Putin's People audiobook cover - How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took On the West

Putin's People

How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took On the West

Catherine Belton

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Mind Map

Putin's People
KGB Roots & Early Career
  • KGB Ambitions
  • Dresden Assignment (1985)
The 1990s Power Shift
  • Rise of the Oligarchs
  • St. Petersburg Corruption
Ascension to Presidency
  • Rapid Promotions
  • 1999 Apartment Bombings
Consolidating Domestic Power
  • Media Takeover
  • Seizing the Oil Industry
Forging National Identity
  • Exploiting Terrorism
  • Ideological Shifts
Global Financial Infiltration
  • Slush Funds
  • Infiltrating London
Geopolitical Warfare
  • Proxy Wars
  • European Subversion
Subverting the US
  • Donald Trump Ties
  • 2016 Election Interference

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 10
What was the primary goal of the KGB's secret 'Operation Luch' in East Germany while Vladimir Putin was stationed in Dresden?
  • A. To assassinate the leaders of the West German government.
  • B. To build a network of agents to infiltrate political circles and ensure KGB survival even if Germany reunified.
  • C. To smuggle East German citizens across the Berlin Wall in exchange for foreign currency.
  • D. To steal advanced military technology from NATO bases located in West Germany.
Question 2 of 10
Why did the KGB temporarily lose its dominant grip on Russia's economy in the 1990s?
  • A. Boris Yeltsin's democratic reforms and the loans-for-shares privatization scheme empowered a new class of business oligarchs.
  • B. Mikhail Gorbachev completely dismantled the KGB's foreign intelligence and financial networks.
  • C. The Red Army Faction seized control of Russia's major banking institutions.
  • D. Western sanctions forced the KGB to surrender its domestic assets to foreign investors.
Question 3 of 10
How did Vladimir Putin and the KGB initially build their 'obschak' (slush fund) during the economic chaos in St. Petersburg in the early 1990s?
  • A. By heavily taxing the newly formed private oil companies.
  • B. By issuing export licenses for food imports that never arrived, funneling the money into the fund instead.
  • C. By selling state-owned television stations to foreign media conglomerates.
  • D. By seizing the assets of the local Communist Party headquarters.
Question 4 of 10
What 1999 event significantly boosted Vladimir Putin’s public image, allowing him to appear as a strong commander-in-chief before his presidency?
  • A. The successful negotiation of a peace treaty with Chechnya.
  • B. The sudden economic boom caused by rising global oil prices.
  • C. A series of deadly apartment bombings across Russia that he blamed on Chechen fighters.
  • D. His televised debate victory against the leading oligarch, Boris Berezovsky.
Question 5 of 10
What was the primary reason Vladimir Putin targeted Mikhail Khodorkovsky and dismantled his oil company, Yukos?
  • A. Khodorkovsky refused to pay his share into the KGB's St. Petersburg slush fund.
  • B. Khodorkovsky was secretly funding Chechen separatist groups.
  • C. Khodorkovsky refused to bend to Putin's will, funded political opponents, and pushed for Western market integration.
  • D. Khodorkovsky attempted to sell Yukos exclusively to the Chinese government.
Question 6 of 10
According to the text, why did Vladimir Putin direct Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich to purchase Chelsea Football Club?
  • A. To launder money stolen directly from the Russian state budget.
  • B. To bankrupt British sporting institutions as revenge for Western sanctions.
  • C. To normalize the Russian presence in the UK and get the British public to accept them via their national sport.
  • D. To create a safe haven for exiled KGB agents living in London.
Question 7 of 10
How did Russia retaliate against Ukraine in 2005 after the pro-Western candidate Victor Yushchenko won the presidency?
  • A. By immediately annexing the Crimean Peninsula.
  • B. By threatening to dramatically hike gas prices unless Ukraine agreed to use a specific middleman company.
  • C. By funding a massive cyberattack on Ukraine's voting infrastructure.
  • D. By expelling all Ukrainian migrant workers from Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Question 8 of 10
In addition to funneling black cash into the West, how did Putin's regime attempt to spread its ideological influence and weaken the EU?
  • A. By purchasing major Western news outlets like the BBC and CNN.
  • B. By creating NGOs focused on Russian Orthodoxy and funding extreme anti-establishment political parties.
  • C. By offering free university education in Moscow to European politicians.
  • D. By mandating the teaching of the Russian language in Eastern European public schools.
Question 9 of 10
How did Putin's administration exploit the 2003 Moscow Dubrovka theater siege?
  • A. They used the incident to justify a massive crackdown on Russian oligarchs.
  • B. They blamed the attack on Western interference to justify cutting diplomatic ties with the US.
  • C. They used it to forge a national identity, boost Putin's ratings, and escalate military activity in Chechnya.
  • D. They used it as an excuse to shut down the Moscow stock exchange and seize foreign assets.
Question 10 of 10
According to the text, what was the primary benefit to Putin and his KGB cronies of Donald Trump winning the US presidency?
  • A. Trump promised to eliminate all US domestic oil production to favor Russia.
  • B. Trump’s populist and divisive messaging sowed discontent in America, weakened NATO, and encouraged Brexit.
  • C. Trump agreed to officially recognize the annexation of Crimea in his first 100 days.
  • D. Trump allowed Russian oligarchs to purchase controlling stakes in American defense companies.

Putin's People — Full Chapter Overview

Putin's People Summary & Overview

Putin’s People (2020) is a shocking account of the corruption and political schemes that swirl around Russia’s infamous president, Vladimir Putin, and his close inner circle. The KGB is well-known as the former Soviet Union’s secret police force – but that was far from its only role in the Soviet government and economy. This is the story of how the KGB lost its power, gained it back, and has been exploiting it ever since.

Who Should Listen to Putin's People?

  • Fans of political intrigue and international relations
  • Students of Russian history and culture
  • Anyone curious about the inner workings of Vladimir Putin’s regime

About the Author: Catherine Belton

Catherine Belton is an investigative journalist who currently works as a special correspondent for Reuters. Formerly, she served the Financial Times as its Moscow correspondent and then its legal correspondent. She was shortlisted for Business Journalist of the Year at the British Press Awards in 2008.

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