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Putin: Prisoner of Power
- Length: 2 hrs and 45 mins
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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 all 7 episodes to your Library now.
About the author
Misha Glenny is an award-winning journalist, historian and academic. As the BBC's Central Europe Correspondent in the late 80s and early 90s, he covered the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the wars in the former Yugoslavia. In 1993, he won the Sony Gold Award for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting. Among his six books are McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld which maps the globalisation of organised crime after the collapse of communism in Russia, and has since been adapted into a successful TV drama. He has also written the only single volume narrative history of the modern Balkans which is required reading in history courses across the world.
Episode descriptions
Episode 1: Rise of the Oligarch
The seeds of Putin’s rise to power lie in a slightly unusual place: 1990's 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 broker - Boris Berezovsky.
Episode 2: Operation Successor
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?
Episode 3: The President vs. The Power Broker
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.
Episode 4: The Octopus State
In his quest to consolidate power, Putin went head to head with the richest man in Russia — the Oil Tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The battle that followed would determine what was more important in Putin’s new Russia: power or money?
Episode 5: The New Nobility Faces a Crisis
When Putin came to the Presidency, he didn’t leave his KGB past entirely behind him. The secret services quickly became “the new nobility” of Russia. When the biggest terrorist attack in Russia happened - hundreds of children held hostage at a school — this new nobility was put to the test.
Episode 6: Little Green Men
In 2014, a revolution started in neighbouring Ukraine. Months later, Putin’s man in Ukraine, President Yanukovich, fled the country in the middle of the night. This left Putin with a power vacuum he desperately had to fill and put him in conflict with the West.
Episode 7: What next?
Misha Glenny talks to former Russia advisor to President Bill Clinton, Mark Meddish, about the country’s political future. Where has Putin’s long rule left Russia today? How long will Putin hold on to power? Can he find a successor?
Critic reviews
"A polished, rigorous and sober account." (Esquire)
"A vivid portrait of a gauche ex-KGB civil servant who was transformed into a feared autocrat and one of the most powerful men in the world." (Financial Times)
"Glenny is a serious man, and this is serious stuff, told well." (The Observer)
What listeners say about Putin: Prisoner of Power
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Aimee
- 21-09-19
Fascinating
A really gripping and informative podcast. Some of the musical interludes are a bit long for my liking but I’m probably being really picky. Other people I’ve spoke to who have listened think they add drama. Either way, well worth a binge!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ekaterina Sitnikova
- 28-08-19
Great immature of what happened!
The music is a little much though and not sure if I agree with the final conclusion but all in all a good listen!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Paul
- 13-05-20
Enjoyable Listen
I really enjoyed this slight in-depth look at how the world of Putin operates, how he became what he is and how much power he wields in the current politics of today’s world.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Natalia Mueller
- 14-10-20
Outstanding
Very well narrated, incl interviews with Russian powerful and famous people. Well put, thorough & informative. Very good knowledge of Russian mentality, history & filled with details. Easy to listen, clear voice.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Brian
- 02-09-19
More of a play than a book
A very interesting performance- more like an audio documentary than a book recitation. Very enjoyable.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr M J Wheatland
- 05-04-20
The making of a Tyrant
Brilliant analysis of the rise of Putin and his power base, told simply and coherently and a reminder why the West should keep its guard up. Russia seems to regularly produce these tyrants and the wonder is why the Russian people continue to allow them to flourish whilst they themselves remain largely impoverished
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Sue Salisbury
- 21-04-20
Informative.
Enjoyable and not too long winded. I learnt a lot about the Russian regime that I never knew.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs. C. E. Bogh-henrikssen
- 21-10-20
Excellent
Very informative and well presented. This was not a subject I knew much about so I found it a very interesting overview - A digestible amount of information about a complicated situation.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- A. Shah
- 29-08-19
Brilliant
Really one of the best audible productions I’ve listened to. Of course there may be some anti-Putin propaganda here but that aside it is so well done and intriguing. I could have listened to this for many more hours - if only it was longer.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 17-01-20
Good overview of Putin’s politics
I found this to be pretty interesting, It’s a good overview of how Putin does politics, however there are many gaps in the timeline that are also key and show the capability of Russia as a country. Good listen, thank you
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