evaldas
，
This book is outstanding work of Catherine Belton。 By reading it you do understand how deep roots are of KGB men into Russia business and politics。 What a perfect idea it would be to translate this book into the Russian language and distribute it all around the Russia to read it by ordinary Russia people :）
Daniel Brooks
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Blimey。 This was a real eye opener for me， even though I've heard all the speculation about Russian involvement in the West。 Too be honest i feel that， if even a fraction of all this is true， then it's a really sad indictment of humanity 😢。 Blindly the west embraced the snake that Putin has become， capitalism triumphant over morality， the oil riches leaching out， and corrupting men and women left right and centre。 As Scary as it gets。 Blimey。 This was a real eye opener for me， even though I've heard all the speculation about Russian involvement in the West。 Too be honest i feel that， if even a fraction of all this is true， then it's a really sad indictment of humanity 😢。 Blindly the west embraced the snake that Putin has become， capitalism triumphant over morality， the oil riches leaching out， and corrupting men and women left right and centre。 As Scary as it gets。 。。。more
Roel Peters
，
An extremely thorough description of how Putin made his political career by balancing on maffia， oligarchs and government， and how he used that same model to run Russia， rob it and use that money for foreign influence。A very interesting read， especially in the light of current events in Ukraine。Nevertheless a tough nut to crack: there are hundreds of Russian names to keep track of and back-and-forth referring to particular cases or schemes。Very interested if you want to understand how the Russia An extremely thorough description of how Putin made his political career by balancing on maffia， oligarchs and government， and how he used that same model to run Russia， rob it and use that money for foreign influence。A very interesting read， especially in the light of current events in Ukraine。Nevertheless a tough nut to crack: there are hundreds of Russian names to keep track of and back-and-forth referring to particular cases or schemes。Very interested if you want to understand how the Russian autocratic system operates。 。。。more
Paulina Parzych
，
Must read increasing the knowledge of what is going on in the world， also a Real house of cards- like story
Nick Silverman
，