Name: All the Kremlin's Men
ISBN: 9781610397391

Mikhail Zygar

"Charting the transformation of Vladimir Putin from a passionate fan of the West and a liberal reformer into a hurt and introverted outcast, All the Kremlin's Men is a historical detective story, full of intrigue and conspiracy. This is the story of the political battles that have taken place in the court of Vladimir Putin since his rise to power, and a chronicle of friendship and hatred between the Russian leader and his foreign partners and opponents..."--

Inside the Court of Vladimir Putin

All the Kremlin's Men

An extraordinary behind-the-scenes portrait of the court of Vladimir Putin, the oligarchs that surround it, and the many moods of modern Russia that reads like a "real House of Cards"(Lev Lurie). All the Kremlin's Men is a gripping narrative of an accidental king and a court out of control. Based on an unprecedented series of interviews with Vladimir Putin's inner circle, this book presents a radically different view of power and politics in Russia. The image of Putin as a strongman is dissolved. In its place is a weary figurehead buffeted -- if not controlled -- by the men who at once advise and deceive him. The regional governors and bureaucratic leaders are immovable objects, far more powerful in their fiefdoms than the president himself. So are the gatekeepers-those officials who guard the pathways to power-on whom Putin depends as much as they rely on him. The tenuous edifice is filled with all of the intrigue and plotting of a Medici court, as enemies of the state are invented and wars begun to justify personal gains, internal rivalries, or one faction's biased advantage. A bestseller in Russia, All the Kremlin's Men is a shocking revisionist portrait of the Putin era and a dazzling reconstruction of the machinations of courtiers running riot.

Ilia Markov

Great reading that lifts the veil on what's going on inside Putin's court. The book reads like a "Who's who in Russian politics" and can really help understand the motivation and working of the Kremlin apparatus.

Some great stories as well, which make for an enjoyable reading.

I probably liked Ostrovsky's account a bit better, because it shows the underlying logic and philosophy that cause the events on the surface. However, reading the two books together will definitely help make sense of contemporary Russia.

All the Kremlin's Men Inside the Court of Vladimir Putin

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