Godfather of the Kremlin: The Decline of Russia in the Age of Gangster Capitalism

The author was a descendant of Tsarist era military officer who grew up in the west and believed in democracy.He really wanted to see democracy come to Russia and greatness restored to the land of his ancestors and he really did take a lot of risks by writing articles exposing the deeds of the oligarchs and the chechen separatists.In doing this ,he not only opposed these odious figures but he was also the only mainstream western reporter who went up against the current thought in the western media which portrayed the 90s as being a troubled but necessary transition for Russia .Indeed ,he was the only major western reporter who did not see the Yukos affair as a troubling event.To those who seek to disparage this work should remember that the man died for a worthy and noble cause and to denigrate this book is to desecrate his legacy,especially in light of the fact that the main "villain" in this book has basically admitted of being involved in most of the crimes he has been accused of ,even asking for an amnesty and that recently a Swiss court returned the funds he embezzled to Aeroflot. That being said the book provides a vivid description of the 90s in Russia describing the business dealings of Berezovsky and showing the political dealings inside the Kremlin.He successfully debunks the myth that Russia was in the process of transitioning to democracy in the 90s and instead shows that the Yeltsin regime was in many ways similar to a corrupt ,third world regime that employed all kinds of cynical machinations to enrich itself and stay in power whilst imposing hardship on its people and using the threat of the communist Bogeyman to enroll western support.The disturbing thing about this is not only that they essentially robbed a country and brought it to its knees but that the country that they did this to possessed a vast arsenal of nuclear weapons and that their actions pushed not only russia but the world to the brink of chaos. I recommend this book to understand not only Russia during the 90s but also to fully understand the current Russian leadership.Current wester mainstream thought holds Yeltsin as a democrat and Putin as a dictator but this book really shows the truth that both regimes were basically similar in their attitude towards democracy and that it's just that Putin turned out to be more competent.This is important because if you look at the fact that Russia was on a democcratic path ,then of course Putin will look like a villain but if you look at the fact that under Yeltsin a group of immoral,thiefing businessmen stole the wealth of a country,impoverished its citizens and brought it to the brink of disintegration and anarchy and that it was Putin who restored the vitality of the state whilst exiling or jailing the most unsavoy of these characters,then what emerges is not a black or white picture but one with a lot of shades of gray.

Anyone who is at least somewhat familiar with the period of transition from the Soviet command economy to Russia's "free market" knows that the shift was far from smooth and successful. The most valuable assets of the former Soviet Union ended up in the hands of a very small bunch of so called oligarchs. Most of these "entrepreneurs" were not interested in improving the enterprises they came to control, but rather sucked them dry and embezzled the profits, essentially, at the expense of the state and most importantly at the expense of the impoverished Russian population.This book does a fantastic job explaining the events and the people behind the aforementioned transition. Contrary to what the dubious one star reviews claim, this book is not a smear campaign, nor is it any sort of tabloid journalism. The tactics that were used in embezzlement as well as the widespread corruption are not a product of speculation but rather a well known fact that has been documented in numerous publications and reports. Additionally, the author's concentration on one particular oligarch, is not motivated by some personal vendetta as the one star reviewers once again claim, but was a decision based on the prominence of this individual in Russian politics at the time.All in all, this book is not really about just one person, but rather about the endemic corruption, crony capitalism, massive embezzlement of state funds and government incompetency that plagued Russia in 1990's during Yeltsin's presidency. If you are interested in the details of this unfortunate epoch of Russian history this book is an absolute must read.

Kiebnikov lays down a fascinating story of collapse and corruption as the Soviet Union came apart. And the major role played by just a few who managed to grab power. It is eye opening to learn that the GDP descended to below Mexico and that on a per capita basis the Russians became poorer than Peru. Health care collapsed. Morality rates increased. All while a few became extremely wealthy robbing the country of its bountiful natural wealth. The selection of Putin presents an interesting series of unlikely events resulting from a dysfunctional government and a desire to protect the Yeltsin family and the oligarchs. Putin did protect the Yeltsin family and many of the oligarchs, but now finds himself in Yeltsin's position. He needs to find a successor who will manage to hold power and protect him and his cronies.

This is a great book by a good author with a fantastic approach to the subject at hand.Even with all the warnings about some of the things being to good to be true ( or bad for that matter) the reality has surface just by watching the news about Russia.I like the fact that the author was able to track all the corrupt corporations in countries like Great Britain,Switzerland and USA.The author mentions names,dates and places with accuracy.Also i enjoyed his explanations and the political and economic ramifications that the corruption in Russia has brought.It is very sad to see how Boris Yeltsin drove Russia to the ground while pretending to be a good president.The Book shows how Yeltsin is as guilty as anyone in Russia of its problems.He was just a mummified puppet with a stupid smile.Anyone with interest in recient history of Russia should read this book.

Ouvrage à but diffamatoire. Les Etats Unis (voire la Grande Bretagne) ne sont capables de perdre honorablement une guerre économique, voire une guerre, tout simplement. Après la Deuxième Guerre Mondiale ils ont diffamé et essayé de saboter par tous les moyens leur ancien allié. La situation se répète aujourd'hui. Or, ils doivent comprendre que la Russie n'a jamais été une dictature, et économiquement, est une grande puissance. Et les Etats Unis, et la Grande Bretagne se déshonorent encore une fois dans leurs "approche" (?!!!)de la Russie. INTOX. Manque totale de fair play.

Met Berezovsky in late 1992 and followed his rise and fall in the wild west show of Russian business over the years and this book explains the way it worked.

Reading it for the second time because it's that good.

recommend it

The late Paul Klebnikov has written as good a book on the murky and criminal side of Russian business as I will probably read for some time to come. His research into the business interests of Berezovsky is excellent and he provides the reader with a fascinating insight into the turbulent and violent Moscow of the 1990's. Highly recommended reading.