Customer Reviews

Putin's Labyrinth: Spies, Murder, and the Dark Heart of the New Russia

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I found this to be a solid and compelling piece of investigative journalism on the state of affairs in contemporary Russia. Levine sets out to depict the shadowy and violent zeitgeist of the "New Russia" that has unfolded with the ascension and consolidation of power by Vladimir Putin. After the Soviet collapse, and the haphazard, gangster infested transition years of Boris Yeltsin, many Russians longed for another strongman that could replace the corruption and anarchy with the stable and powerful Russia of old. In many ways, Putin has succeeded in doing just this. The problem, says Levine, is that while the reckless and bloody gangsterism of the 90's has been mostly cleaned up, Putin has effectively turned Russia into a quasi-fascist (my word) state. Political murders have replaced criminal murders, and anyone seen as opposing the state is branded as fair game for retribution. Russian nationalism is on the rise and the country's rising stability and prosperity is enough for most Russians to look the other way.

Central to Putin's mindset and thus the general direction of the country is his connection to Russia's intelligence services. This once undistinguished KGB agent, who managed to become director of the FSB (the successor to the KGB) before being anointed President by Yeltsin, has apparently made his former livelihood the backbone of the new Russian state. His ex-FSB cronies occupy many of the top governmental positions and the secretive "us against them" mentality seems to be the mood of the day. To highlight the tragic consequences of Russia's current trajectory, Levine uses the stories of several high profile victims of the current political climate. Most notable are the murders of renowned journalist Anna Politkovskaya and defector Alexander Litvinenko, just to name two. The book reads like a spy novel at times; poisonings, shootings, allegations of inside jobs, and an array of other bizarre occurrences litter the pages in every chapter. The subject matter is not only compelling, but at times extremely sad as well.

Overall, I thought this was a very informative and intriguing read. It was a bit slow in the middle, but by the end I was completely fascinated. Levine is a solid journalist who has clearly done his homework. I found it to be quite objective as well. While Levine is clearly critical of Putin and the new Russian state, he does his best to separate fact from fiction whenever possible. Highly recommended.

This is a tremendous read for anybody with a general interest in Putin's Russia, and stories of spies, deception, and assassination. LeVine is a truly gifted writer, and his style makes this book read like a thriller. The two most notorious recent assassinations, of Andrew Litvinenko and Anna Politkovskaya, are covered fairly in-depth. Russia is such an intriguing country, at least to me it is. My only complaint is that LeVine seems to have made a conscious effort to keep this book short (166 pages!). I'm not sure why, maybe his publishers thought a short one would be more likely to sell. He could have gone into much greater detail about Putin himself, and his governing style and connection to the KGB and FSB. But I can't complain. A great quick read, and a real page turner.

Putin's Labyrinth is the kind of book that only a journalist -- a particularly good journalist -- could write. It takes the news and pulls and prods at it, showing you how it turns on the actions of people, some ordinary, some extraordinary. I'd been mildly curious about what is happening inside Russia these days, and seeing how the book purported to tie together so many recent headlines of the last few years, I was intrigued enough to pick it up. I put it down about 48 hours later, finished and satisfied that I will never look at events in Russia the same way again.

After reading "Putin and the Rise of Russia" by Michael Stuermer, which was a very measured assessment of Vladimir Putin, I decided to read "Putin's Labyrinth" by Steve LeVine. This book is a passionate anti-Putin book drawn mainly from the views and opinions of people opposed to his rule such as Alexander Litvinenko, the poisoned former FSB agent turned dissident and the assassinated journalist Anna Politkovskaya. LeVine blames Putin for a string of assassinations that took place in Russia mainly targetting media persons.he also endorses the view of some dissidents that the string of bombings that struck Russian appartment blocks were stage managed to bring about Putin's rise to power.
The central theme of the author is that Russia is really "a facade democracy" which has many repressive aspects to it- in fact not so different to the old Soviet Union. In this society, like in the USSR, those who speak against the system are at risk.
At the same time he acknowledges that Vladimir Putin and his government are extremely popular for giving the country again confidence and strength.
What the reader needs to determine whether Russia has gained from the rule of Vladimir Putin who has brought pride and wealth to that importasnt country and whether the costs which leVine has highlighted are worth paying. There is no doubt, given the popularity of Vladimir Putin thta most people in Russai prefer a strong system to an indecisive one. That's the main strength of Putin and his government.

From the title alone I was expecting great things. From the publishing date June 24, 2008 I was expecting those great things to be NEW. But it turned out to be old news. All of it, except the Forbes editor Paul Klebnikov murder, was old news to me. I read "Death of a Dissident" quiet a while ago. Looked into Anna Politkovskaya, Berezovsky et all. on the internet as a result.

Putin's labyrinth didn't compelled me to investigate further; which to me is a sign of a good book. I didn't underline a single word nor dog-ear a single page. Now my Dad, who doesn't use computers and has never read a book on Russia, enjoyed it.

Journalists killed in Russia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_journalists_killed_in_Russia

This is a timely book, coming so soon after the Russian intervention in Georgia, and covers an interesting and important subject. The author states his thesis at the outset: that because of its history, Russia is a country and Russians a people more tolerant of brutal behavior by the government than others and that the current Putin regime is ruthless in crushing dissent and enforcing its one-party rule of the country.
Unfortunately what follows is remarkably thin. We go over several well-known cases -- the 2002 takeover of a Moscow theater by Chechen fighters and its brutal "liberation" by the army, the murders of Forbes editor Paul Klebnikov and of crusading journalist Anna Politkovskaya, the poisoning of former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko.
The problem is that most of the information presented could have been picked up from reading the newspapers. A book has to get beyond that -- to add insights or history or context or unknown facts -- to justify itself. There are a couple of interviews, not always relevant and remarkably unrevealing -- but little sign of real investigative journalism or deep research.
I'm sorry to be negative about this book. I think we need to know more about present-day Russia -- how the government enforces its will, how the oil and gas industry works, how much wealth is trickling down, how the infrastructure is holding up. We need to know more about the way the Russian people live and whether the current oil-based economic expansion is sustainable. We need to know more about the Russian mafia and its ties to the regime and about the FSB (successor to the KGB). We need to know about the state of the armed forces.
Unfortunately, you'll read nothing about that in this book.

There is certainly a tendency to see everything that happens as a reflection on some top dog. STEVE LeVINE has some concern about spies, those who control vast sums of money, journalists, and international politics, but it is the attempt to picture everything as the product of tremendous pressures to get a system working out so Putin will be happy that makes the picture of Putin walking to the stage to accept the leadership of the ruling United Russia political party on April 15, 2008, a fitting end to the series of pictures in the book Putin's Labyrinth.

People with control over TV and oil are among the enemies of Putin mentioned in the book. The insignificance of journalists who do not appear on TV springs in part from major efforts to keep everybody from knowing who keeps the fires burning in the dark heart of this book. The government of Russia is like a political party that derives strength only form those who support it. This book looks for the weakness in that kind of strength.

"PUTIN'S LABYRINTH", by Steve LE Vine is an informative and short, but vivid portrayal of today's Russia and it's indisputable leader, Mr. Vladimir Putin. However, this book could just as easily have been entitled: "Stalin's Labyrinth," "Ivan's Labyrinth," or for that matter, "The Czar's Labyrinth." The point being that..."Mr. Putin" seems to be doing exactly what most of Russia's leaders have done throughout the past centuries. The difference perhaps, Mr. Putin seems to be more of a "Realpolitikist" than most (except perhaps, for... Stalin).

The author insinuates that murder and mayhem may be in the "Russian DNA" itself due to their prior history of invasion, tyranny, and dictatorships. I believe there is some truth (symbolically, psychologically, and litterally), in this statement.

In addition, the author seems to focus more on the "Labyrinth" portion than on Vladimir himself. Mr. Putin is of course, former KGB (FSB), and his entire formative years were spent in the Soviet Intelligence community where he, constantly learned to search and weed out any dissenters, be it against himself, or...the "Apparatchik." Alexander Litviinenko (former KGB agent) and Anna Politkovskaya (Russian journalist), are sad and unfortunate reminders of this truth.

The author quotes an old KGB defector who points to a very important difference in Putin's Russia compared to the prior Soviet Union. Oleg Gordievsky told the author: "The KGB without the Communist Party is a gang of gangsters." That is not to say that, the KGB was not always "a gang", but without the "Central Point" the participants need answer to no one, or no thing.

The author seems to rightly insinuate that Vladimir Putin has taken on a "symbiotic relationship" between the State (himself), and that of numerous criminal elements that work well together in maintaining the present status quo. The State controls the political arena, oil shipments, natural resources, and...the military. The criminal elements...the social needs and demands.

In reading this book, I could not help but see many growing parallels to the on-going events in the country of Mexico, but without a prresent day "Putin" or..."Central Point."

This is agood book, and goes into a great detail regarding many of the tragic events surrounding those people who tried to stand up for change. Realistically however, it appears "that type of change" is many years away.

The Oprichniki is still very much alive and well in Russia. The perpetrators no longer need carry around dog's heads and brooms upon their horse sadles to symbolize total devotion to "sweeping away sedition." They now ride in Mercedes and make no mistake, their rabid devotion to gaining money, economic wealth, and acknowledgement as a world power is no less important!

What ever he may be...Putin is witty, intelligent, frightning, dangerous, impatient, and above all...Russian.

Steve LeVine's compelling and engagingly horrified study of the 'dark heart of the new Russia' stands head and shoulders above the spate of books triggered by the Litvinenko murder because it is not about one killing so much as 'a chronicle of violence in modern-day Russia, a place that seems unwilling or unable to escape its horrific past.' (p. xxii) It is difficult in general terms to resist LeVine's claim that 'Putin's rule protects those who are inside the system or at least accept it. Outsiders cannot expect the same protection. That applies to business, politics, or journalism. Violence can be permissible against those deemed to be outsiders.' (p. 120) Journalistic books on Russia are often readable, even entertaining, but too frequently of little lasting importance. While undeniably a page-turner, this book also advances a thesis about Putin's Russia that does deserve serious consideration. It is certainly uncomfortable in that it can too easily make it seem as if the Russians are being cast simply as passive casualties of their history at best, willing collaborators with a cynical and thuggish regime at worst. It is also too early to see how well it applies to the Medvedev presidency, although events in Georgia may suggest that he is not so far removed from his patron and predecessor. Accept LeVine's stark thesis or not, it is certainly worth exploring and debating.

Dr Mark Galeotti
Keele University

Very engaging book written by someone who was there (or if he wasn't, he knew someone who was). Great investigative journalism. Renewed my interest in the dark world of Russian politics especially with Putin clambering back as top dog. All rather disturbing really.