Two Russian journalists, Roman Badanin and Mikhail Rubin, have published an 800-page biography of Vladimir Putin, detailing his rise to power and alleged cruelty. The journalists fled Russia after facing threats and being declared ‘undesirable’ by the Kremlin, fearing imprisonment or worse.
The publication of 'The Tsar in Person' provides a detailed, firsthand account of Vladimir Putin's rise and alleged authoritarian methods from journalists who have directly experienced the repression they describe. Their forced exile and ongoing safety concerns highlight the risks associated with independent reporting in Russia and underscore the Kremlin's efforts to control narratives.
Russian journalists Roman Badanin and Mikhail Rubin have published a comprehensive biography of President Vladimir Putin, titled 'The Tsar in Person,' which details his ascent to power and paints a grim picture of his leadership. The 800-page book, which has won the French literary award Grand Prix Strasbourg, is described by the jury as reading like a 'spy novel' and praises the authors' 'courage and commitment.'
Badanin and Rubin, founders of the independent investigative media project Proekt, fled Russia after facing escalating threats, interrogations, and raids by the FSB, Russia's intelligence service. The dawn raid on Badanin's Moscow apartment on June 29, 2021, followed by a similar raid at Rubin's home, served as a stark warning. Rubin recounted being threatened in 2019 after publishing an investigation into a Kremlin propaganda chief, with a Kremlin official warning of 'scary' consequences and security agents visiting his parents.
Following the FSB raids, Rubin found his passport placed on a table, which he interpreted as a message to leave the country. Less than three weeks later, Proekt was declared an 'undesirable' media outlet by the Kremlin, prompting Rubin to leave Moscow the next morning. Badanin, who was on holiday with his family in Morocco, chose not to return, stating his choice was between 'prison or exile.'
The biography chronicles Putin's journey from a KGB agent in St. Petersburg to his long tenure in the Kremlin. Badanin and Rubin, who have four decades of combined investigative experience, depict Putin as a modern-day tsar, a dictator characterized by 'limitless cruelty' and a disregard for morality and laws. They suggest that rivals and inconvenient individuals often meet untimely ends through accidents, poisonings, or other unexplained circumstances. The authors stated that the book is a result of 'war and repression, of exile and the death of some of those close to us, the suffering of friends thrown in prison.'
Badanin indicated that the book aims to inform young Russians about the country's past before Putin's rule and to counter myths about him circulating abroad. He asserted that Putin lacks a clear ideology, citing the war in Ukraine as a means to stay in power rather than an extension of his beliefs. Even in exile, thousands of miles away, the journalists report feeling unsafe from what they term 'Putin’s death squads,' with Badanin having been warned by FBI agents about a risk of attack by foreign special services.
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