110 J G P C D M Khodorkovsky has been arrested, dispossessed and has lost his private com private his lost has and dispossessed arrested, been has Khodorkovsky Ru in man richest the that personally, Putin, from learns Kasyanov date. explains the resignation, in 2004, of Prime Minister Kasyanov before Putin’s second ma Minister. Gessen Prime us, the to even unknown oen mostpresident,orders the by gi ordersdirect the to butParliament (Duma), the Governmentor the ministration, for once good Putin rose to power. stop was democratization of process e state. democratic wasn’tisn’tRussiaa and wasn’t book translatedeven Russian. in Herwhole the workus, comestellto the United States of America when it came out, hiding in Russia for her own saf the risk taken by writing such a isbook also the fact that Masha Gessen Testparents. and friends his aboutPutin’s throughwriting life,us entire walk about hope the that change things will for better. the an 2011 December in placeprotests took the thataboutwrites Gessen whereepilogue, t of pages last the on relying question, this to answer the assume only can Put on book this wrote she when happen would this that know Gessen Masha mandate. four-yearMedvedev’s Dmitri aer Federation, Russian the of president 1991 to present the day, since Vladimir Putin especially president. was elected Russi path the about thing same the Wesay can book. the I’veclosed since toed Vanity Fair, e New Republic, Granta, and Slate, among other publications. Gessen brings serious accusations against Putin, not referring to the presidentialad the toreferring not accusationsagainst Putin, serious brings Gessen is book is an irrefutable proof of courage on behalf of the author, as s author,as the of behalf on courage of proof irrefutable an is book is e book was published in March 2012, at the very time Vladimir Putin was reelected “Ifit wasn’t itquite sad, would can’tbe I so funny”idea the is getout of my 314 pp. , $27.95, pp. 314 March2012, 1 Riverhead 1594488428, Books, ISBN US, Unlikely The Rise Vladimir of Putin MashaGessen, lyPerfect Rigor. Editor of Russian-language the Snob magazine, she hasco ASHA ASHA GESSEN IS a journalist and the author of several previous books, most recent- The man without a face: face: without a man The BOOK BOOK REVIEWS , , wasn’t present in ssia, Mikhail Mikhail ssia, he book, the the book, he a took since took a pany Yukospany world,that he tries to tries he head ever head ifying for ifying ety ety as the ntribut- in? We in? Did ped ped ven n- d - annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to Chubais on the 26th of J except he when was incharge for period the of FSB. the Yeltsin, Boris President of administration the in working while Sobchak, for working Minister,Prime became heuntil years 1991-1999, duringthe dutieswhat werewhile his m werwas whatsureforsay canone Also,no starve. toentire cityan leaving Sobchak when Petersburg Sankt of city the of budget the from dollars of didn’tforYetaskbribe. laundering,moneyofmi tensof him Marinaaccuses Salye bureaucraonly the been had he because Putin byimpressed been had he claimed Starovoitova and many others. Sobchak, AnatolyPolitkovskaia, Anna Litvinenko, Alexander are them Among busin journalists, activists, political as such regime, the of opponents as sia Among them, we only know a few names, namely those who became known o main reason why those who stood up against the president or his methods lost t outelse, taking the of terrorists the instead of lives the of hostages. the their lives, following the actions of the Special Forces who then valued, abov takeover in the Moscow theatre and the Beslan school, during which over 430 Minister during the presidency of Yeltsin.Boris ese were then followed by the hos he when given attacks,speech following the speech his aer especially ident, Putin’sto directly Republicled andChechen the with war the ofrestart ele as served attacks ese reported. story o!cial the as terrorist Chechen fact organized by the FSB, with the direct involvement of president Putin , and not b attacks in various buildings across Russianseveral cities that took place in 1999 where in th feelsauthors other supportedby too.Gessen theory a terrorism, months aer Putin’s inauguration as president. count the "ee to forced was Berezovsky aer this all And king. another making ing use of his actions against Putin, !nancing his opponents, hoping he would succeed maintainto impression,and continuedthis tried „kingmaker” a himself believe to Gessen’s opinion, Berezovsky was exaggerating bac his yearsin"uence in few Putin’sa taken had rise to she power, interview entireas h the published Gessen Masha 2013, M of 23rd the on away passed Berezovsky aer days few Berezovsky.A Boris don, to evasion, tax as it o!cially stated. had been for having !nanced other politcal parties, particularly the Communist Pa WhoMr.is question the putwasPutin? moderator by the Russian of the Panel Berezo honesty. was qualities praised most Putin’s of one meantime, the In Another obsession of Putin’s is, as putsGessen it, a „personal vendetta”, this b e worst accusation Gessen brings against the president of the Russian Federation Special Special attention was given to Putin’s relation to the Russian billionair BOOK BOOK REVIEWS at the terroristbomb the at e Putin’se concerns e, exiled in Lon- a reason for the the for reason a rty, and not due ction as pres-as ction e everything e everything essmen etc. essmen utside Rus- people lost was Prime was heir lives. eing the ry three ry anuary Galina Galina t who who t at the llions mak- y the ayor, k. 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