Downfall

Prigozhin, Putin, and the new fight for the future of Russia

By: Anna Arutunyan, Mark Galeotti

Narrated by: Mark Galeotti

Brought to you by Penguin.

Evgeny Prigozhin emerged as one of the most dangerous warlords in the world and as one of Vladimir Putin's chief rivals in Russia's tumultuous political climate, exiled after leading Wagner's attempted coup and killed in a mysterious plane crash. But what is the truth about this enigmatic figure, his role in the war with Ukraine, and the chaos unleashed across Russia by his turn against Putin? And, the aftermath of his death, what is next for Russia in the new stage of late Putinism that Prigozhin's life forged?

Drawing on years of research, this book traces the rise of Russia's most prominent non-state actor and examines the political climate that propelled a convicted gangster with no government office to the formidable role he has come to occupy. An essential story of Russia's recent history, The Warlord is also a compelling insight into its likely future.

©2024 Anna Arutunyan and Mark Galeotti (P)2024 Penguin Audio

concise and clearly explained

If you are familiar with the previous books, this one falls in the same line. It does not add too much to what already written or shown elsewhere, but the brilliance of the book lies in its fine lines connecting the dots. All in all, well worth the purchase.

Great book

I would only say that people from St. Petersburg were never middle-class in Russia or the USSR, nor were people from Moscow. The whole region worked for their pleasure. Check out their residence requirements; they are super discriminating.

Great book about a story and person not worthy of covering

A good and easy book on a person and story who is not worthy of covering, as the authors' themselves imply. One one hand it's another cowboy story of a Wild Wild East, as the Russia was in 1980s and 1990s, and remains to these days. All these stories are facinating, how lives and fortunes were made from the ruins and ruble, true Cinderella stories. Yet this genre is getting tiresome - how long one can read about thug-life, coming from nowhere and going nowhere, just destroying surroundings in between? Mr Prigozin is somewhat different, still a thug-life, but made unique by him being caught in between two worlds and unmet expectations. An intelligent criminal, trying to break to legitimate and respected business - which in the Russia was and still benefits from connections and ways of the criminal underworld - never quite making it out from the second grade disposable serfdom dependant on the Kremlin, and in turn resporting to employing his criminal skills and instincts to build a private army and escalating a minor conflict to a rebellion exposing the weakness and weakening grip of this masters. Perhaps the most revealing passages of the book describe how the world itself turned Mr Prigozin into a larger than life character, and the limitations and weakness of Vladimir Putin whom the world otherwise loves to portray as almighty and unconstrained dictator. He still depends on his environment, and most likely the biggest sin if Mr Putin was revealing that the king has much less clothes than usually perceived. For this Mr Prigozin paid with his life, but the king having less clothes than expected was surely noticed and after waves are yet to land.

A subtle and insightful account of Putinism

I have been following Mr. Galeotti for some time and regularly listen to his podcast. I find his analysis of Putin’s Russia to be both rich and subtle. He poo-poos certain pieces of conventional wisdom held about today’s Russia while staying on the right side of history (pro-Ukraine and anti-Putin). That is he is not a professional controversialist like some who have crawled out of the woodwork since the Ukraine War exploded into its full form in February 2022. Galeotti and Arutinyan’s focus is organizational and neatly peels back the onion domes of the Kremlin showing the intricate and contradictory incentive structures Putin has put up in his quarter century of rule. As Galeotti admits, Y.V. Pregozhin was a deeply unpleasant man and Galeotti was reluctant to write about him. However, he and his wife decided that what a short biography of Pregozhin could illuminate is the workings of Putin’s Kremlin and the increasing pathologies of “late Putinism”. This is a really interesting and important account that should be read (or listened to) by anyone with an interest in international relations.

pointless book

we learned nothing about the mutiny or assasination. surely that is the point of writing a book on this guy. some new insight to what happened. But nothing of the kind in this book. A waste of money and time