Putin’s People

How the KGB Took Back Russia and then Took on the West

By: Catherine Belton

Narrated by: Dugald Bruce-Lockhart

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘An outstanding exposé of Putin and his criminal pals’ SUNDAY TIMES

‘Her much-awaited book is the best and most important on modern Russia’ THE TIMES

A chilling and revelatory expose of the KGB’s renaissance, Putin’s rise to power, and how Russian black cash is subverting the world.

In Putin’s People, former Moscow correspondent and investigative journalist Catherine Belton reveals the untold story of how Vladimir Putin and his entourage of KGB men seized power in Russia and built a new league of oligarchs.

Through exclusive interviews with key inside players, Belton tells how Putin’s people conducted their relentless seizure of private companies, took over the economy, siphoned billions, blurred the lines between organised crime and political powers, shut down opponents, and then used their riches and power to extend influence in the West.

In a story that ranges from Moscow to London, Switzerland and Trump’s America, Putin’s People is a gripping and terrifying account of how hopes for the new Russia went astray, with stark consequences for its inhabitants and, increasingly, the world.

‘A fearless, fascinating account … Reads at times like a John le Carré novel … A groundbreaking and meticulously researched anatomy of the Putin regime, Belton’s book shines a light on the pernicious threats Russian money and influence now pose to the west’ Guardian

Critic reviews

‘This is the most remarkable account so far of Putin’s rise … Groundbreaking … several hair-raising revelations … Relentless and convincing. There are gobsmacking moments … This is a superb book’
OBSERVER

‘A fearless, fascinating account … Reads at times like a John le Carré novel… A groundbreaking and meticulously researched anatomy of the Putin regime, Belton’s book shines a light on the pernicious threats Russian money and influence now pose to the west’
GUARDIAN

‘Modern Russia in full, horrifying technicolour … this riveting, immaculately researched book is arguably the best single volume written about Putin, the people around him and perhaps even about contemporary Russia itself in the past three decades’
PETER FRANKOPAN, FINANCIAL TIMES

‘Books about modern Russia abound … Belton has surpassed them all. Her much-awaited book is the best and most important on modern Russia. It benefits from a meticulous compilation of open sources, but also from the accounts of disillusioned Kremlin insiders, former business cronies and some remarkably candid people still high up in the system. The result is hair-raising.’
THE TIMES

‘An outstanding exposé of Putin and his criminal pals … [A] long-awaited, must read book’
SUNDAY TIMES

‘Arguably the biggest story of the 21st century so far. In forensically unravelling it, journalist Catherine Belton has done a great service, producing a book that western experts on modern Russia acknowledge as vital to our understanding of the Putin phenomenon’
DAILY MAIL, BOOK OF THE WEEK

‘A serious, absolutely timely warning. No book has documented the Russian president’s leadership so indefatigably and compellingly’
DAILY TELEGRAPH

‘Meticulously researched and superbly written; terrifying in its scope and utterly convincing in its argument … The Putin book that we've been waiting for’
OLIVER BULLOUGH

‘An extraordinarily important book’
CHRIS PATTEN

Informative

2025 an absolute must read in order to understand where we stand under the current global pressure better.

If this is true, it’s revealing

Very nice book. Describes the “unique Russian path” that our president steered Russia towards. Assuming it’s true, of course.

Great listen, but produced with little flaws

highly recommend, an insight into modern politics, not only Russian, but also the USA and EU.

But: hope this will be fixed: between some chapters end, you listen that they have been overly edited, a word or a phrase may be a miss. listen to last 5 seconds of the chapters, will understand.

Basic knowledge for everyone

Clear explanation of the ”Russian intelligence interfering in *” cases and what is wrong with the regime, with witty descriptions for characters whose names may be unfamiliar or hard to remember. As a Russian who grew up abroad, I wish this was fiction that did not affect ordinary Russians’ lives (most of whom are quite disgusted by these dealings.)

The full Understanding of Putinism !

Funded by the fallout of the collapse of the Soviet empire, Putin's oligarchy has an effective grip on the financial world and gave the world the full brunt of malign Trumpism! The Putin state mafia put the Trump crime family in the white house through the greed of the Deutsche Bank.....