The separatist uprising in Chechnya was another challenge that Putin faced early on in his tenure as the President.

Putin’s Nemesis, Russia’s Future? - Foreign Affairs Navalny: Putin’s Nemesis, Russia’s Future? - Foreign Affairs

But you understand the role of corruption, and the rise of oligarchy with the label of open markets.Mr Aslin said the truth is, the video was filmed against his will and in breach of the Geneva Conventions.

Putin: The explosive and extraordinary new biography of Putin: The explosive and extraordinary new biography of

As Putin commented in one of his acid asides that pepper Short’s account, when it came to concocting fables “those of us in the KGB were children compared to American politicians”. They would continue to ask questions, and every answer I'd give them, I would either be beaten or they would take the knife back out," he said. For example, it says that Putin transformed his mistakes to his advantage, but it doesn't explain how. Torture in Chechnya, it seems, can never be the same as torture in Guantánamo or Abu Ghraib to the victors. This is a good short intro to how Putin came to power and a review of a few situations where he was able to flex his muscles and create change for Russia and on the world stage.In Killer in the Kremlin, award-winning journalist John Sweeney takes readers from the heart of Putin's Russia to the killing fields of Chechnya, to the embattled cities of an invaded Ukraine. He was ruthless in his drive against the business magnates and soon enough, large swathes of the oil industry were transferred to entities who were close to him and his trusted lieutenants. The story is familiar, and it was interesting to hear events that have been lived/heard about over two decades put together in a narrative.

Books UK The Russia Conundrum - Penguin Books UK

For curious readers who don’t know much about Russia, this book does a sterling job of explaining how corruption secures Putin’s rule instead of eroding it, why support for Putin still remains broad (most Russians are wary of change and see Putin as a guarantor of stability), and why, according to the authors, Navalny’s current imprisonment marks a perilous step for Russia toward full-fledged dictatorship. Strikingly, the occasions Short records when outsiders have witnessed Putin’s inscrutable mask fracture nearly all relate to these “lost” lands, countries whose independent existence was to him an impossible outrage.Mr Aslin said he made himself a promise at the time that if he made it out alive he would tell that soldier's story. Putin realised early in his career as the President, the need to control media and by extension generate a favourable perception of the public to his governance. Yet another really interesting series of podcasts which is available free of charge to Audible members.