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 became 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.