Putin

**The first comprehensive, fully up-to-date biography of Vladimir Putin, woven into the tumultuous saga of Russia over the last sixty years** Vladimir Putin is the world’s most dangerous man. Alone among world leaders, he has the power to reduce the United States and Europe to ashes in a nuclear firestorm and has threatened to do so. He invades his neighbors, most recently Ukraine, meddles in western elections, and orders assassinations inside and outside Russia. His regime is autocratic and deeply corrupt. But that is only half the story. Unflinching, hard-hitting, and objective, Philip Short’s biography gives us the whole tale, up to the present day. To the fullest extent anyone has yet been able, Short cracks open the strongman’s thick carapace to reveal the man underneath those bare-chested horseback rides. In this deeply researched account, readers meet the Putin who slept in the same room as his parents until he was twenty-five years old, who backed out of his wedding right beforehand, and who learned English in order to be able to talk to George W. Bush. Vladimir Putin is wreaking havoc in Europe, threatening global peace and stability and exposing his fellow citizens to devastating economic countermeasures. Yet puzzlingly many Russians continue to support him. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the many facets of the man behind the mask that Putin wears on the world stage. Drawing on almost two hundred interviews conducted over eight years in Russia, the United States, and Europe and on source material in more than a dozen languages, __Putin__ will be the last word for years to come.

The first comprehensive, fully up-to-date biography of Vladimir Putin, woven into the tumultuous saga of Russia over the last sixty years

Vladimir Putin is the world’s most dangerous man. Alone among world leaders, he has the power to reduce the United States and Europe to ashes in a nuclear firestorm and has threatened to do so. He invades his neighbors, most recently Ukraine, meddles in western elections, and orders assassinations inside and outside Russia. His regime is autocratic and deeply corrupt. But that is only half the story.

Unflinching, hard-hitting, and objective, Philip Short’s biography gives us the whole tale, up to the present day. To the fullest extent anyone has yet been able, Short cracks open the strongman’s thick carapace to reveal the man underneath those bare-chested horseback rides. In this deeply researched account, readers meet the Putin who slept in the same room as his parents until he was twenty-five years old, who backed out of his wedding right beforehand, and who learned English in order to be able to talk to George W. Bush.

Vladimir Putin is wreaking havoc in Europe, threatening global peace and stability and exposing his fellow citizens to devastating economic countermeasures. Yet puzzlingly many Russians continue to support him. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the many facets of the man behind the mask that Putin wears on the world stage.

Drawing on almost two hundred interviews conducted over eight years in Russia, the United States, and Europe and on source material in more than a dozen languages, Putin will be the last word for years to come.

The Extraordinary Story Of The World's Most Influential Leader Over The Last Twenty Years. 'anyone Wanting To Learn More About Putin's Personality, Ideas, Power...should Read This Outstanding Biography' Ian Kershaw Vladimir Putin Has The Power To Reduce The United States And Europe To Ashes In A Nuclear Firestorm. He Invades His Neighbours, Most Recently Ukraine, Meddles In Western Elections And Orders Assassinations Inside And Outside Russia. Yet Many Russians Continue To Support Him. Despite Western Sanctions, The Majority Have Been Living Better Than At Any Time In The Past. By Fair Means Or Foul, Under Putin's Leadership, Russia Has Once Again Become A Force To Be Reckoned With. Philip Short's Magisterial Biography Demolishes Many Of Our Preconceptions About Putin's Russia And Explores In Unprecedented Depth The Personality Of Its Enigmatic And Ruthless Leader. Since Becoming President In 2000, His Obsession Has Been To Restore Russia's Status As A Great Power, Unbound By Western Rules. What Forces And Experiences Shaped Him? What Led Him To Challenge The American-led World Order That Has Kept The Peace Since The End Of The Cold War? To Explain Is Not To Justify. Putin Pursues His Goals Relentlessly By Whatever Means He Thinks Fit. But On Closer Examination, Much Of What We Think We Know About Him Turns Out To Rest On Half-truths. This Book Is Essential Reading For Anyone Who Wants To Understand What Is Happening In Ukraine Today. 'A perfect mirror to its subject... should be compulsory reading' Observer Vladimir Putin is a pariah to the West. He has the power to reduce the West to nuclear ashes. He invades his neighbours, meddles in western elections and orders assassinations. His regime is autocratic and corrupt. Yet many Russians continue to support him. Under Putin's leadership, Russia has once again become a force to be reckoned with. Philip Short's magisterial biography explores in unprecedented depth the personality of Russia's leader and demolishes many of our preconceptions about Putin's Russia. To explain is not to justify. Putin's regime is dark. But on closer examination, much of what we think we know about him turns out to rest on half-truths. This book is as close as we will come to understanding Russia's ruler. 'Short's pushback against lazy, convenient myth-making is refreshing' The Times 'Elegantly written and pacy' Financial Times 'Extensively covers the dark moments of Putin's career.... The Putin of Short's book is not someone you would invite to dinner' New York Times "The first comprehensive, fully up-to-date biography of Vladimir Putin, woven into the tumultuous saga of Russia over the last sixty years. Vladimir Putin is wreaking havoc in Europe, threatening global peace and stability and exposing his fellow citizens to devastating economic countermeasures. Yet puzzlingly many Russians continue to support him. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the many facets of the man behind the mask that Putin wears on the world stage. Drawing on almost two hundred interviews conducted over eight years in Russia, the United States, and Europe and on source material in more than a dozen languages, Putin will be the last word for years to come"-- Provided by publisher Title Page About the Author By the Same Author Dedication Note on Spelling and Pronunciation Prologue 1: Baskov Lane 2: Legal Niceties 3: The Big House 4: Quiet Days in Saxony 5: Back in the USSR 6: The Grey Cardinal 7: The View from the Neva 8: Moscow Rules 9: The Cap of Monomakh 10: Power Vertical 11: A Bonfire of Illusions 12: The Russian Idea 13: Body Politic 14: Tandemocracy 15: The Straitjacket Tightens 16: Payback 17: Nemtsov, Wild Boar Sausages and the End of Liberalism 18: The Endgame Afterword Images Acknowledgements Illustration Credits Note on Sources Interviews Notes Index Copyright