
Who is the real Vladimir Putin? What does he want? What will he do next? Despite millions of words written about Putin’s Russia, the West still fails to truly understand one of the world’s most powerful politicians, whose influence spans the globe and whose networks of power reach into the very heart of our daily lives. In this essential handbook, Professor Mark Galeotti uncovers the man behind the myth, tackling major misperceptions about Putin and explaining how we can decipher his motivations and next moves. From his beginnings in the KGB and his true relationship with the United States to his vision for the future of Russia—and the rest of the world—Galeotti draws on new Russian sources and explosive previously unpublished accounts to offer unprecedented insight into the man at the center of global politics.