Name: Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and then Took on the West
ISBN: 9780007578801

Catherine Belton

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ‘The Putin book that we’ve been waiting for’ Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland ‘Books about modern Russia abound ... Belton has surpassed them all. Her much-awaited book is the best and most important on modern Russia’ The Times

Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and then Took on the West

The hacking of 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 Kremiln'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.

How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took On the West

Putin's People

Timeo Williams

My first forray into Russia and Putin. I found this book quite insightful as it pointed to Putin's gradual rise in power as well as why certain events happened i.e DNC Hack.

When you read about the enormous effort that Belton went through to get this book published, not to mention the potential risk to her safety, you realise that you've read something worth of a sixth star. A fascinating look at Putin's early life and how his time in Dresden and St. Petersburg during the latter days of the Soviet Union shaped his world view. A world we all find ourselves living in now. Essential reading.

Daniel Bower

Ricardo Sousa

4 stars for the book + 1 star for the plenty lawsuits from oligarchs / Russian companies that the author and publisher are currently enduring

My opinion is perfectly summarized in this review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and then Took on the West

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