Putin's People

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

By: Catherine Belton

Narrated by: Dugald Bruce-Lockhart

"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.

A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Connects dots.

Answers more questions about current politics than any other I have read. Details why assuming that current presidents are playing by any rules is dangerous. USA and Russia currently both mobs practicing KGB politics.

Well researched, well written, startling story

Comprehensive and a fast pace. Very credible and stunning narrative. Ok delivery is a bit ‘breathless’ at times.

Eye opening!!

Had no idea HOW corrupt the Russian government t is or how it got that way. Excellent detail in how Russia tries to influence and divide its enemies. A book all Americans should read to know how determined Russia is to deflate American power.

Critical given recent events.

One cannot comment on Russia without understanding the Siloviki. Catherine Belton peers into the twilight world of Putin’s cronies and their influence around the world. This book is a great service, she deserves a Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work.

Very good

Always wondered about details? These are the details of criminal activities followed by intelligence matters. Must read.