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Putin: Prisoner of Power

By: Dasha Lisitsina, Russell Finch
Narrated by: Misha Glenny
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  • Summary

  • On New Year's Eve 1999, a young Vladimir Putin appeared on Russian TV screens "” awkward, self-conscious... and the new President. Two decades later, Putin is still in power, standing self-assured and at ease on the world stage. How did a once little known KGB bureaucrat become one of the most dominant figures of twenty first century politics?

    In this gripping narrative history, Misha Glenny, journalist and best-selling author of McMafia, tells the story of an unexpected and swift rise to power "” one full of political intrigue, backroom deals, courtroom battles and war.

    Insider Kremlin accounts and well-known journalists reveal how Putin was first chosen by Yeltsin and the Oligarchy and how he then went head to head with Russia's richest man. After Putin had consolidated power he needed to stay in power. The second half of the series tells the story of how he took over the media, Crimea and increased the powers of the KGB. Finally, Misha considers what Putin might do next.

    Produced by Dasha Lisitsina, Executive Producer Russell Finch.
    A Somethin' Else production for Audible Originals.

    This is an Audible Original Podcast. Free for members. You can download all7 episodes to your Library now.

    ©2019 Audible, Ltd. (P)2019 Audible, Ltd.
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Episodes
  • Ep. 1: Rise of the Oligarch
    Aug 19 2019

    The seeds of Putin's rise to power lie in a slightly unusual place: 1990s Moscow where, after 70 years of communism, "gangster capitalism" arrived.

    Here we tell the story of how a young graduate student at The Institute of Controlled Sciences became one of the richest men in Russia and the Kremlin's Power Broke - Boris Berezovsky.

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    27 mins
  • Ep. 2: "Operation Successor"
    Aug 19 2019

    In 1998, a big financial crash hit Moscow. President Yeltsin’s popularity plummeted. Boris Berezovsky and Yeltsin’s family started the search for a successor. Why did they choose Putin and how did they mould Putin into a President the nation could get behind?

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    25 mins
  • Ep. 3: The President vs. The Power Broker
    Aug 19 2019

    As soon as Putin became President, he started eliminating his immediate rivals. First, Putin went after the very man who helped anoint him - Boris Berezovsky. Along the way, he seized control of the TV stations.

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    24 mins

What listeners say about Putin: Prisoner of Power

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  • 14-10-19

Typical BBC type propaganda

Half thruths twisted lies wont make a good peice of journalism. I'm not a Russian. Not a Putin supporter too. But prejudice and opinionated propaganda can't help to create public opinion nowadays you should remember.

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24 people found this helpful

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An interesting but biased story

First of all three hours is quite a short time to overview the last twenty years of Russian history.
Secondly, opinions are biased, all interviews are from people opposite to Putin. To put things straight, some important details are missed, like that Khodorkovsky wasn't an innocent billionaire, he and his companions were sentenced for serious crimes like contract kills and fiscal frauds. Nothing has been said about the improvements for ordinary people compared to USSR and 90s.
Otherwise, it was a good documentary on key persons in Russian politics.

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21 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Biased and unoriginal

If you are looking for an objective take on Putin's story, look elsewhere. This is the standard western narrative on Putin, nothing new. I especially like how the author jumped from Beslan to Ukraine, skipping ten years. What a fail.

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21 people found this helpful

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Shamefully biased and factually wrong

I am by no means defending Russia or Putin, but this documentary was far too critical of Russia. The Russians have right to protect their self interests like any other country. You CANNOT say Russians fixed the 2016 elections without any proof whatsoever. You CANNOT deny their right to protect their regions from western manipulations like in Ukraine. Plus west has a history of causing riots and changing government they don't like and then leaving the people in a hell with a huge power vacuum.
This documentary suggest that Russian do not have the right to breathe if west don't approve it.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Through Putin, understand every world leader

I haven't been following Russian news very much, so this has been a fascinating story. The journalism had an obvious Western bias, for example interviewing protesters extensively but not interviewing any Putin supporter at all. Typical Western propaganda. But most of the facts about Putin's actions seem accurate.
As you listen, you have to use your own judgement and remember this is not just a tyrant, but a highly intelligent political strategist. The tactics he uses for power are being mirrored by Trump, Xi, and so forth.
I'm inspired to wonder if having a strong leader in power for a long time is actually a good thing for the people, as opposed to the other option which is puppet leaders controlled by the oligarchy.

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14 people found this helpful

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Micha Glenie at his shining best.

Excellent interviews, real people, and a story which explains chillingly how a KGB bureaucrat, placed in power by oligarchs in a kleptocracy, came to master the game of gaining and keeping power.

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It's hit piece.. Hence free.. Totally biased..

Very boring.. Everything one sided nonsense... Atleast make an objective doc.. This was more like fox news style hit piece.. Anyone with common sense will find it very boring.

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11 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating political insight.

Presents a strong political argument why Putin remains in power today. Controlling TV broadcasts has allowed him to spread disinformation and confusion and appointing his own Oligarchs to facilitate being unopposed. I highly recommend this audio show. It is both gripping and disturbing at the same time.

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10 people found this helpful

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Compelling

I still can remember some of the storyes related here, living in a country influenced by russian authoritarians can not be forgotten even as a child.

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The politics of power

Unturnoffable. An excellent analysis of the former Soviet Union's descent into the abyss; the rise of the oligarchs; then Putin's rise from securocrat obscurity. An often heart-breaking journey through the tragedies of the Kursk submarine disaster; the Beslan school massacre; and the Ukraine. Just a pity that the Litvinenko and the Salisbury novichok poisonings were not covered. The great people of Russia - that beautiful, bitter, wormwood country - deserved better than this. Misha Glenny and team deserve an award for this work.

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9 people found this helpful