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Putin's Kleptocracy: Who Owns Russia? (A Modern History of Russia) Paperback – September 22, 2015

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 356 ratings

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The raging question in the world today is who is the real Vladimir Putin and what are his intentions. Karen Dawisha’s brilliant Putin’s Kleptocracy provides an answer, describing how Putin got to power, the cabal he brought with him, the billions they have looted, and his plan to restore the Greater Russia.

Russian scholar Dawisha describes and exposes the origins of Putin’s kleptocratic regime. She presents extensive new evidence about the Putin circle’s use of public positions for personal gain even before Putin became president in 2000. She documents the establishment of Bank Rossiya, now sanctioned by the US; the rise of the Ozero cooperative, founded by Putin and others who are now subject to visa bans and asset freezes; the links between Putin, Petromed, and “Putin’s Palace” near Sochi; and the role of security officials from Putin’s KGB days in Leningrad and Dresden, many of whom have maintained their contacts with Russian organized crime.

Putin’s Kleptocracy is the result of years of research into the KGB and the various Russian crime syndicates. Dawisha’s sources include Stasi archives; Russian insiders; investigative journalists in the US, Britain, Germany, Finland, France, and Italy; and Western officials who served in Moscow. Russian journalists wrote part of this story when the Russian media was still free. “Many of them died for this story, and their work has largely been scrubbed from the Internet, and even from Russian libraries,” Dawisha says. “But some of that work remains.”
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1476795207
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; Reprint edition (September 22, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781476795201
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1476795201
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.2 x 8.38 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 356 ratings

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Karen Dawisha
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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
356 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides well-researched and detailed information. They describe it as an interesting and compelling read that reads like a novel. The author paints an honest and unoptimistic picture of modern Russia's criminal state. There are mixed opinions on the writing style, with some finding it clear and easy to read, while others find it not quite as well-written as they had hoped. Readers have differing views on the scariness level, with some finding it chilling and terrifying, while others consider it frightening and accurate. Opinions vary on the corruption aspect, with some finding it clearly laid out and shameless, while others say the scale is breathtaking.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

53 customers mention "Information quality"49 positive4 negative

Customers find the book provides a well-researched and detailed overview of a relevant sector. They appreciate the author's expertise in Soviet history. The book is structured well, with interesting facts, interviews, and opinions. It also explains various relationships between Putin and the West.

"...Putin's Kleptocracy gives a detailed history of Putin and his associations through time starting with the beginning of his career in East Germany...." Read more

"Brilliant research put into a very informative no-holds-barred well written book...." Read more

"...seems to have covered nearly all available, and done a very credible job of assimilating and organizing them...." Read more

"...But ultimately this book is a masterpiece of detective work – hopefully the author will eventually write the next chapter covering post-2000 events..." Read more

45 customers mention "Readability"39 positive6 negative

Customers find the book easy to read. They describe it as an informative and interesting read, mentioning it reads like a suspense novel at times. The book is considered a must-read for politicians who deal with issues related to Russia.

"...This is a must read book for anyone who wants to know what is happening today in Russia and what has happened over the past several decades...." Read more

"...I found it interesting to read about the long history of allegations against Putin...." Read more

"...It's a brilliant must read book. Why then do I give it only three stars? The reason is because I also found it an infuriating read...." Read more

"...No matter - it still reads like a suspense novel at times." Read more

4 customers mention "Image quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides an honest and unflattering look at modern Russia's criminal state. They say it paints a grim picture of Putin and his cronies plundering the country.

"An incredibly compelling and disturbing view into the leadership of modern day Russia...." Read more

"Well written by the author. Paints a pretty grim picture of Putin and his cronys plundering the resources of Russia." Read more

"looks good" Read more

"An honest and unoptimistic look at modern Russia's criminal state..." Read more

22 customers mention "Writing style"14 positive8 negative

Customers have different views on the writing style. Some find it well-written and easy to read, with clear language and references. Others feel it's not as well-written as they had hoped, and reads like a financial disclosure document.

"...Putin's Kleptocracy is highly readable and very illuminating for the unfamiliar." Read more

"...for the story the book tells is however tempered by a writing style that is both dense given all the complicated data being conveyed and reads too..." Read more

"...people who would learn a few (hard) truths from Dawisha's excellent writing. Thank you Karen Dawisha for a greatly informative read...." Read more

"If you are looking for a fast easy read then you will need to look elsewhere...." Read more

7 customers mention "Scariness level"4 positive3 negative

Customers have different views on the book's scariness level. Some find it frightening and disturbing, providing chilling insights. Others say it presents an accurate portrayal of the FSB.

"...the west to understand and this book provides well documented and chilling insight." Read more

"...Finally, I must add a word about 9/11. The author presents a terrifying (and I suspect) accurate picture of how blundering FSB..." Read more

"Convincing, disturbing, essential reading...." Read more

"This is. A very scary book. If the writer is to be believed, Russia's president is a kleptomaniac who will stop at nothing to get what he wants...." Read more

6 customers mention "Corruption"3 positive3 negative

Customers have different views on the book's coverage of corruption in Russia. Some find it a well-researched and well-written account, while others say the scale of Putin's corruption is breathtaking and the book is an evil man.

"A very detailed account of Putin's corruption and criminal activities throughout his career and to the present day." Read more

"Putin is an evil man .He and his friends have stolen Russia's money and put the people in bondage and kills them. Russia needs another Revolution." Read more

"Well-researched and well-written account of Russian corruption and the role Putin and his cronies play in it." Read more

"Impunity and Shameless criminality..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2015
    This book is certainly topical given the events from 2014. Putin's Kleptocracy is essentially an account of Putin's political career and how he manoeuvred his way to the top and how he has created a circle of loyal oligarchs in a modern day corporatist political economy. The author carefully details Putin's associations through time from his early days in East Germany through to the modern projects like the Sochi Olympics and gives the reader a sense of the continuous evolution of Russian political economy after Yeltsin.

    The book gives the reader a very strong impression that there has been little evolution in the character of Putin and that the kleptocracy that Russia has become in the post Soviet era could be seen from his earliest days. I was for the most part unaware of the various public domain scandals that Putin was involved in but the author familiarizes the reader with all of the public issues Putin has faced and how he dealt with them. The author begins with his role in East Germany as part of the KGB, the author speculates that familiarity with moving money around offshore was learned during these years though the details of this period are the least documented. The author discusses how some of the slush funds conceptualized by KGB as an organization to protect its own as the Soviet Union was disintegrated were structured. The author moves into the days in the mayors office in St Petersburg during the food shortages. Putin effectively allowed for large scale theft by allowing export licences to be taken up by friends for massively subsidized natural resources like oil in exchange for the proceeds to be used for food to be imported back for the people of the city. The imports never came and the penalties under the export licenses were light basically allowing gifts of huge sums of money to close affiliates. These export licenses and the scandal around them continues to be in people's memories. The author moves on to the days in Moscow and how Putin became close to Yeltsin's inner circle and the family of oligarchs that supported him. The author goes into contentious territory by speculating that the Chechen bombings were orchestrated by the State to encourage the population to vote for a strongman leader. The author discusses some of the electoral fraud that occurred during Putin's first election and how voter numbers and relative turnout don't add up. The author discusses how in the early years Putin consolidated his power among the oligarchs using a highly legalist and police state like regime. The author also discusses how Putin took in large donations to fund the infamous Putin's Palace which is speculated to have cost over a billion US. The author makes some very well thought out examples to show obvious corruption (as thought it is not obvious but the examples are very concretely convincing). As an example the author details how Gazprom uses many many offshore tax shelters. Now obviously private sector companies try to be as tax efficient as possible but a state owned enterprise would never engage in such activity as its owner is the state. Hence the offshore vehicles are purely for members of the state and the board to shelter themselves from the state itself.

    Putin's Kleptocracy gives a detailed history of Putin and his associations through time starting with the beginning of his career in East Germany. At times the information can get you bogged down as it is impossible to keep track of all the names but in aggregate the continuity of the character of Putin comes through. The reader gets the sense that Putin has been looking to shape Russia into the country it is today from the beginning, in particular a corporatist state in which the state supports elite corporate profit in return for the corporate sector supporting the state when needed. The income inequality in Russia is astounding with 110 people apparently owning 35% of national output. The scale is unprecedented. Given the shock to oil in 2014 it will be fascinating to see how the situation in Russia plays out. Putin's Kleptocracy is highly readable and very illuminating for the unfamiliar.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2015
    Brilliant research put into a very informative no-holds-barred well written book.

    I am British and was recommended to read this book by Edward Lucas who greatly aided Mrs. Dawisha in getting the book published.

    Apart from anything else, I was intrigued to read a book which British publishers of fame had refused to publish for fear of legal reprisals. What a sad nation of so-called free speech the UK has become. So, I had a copy sent over form the USA !

    I spent a number of years working in former Iron Curtain countries (Romania and Ukraine) and visiting a number of others (Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Russia) so not surprisingly I have more than a passing interest in what goes on there.

    From the start I have viewed Putin as pure evil and this book more than supports my opinion. I have read quite a few other quality books about Putin (such as Masha Gessen's "The Man Without a Face"), and many, many media reports, but Dawisha's book is by far and away the most detailed in the dissection of Putin and what's happened in Russia during his Tsarist styled reign and the years leading up to it.

    Regardless, I'm not sure even yet as to how the heck Putin got to where he is from, as it were, where he was. Dawisha states on the inside of the cover: "Jobless to president in three and a half years", but I don't think she explains clearly how that could have been. I am still left wondering whether Putin is out there as his own man, or whether he is out there with shadowy figures in the Kremlin background who could, if they so chose, remove him. In the second paragraph of chapter four: "Why was Putin able to secure a series of key positions in Moscow beginning in 1996 ? Hill and Gaddy provide the answer: "The people who brought Vladimir Putin from St. Petersburg to Moscow never cared about his credentials as a specialist in developing business. For them he was an expert in controlling business". So, I ask, who are "the people" ??

    Did I miss something in the book which answers this question ?

    This is a must read book for anyone who wants to know what is happening today in Russia and what has happened over the past several decades. I can think of many politicians and business people who would learn a few (hard) truths from Dawisha's excellent writing.

    Thank you Karen Dawisha for a greatly informative read. More please !
    13 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Daniel
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book regardless of existing background
    Reviewed in Canada on January 17, 2021
    Fantastic book. As someone with a surface level understanding of Russia it seemed a little intimidating at first... however getting the broad strokes is easy enough. Think people going in with a small amount of knowledge on Russia to more experienced will both enjoy it as long as you’ve got some personal interest/curiosity.
  • Cliente Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Russia nunca deixou de ter um Czar, e Putin é o mais poderoso de toda sua historia.
    Reviewed in Brazil on March 23, 2017
    A Russia em toda sua historia nunca deixou de ser uma autocracia. Apesar do ultimo Romanov ter morrido na revolução de Lenin, ela nunca deixou de ter um Czar. Stalin foi um dos piores da historia, até Putin tomar o poder.
    Neste livro, que é uma investigação minuciosa do funcionamento do poder na Russia e como Putin tem mais poder do que qualquer outro governante em toda sua historia, é assustador que até hoje nenhum dos países democraticos, principalmente os EUA, nada tenham feito sobre isso, dado o risco imenso que ele significa para os países livres.
    Putin é um genia do crime, jamais se arriscaria perigosamente sem ter uma carta na manga. Ele interferiu nas eleições americanas por que tem Donal Trump na mão. E Trump sabe que se as coisas esquentarem todos saberão que um traidor da patria esta na Casa Branca.
  • Je refuse la censure sur le contenu même des livres achetés et commentés
    5.0 out of 5 stars Somme exceptionnellement documenté sur POUTINE et son clan que tout citoyen du monde doit avoir dans sa bibliothèque
    Reviewed in France on June 29, 2016
    Ce livre, avec celui d'Anna POLITKOVSKAIA qui a un chapitre sur la corruption dans l'Oural, est le meilleur parmi la dizaine d'ouvrages sur POUTINE et GAZPROM que j'ai lu. Compte tenu de sa densité, il m'a fallu plusieurs jours pour le lire en prenant des notes sur les pages de garde.

    Les points clés sont les suivants :
    - page 10 : POUTINE a 20 résidences, 58 avions, 4 yachts.
    - page 11 : IKEA est piégé.
    - page 14 : la Russie est un état-mafia.
    - page 15 : aveuglement d'OBAMA, MERKEL, SARKOZY, HOLLANDE de 2008 à 2014.
    - page 22 : assassinat de KLEBNIKOV de Forbes.
    - page 25 : le KGB est incontournable.
    - page 41 : POUTINE battait sa femme à Dresde.
    - page 49 : POUTINE trafiquait avec la Fraction Armée Rouge.
    - page 67 : POUTINE "le totalitarisme est inhérent à la mentalité de notre peuple".
    - page 67 et page 285 : lien avec le crime organisé TAMBOV et MALYSHEV actionnaire de la banque Rossiya et de la coopérative Ozero.
    - page 69 : un des 4 plus grands réseaux du crime organisé du monde.
    - page 125 : assassinat de SAL'YE.
    - page 132 : Baltik-Escort de ZOLOTOV est l'interlocuteur du crime organisé, SPAG étant un organisme de blanchiment commun.
    - page 138 : SCHROEDER bloque l'enquête sur SPAG dès qu'il devient chancelier mais la police fait fuiter le dossier.
    - page 141 : Nord Stream est dirigé par un ex-STASI.
    - page 144 : les services russes contrôlent le crime organisé.
    - page 178 et 197 : POUTINE tenait SOBCKAK dès 1990, SOBCHAK est assassiné en 2000 avant de témoigner.
    - page 187 : histoire de LITVINENKO ancien du service Action du KGB.
    - page 192 : la 1ère guerre de Tchétchénie était déjà électorale.
    - page 200 : les services français ont enregistré la rencontre BESAYEV-VOLOSHIN pour organiser la 2e guerre électorale de Tchétchénie.
    - page 201 : bombardement de soldats russes au Dagestan.
    - page 210 : 2e guerre de Tchétchénie, 50% de réfugiés en 2 mois.
    - page 212-215 : bombe de Ryazan et FSB.
    - page 249 : élections de 2000 tr'uquées.
    - page 259 : les attentats sont liés au FSB selon NTV.
    - page 287 : Koursk.
    - page 283 : disparition de 20 Mds $ d'actions de GAZPROM.
    - page 291 : assassinat de PATARKATSISHVILI qui avait sorti POUTINE du chômage.
    - page 300 : organigramme du racket pour le Versailles de POUTINE sur la mer Noire.
    - page 309 : ZOLOTOV à MUROV "Il y en a trop à tuer même pour nous."
    - page 316 : corruption 300 Mds/an soit le budget de la Russie.
    - page 318 : 111 000 entrepreneurs en prison dans le cadre de la spoliation.
    - page 327 : captation d'Hermitage de Bill BROWDER.
    - page 329 : la corruption à GAZPROM 40 Mds $ équivaut aux profits 44,7 Mds $.

    Cette énumération est incomplète et il faut lire le livre toutes affaires cessantes... si on lit l'anglais.

    La somme de Karen DAWISHA est une véritable encyclopédie.

    La présentation en couverture ignore l'aspect létal du système très présent tout au long de l'ouvrage.
  • Caroline Graham-Brown
    5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning and readable analysis of Power in Russia today
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2015
    A stunning and detailed analysis of who rules the Russian Federation and how they do it. I could not put it down. This is a scholarly and highly researched and referenced analysis. And a great read. It helped me to understand why Russia is in Syria. I was in Russia earlier this year and locals made certain comments which I did not fully understand. Now I do. The middle classes are enjoying titbits of growing affluence, but the 110 billionaires own 35% of the entire wealth of the country. I think most of us wonder how the ones who live in London (where our rule of law protects them and their money) achieved such fabulous wealth so quickly.

    Interestingly, because of the UKs tough libel laws, this book cannot be published in the UK. Our rule of law protecting these modern robber barons.

    This extraordinarily enlightening book explains it all. Pack it in the Christmas stocking.
  • Joost
    5.0 out of 5 stars le mafia de Putin
    Reviewed in France on May 15, 2024
    Une livre lequel est necessaire a lire avec les problems au Ukraine et comment Putin organisé toutes. Quend le chef de mafia Japonnais dit que il est stupifait...