Putin's People

Catherine Belton's "Putin's People" delivers a chilling and meticulously researched exposé on the rise of Vladimir Putin and the KGB network that consolidated power and wealth in Russia. Beginning with the Soviet collapse, Belton unveils how operatives siphoned state assets, laying the groundwork for a new kleptocracy. The book details Putin's ascent, his replacement of Yeltsin-era tycoons with loyal oligarchs, and the subsequent subversion of Russia's economy and legal system. Through extensive insider access, Belton reveals how the Kremlin extended its influence globally, undermining Western institutions through election interference, extremist politics, and covert operations. Spanning from Moscow to London, this definitive account unravels the KGB's revanche, chronicling how the hopes for a new Russia ultimately went astray, with profound and increasingly global consequences.