Unveiling the Kremlin's Inner Circle: A Closer Look at the Rule of Vladimir Putin

Raymond: The story in this book is really interesting. All the pieces of news from journals and tv- emissions etc. become clear. It is like seeing a puzzle of many thousand pieces done. I learned a lot of Russia and the people there. To be read by anyone who is interested in geopolitics.

United States on Nov 02, 2023

West485: This book describes the strengths and weaknesses of all the people around Putin and how some fall from grace while his old buddies from Leningrad take many positions.

United States on Mar 07, 2023

GeoKeith: Interesting read, can provide some context into Putin's actions in Ukraine..

United States on Aug 08, 2022

Omkar Dhakephalkar: I got to know about this book via the YouTube channel Caspian Report (a must-watch for geopolitical content). Being a student of geopolitics myself, I thought this would be an interesting read, and was not disappointed. The writing is crisp and detailed. I do not know of any patent biases, but I may be wrong. This is the author's first book I am reading. If you are new to contemporary Russian politics and the klepto-Kremlinocracy, the named will soon start mixing with each other. It is a good idea to take notes to keep track.

India on Dec 06, 2021

Adam: Outstanding read, had difficulty placing the book down and going to bed at a reasonable time. The author does a remarkable job of capturing the men that surround the Russian President, and how Vladimir Putin balances competing interests of all the individuals within his "court".

Canada on Jan 24, 2020

Brian Lait: There are almost too many books out there on Vladimir, and I'm sure there will be many more !

This is the best book on Putin since I read Masha Gessen's book "The man without a face....."

Both authors write "from the inside". Through his numerous interviews over the years, Zygar is well placed to have in-depth knowledge of Putin and those around him. He writes in a clear, easy to read, style.

A considerable disadvantage with the Kindle is the inability to flick back and forth within the book. For example. at the beginning of this book there is an entire chapter detailing the names, and a sort of brief CV, of the main characters involved. Without being able to readily refer back to this list, I got a bit lost as to who is who within the book; and a lot of characters are mentioned.

Most interesting was the many insights revealed for the first time to me. For example, that the Rotenbergs hold Finnish nationality and that Boris Berezovsky apparently was Russian Orthodox by religion. I always assumed he was Jewish. Was I wrong, or did he 'convert' for convenience ??!! Also, that Putin was not initially in favour of the winter Olympics in Sochi; I thought he...

United Kingdom on Jan 13, 2019

Frodo: Read it and learn

United Kingdom on Nov 22, 2018

Frank H. Fuller: State Department, ignore this book at America's peril. Donald Trump, by his own admission, lacks the attention span to read a book. So, it's up to his key foreign policy advisors to do so and come up to speed on the real Putin and his Kremlin.

The book is a primer on the rise and reign of the Russian Caesar. Ukraine, Georgia, oil, the oligarchs, the massive lies, the assassinations... We learn who Putin is by his behind-the-scene actions and maneuvers, some known to us as reported in the papers, but much that is new. Michael Zygar has a golden Rolodex and has mined the minds of dozens of in-the-know sources. Yet, apparently, he hasn't yet crossed that invisible line that might mark his end. Perhaps Putin likes having his ruthless reputation burnished. This is not a psychological profile of Putin - that would be equally fascinating but perhaps more dangerous territory for a writer to venture into, but we can hope that one exists in Washington. You can bet Putin has his people working on our President-elect's profile.

United States on Dec 22, 2016

Amazon Customer: Great read - refreshingly original

What sets this book aside from all other books on Putin's Russia is 3 things:

1. Approach --> it does not portray Russia as ruled by 1 man, but gives an actual insight in the power structures and factions that rule the Kremlin

2. Author --> The author himself is Russian - he is involved with independent Russian tv station TV Rain (and had to resign after publishing this book because if pressure from the Kremlin). He managed to get very close to many of the men in power at the Kremlin, giving a unique insight from within this very closed group of people & power, instead of reporting from a distance, as is usually the case with books like these.

3. Writing style --> every chapter starts with an anecdote about a powerful figure. These anecdotes are great storytelling, especially the ones on Chechnyan leader Ramzan Kadyrov and head of Rosneft Igor Sechin. Also, the writer clearly tries to maintain a certain neutrality in his writing, whereas most western journalists / writers (Myers, Pomerantsev) clearly write from a certain moral high ground.

It's very refreshing, original, and I definitely recommend...

United States on Dec 13, 2016

Katya: Great book about the real life of Russia, nicely translated and with good fact-base. For everyone who wants to know more about Putin and Russia.

Germany on Dec 02, 2016