Putin: Prisoner of Power Podcast with Misha Glenny cover art

Putin: Prisoner of Power

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Putin: Prisoner of Power

By: Dasha Lisitsina, Russell Finch
Narrated by: Misha Glenny
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About this listen

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. Politics & Activism Presidents & Heads of State
Episodes
  • Ep. 1: Rise of the Oligarch

    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
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  • Ep. 2: "Operation Successor"

    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
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  • Ep. 3: The President vs. The Power Broker

    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
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All stars
Most relevant
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.

Micha Glenie at his shining best.

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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.

Compelling

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Had to listen to all chapters . Extremely interesting about how Russian politics work and how things are done. An incite into a very different political world. Highly recommended.

Very good, entriquing incite into Russian politics

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Excellent family listening for a long car journey. Great background on the collapse of communism and the oligarchs Berezovsky and Khordorkovsky too.

Really enjoyed this.

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I highly enjoyed the background story of Putin's rise to power, I learned a lot and it picked my interest to investigate more and learn more about the current geopolitical situation in Russia.

However there were two things said in the book, that from my perspective didn't stand solid ground as arguments. The first one (this one is repeated throughout the book) is that, and I quote "If Putin wants to corrupt someone, he will do it because, money", a quite dull explanation in my estimation, a more balanced approach should include not just the greed for money that Putin may exploit, but also that the governmental system is procured in such a manner that not obliging may result in social, political and financial suppression by the ruling party, therefore Putin is able to corrupt its victims by both threatening their self preservation and offering handsome rewards to those who oblige.

The second argument is that Russia has meddled, and is still meddling with the USA's presidential election, almost assuming that they're the reason the current president was elected. As someone not involved with Russia or the USA, I can say I didn't hear any reasonable arguments or proof in this audiobook series to make such claims, and even though I don't completely disregard the possibility of being possible, it seemed to me the author was projecting his own beliefs to make this claim.

Having this two things in mind, I learned a lot and this book spiked my interest to investigate and learn more on my own, Audible, please make more series like this one, I'm sure many people will enjoy them. As for the narrator, I found it easy to engage in the story and his voice was pleasant to listen to.

Have a nice day everybody!

Great backstory, a little weak at the end.

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