In 1999, Boris Yeltsin's inner circle selected Vladimir Putin as Russia’s next leader. He appeared to be a blank slate on which his supporters—and the world—could write their desires. Few saw what he really was. Read more from the VFArchive:
Chosen as Russia's next leader by Boris Yeltsin's inner circle, in 1999, Vladimir Putin appeared to be a blank slate on which his supporters, his country, and the world could write their desires.
Few saw what he really was, or the way he brutally erased his footprints on the climb to power. Fewer still have survived to decode him. As Russian forces bend Georgia to their will, MASHA GESSEN tells how one small, faceless man—backed by the vast secret-police machine that formed him—took control of the world's largest country
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