Customer Reviews

Putin's Russia: Life in a Failing Democracy

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The Publisher's Weekly Reviewer is off the mark in his closing statement that 70 percent of the Russian population voted for Putin. S/he has no clue about the true political situation in Russia. During elections, competing political parties have no chance in gaining votes due to the Kremlin's firm grip on campaign activities. What the Kremlin wants is what the Russian people get. Does this reviewer really think the elctions are free and fair and that 70 percent is anything close to an accurate figure? There is no real democracy in Russia, and the majority of voters are so impoverished economically and uneducated (through no fault of their own) that when it comes to elections that you can't really expect them understand how to vote when they can't even buy medicine or food. Politkovskaya was murdered today. Sure her work was often over-emotional and perhaps it isn't brilliant in translation, but she was one of the few brave journalists to tackle the tough issues and to not self-edit. Her death follows that of Starvoitova, Gongadze (Ukraine), Khlebnikov and countless other post-Soviet journalists. Do some homework next time you write a book review.

This review applies to Small Corner of Hell and Putin's Russia. I read almost all of Anna's books and reports for Novaya Gazeta. It always struck me how dedicated and fearless (sadly she paid the ultimate price) she was to helping regular civilians living in Chechnya, and not just Chechens but Russians too. Her critics acuse her of being pro-chechen, but she also did plenty of reporting about Russian families who got stuck in the basements of Grozny during Russian carpet bombing campaign and for whom nobody in Russia really cared. She also wrote about regular Russian soldiers who are basically used as modern day slaves (Russian army is not voluntary).

If you are a Western reader trying to understand the roots of this conflict, Politkovskaya's books are probably a wrong choice. For that you have to read some history books addressing Russian history of the last 200 - 300 years. Start with Richard Pipes or something similar. Her books are reports of what's going on there now. As such they are great examples of what the REAL journalism should be. They also serve as a good source on what's really going on in Russia today. They would make a good foundation for a War Crimes Tribunal for both Russian and Chechen sides (or are they really just the same Gang), which hopefully will take place some day.

Finally, as others pointed out here the Publisher Weekly reviewer frankly does not know what he is talking about. He probably thinks Kim Jon Il is a legitimate ruler because 98% of North Koreans "vote" for him, too.

Choosing journalism as an occupation in modern day Russia can result in dangerous and often deadly consequences. Anna Politkovskaya was a Russian journalist who chose such a career in spite of these potential risks. Fearless and honest, she refused to compromise her integrity as a journalist by writing nothing but the truth.
Working for one of the last liberal Moscow newspapers, "Novaya Gazeta", Politkovskaya committed herself to writing the truth about the war in Chechnya (which she openly and vehemently opposed), and the blatantly corrupt Russsian government.
In her third book, "Putin's Russia...", Politkovskaya exposes the instability of today's Russia due to the above mentioned corruption that infiltrates everything from business to politics to the military and to the court systems. Bribes are simply accepted as a way of life by bureaucrats and ordinary citizens alike. Although corruption and other forms of political and governmental "ugliness" exist in all countries, none exist to the extent witnessed in today's Russia. And for all of this Politkovskaya blames one man, Vladimir Putin (though she also places some blame on the western countries that have "bought into" the mask of democracy Putin wears during public appearances). Politkovskaya however, seeing through the guise, accurately defines Putin as a throwback from the past, as a ruthless, Soviet-style dictator.
All of Politkovskaya's "accusations" are supported by incontrovertible facts and examples. If nothing else, she was thorough in her research. She had no hidden agenda or score to settle in writing this or any of her books - she merely wanted to truth to be told.
Sadly, for telling the truth Anna Politkovskaya paid the ultimate price. On a Saturday afternoon in October 2006 she was shot twice in the head in the elevator of her apartment building while returning from grocery shopping. The shooting was, without a doubt, a contract killing and was probably approved, if not ordered, by Putin himself.
Though disturbing and sometimes difficult to stomach (as the truth often is), this book is a must read for all Russophiles and/or those just interested in the truth about modern day Russia. In addition, I highly recommend her three other books as well - "A Dirty War: A Russian Reporter in Chechnya", "A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches from Chechnya" (neither of which were ever allowed to be published in Russia), and "A Russian Diary: A Journalist's Final Account of Life, Corruption, and Death in Putin's Russia".
K. Larson Amador

I read this this book several months ago and when I was browsing on my PC regarding the day's events a while back, I noticed that a Russian journalist was assassinated. I knew immediately who it was without reading any further. Anya spoke out for those who have no voice, especially those who have suffered the gross brutality perpetrated against them and whose only crime was being Chechnyen or living in that war-torn country.
And yes, the editorial reviewer that proclaims that 70% of the populace voted for Putin, is laughable at best.
Russia is probably the most corrupt society in the world today and completely controlled by ex-KGB agents. It is a fact that Russia has the 2nd most concentration of billionaires of any other country today. If you are among those without influential connections or political clout, you are usually doomed to a futile existence in Putin's Russia.
Unfortunately, I sold this book, but I plan on obtaining another copy as a memorial to this decent and courageous lady who was not afraid to tell it like it is in present day Russia.
Anya Politkovskaya, a Cassandra? Not even close. She was a stark realist.

The book is a collection of reportage of various institutions in the Russian political sphere, and how corruption has so warped them that it's hard to describe in common terms. The Russian judicial system is not a collection of judges; it is a collection of legal assistants to the mafia. The military does not defend Russia; it is a mafia with heavy weapons. The Duma does not represent the interests of the people; it represents the interests of Putin.

The author's thesis is that the war in Chechnya has been carried out with a total disregard for the difference between civilians and combatants, all Chechens are targets. The military and police forces embraced lawlessness in Chechnya and brought it back to Moscow. The author blames Putin the most because he is the only person in power capable of changing things, and instead he wants to play Czar. The validity of that assessment depends on a question. Does Putin own the mafias or do the mafias own Putin? I think academics will ponder that for a long time.

It should be noted that Anna Politkovskaya was assassinated in 2006, possibly for writing this book

A must read for all those contemplating on working, investing, living, or visiting Russia and before more authoritarian restrictions are implemented (or should I say the "New Soviet Russia" is completed?).

Ana Politkovskaya's book is a fast read, but the truthful descriptions may be shocking to some. For me, it brought back dark memories from my years working and living there. There is so much increadible [underlined] poverty outside the major cities (e.g., Moscow, St. Petersburg, etc.) and so much more she could have continued writing about... unfortunately, because there is no real free press anymore (& as far as I know, her books have never been published or sold in Russia) the majority of Russian citizens are misinformed and uninformed.

On the other hand, Russia is a vast and beautiful country and it's people (the "real" people) amiable, warm, and very hospitable (once they get to know you). The citizens want so much more for their country, but are afraid to make concrete changes in a unified manner, may not know how to move forward due to conditioning and oppression from the old and new regimes, or are terrified of reprisals. Thus, the current leadership is dismantling Russia's constitution, eliminating the opportunity for real democracy, and is building a "New Iron Curtain" behind the old one.

Again, a must read!

The AUTHOR'S NOTE states: "... this book is not an examination of Putin's policies. I am not a political analyst. I am just a person among many, a face in the crowd, like so many.... These are my immediate reactions, jotted down in the margins of life as it is lived in Russia today."

Well, Politkovskaya doesn't all together stick with this decree, but touches upon Putin's "policies" by way of presenting his lack of policy in helping his people.

There are many events detailed in this book: soldiers being beaten and tormented by their commanding officers. Family members trying to find out the truth about their loved one's death, or murder. Corruption plaguing the Russian judicial system. Yury Budanov's kidnapping of a young Chechen girl, her rape and murder trial. Examples of friends the author has known and how their lives (good and bad) have been affected by the changes in the wake of the New Russia. The gangster life being rife throughout Russia, given in the example of Pavel Anatolievich Fedulev. The storming of the Dubrovka Theater in Moscow during the "Nord-Ost" musical by Chechen terrorists wishing to end the war, and how the government unleashed an unknown gas that ended up killing 200 hostages. The waging of "Antiterrorist Operation Whirlwind" that caused the Chechen people living in Russia to be harassed, framed, and forced to sign confessions that they plotted the attack; many were sent to prison or lost their jobs. According to Politkovskaya it was "Putin's belief that an entire people must shoulder collective responsibility for the crimes committed by a few" pg 224. The hostage situation in the town of Beslan on the day of "Lineyka," the celebration of the beginning of school when many families were at the school. 100 people went missing and the government said that they fled with the terrorists (hu?).

One can't deny that something is happening in Russia. But I can't say I was won over with Politkovskaya's argument that Putin is entirely to blame for it's current state. This is partly due to the author's writing style, which must have been affected by the translation process (there are many words and phrases that come off sounding disjointed), which make for weak arguments. The stories Politkovskaya's shares with us are stories we outsiders have heard for a number of years under the old Soviet Union. Just because one has a new government everything cannot be expected to change quickly. It takes time. It does sound like Russia has reverted to old habits either because that's all its' leader's know, or it's their intentions to align themselves with communist ways in order to gain more power for themselves. The truth is, I don't know what progress has been made under Putin, and certainly you wont find any in Politkovskaya's book. The problem is that politics usually attract power and corruption. Place people with this tendency in a government rife with corruption and things are bound to fail. Unless Russia can find someone courageous enough to stand up to it, willing to put their life on the line, I fail to see how things will ever change.

One things for sure, I'm always amazed by the resilience of the Russian people. I always get a strong sense that they love their country dearly and want nothing more than to live in a free society where the rules are fair. Hopefully one day they will have this. Unfortunately the fact that Politkovskaya died for writing stories like this shows how far Russia still has to go in acheiving freedom.


Chapters:
"My Country's Army and Its Mothers"
"Our New Middle Ages, or War Criminals of All the Russias"
"Tanya, Misha, Lena, and Rinat: Where Are They Now?"
"How to Misappropriate Property with the Connivance of the Government"
"More Stories from the Provinces"
"Nord-Ost: The Latest Tale of Destruction"
"Akaky Akakievich Putin II"
"Postscripts"
"Notes"

Anna Politovskaya was an important observer of the Russian society and a formidable investigative journalist; otherwise she wouldn't have been killed.
Her analysis of Putin's Russia is not less than devastating.

Russia
Since the end of the Soviet era, the author sees three different historical changes in Russia.
The first one is the introduction of a market economy and the fall of the Soviet ideology. The second one is the debt default of the Russian State, which wiped out all personal savings. The third one is the actual hybrid system of a free market, controlled politically by a new nomenklatura, economically by oligarchs (owners of former State monopolies) and socially by organized crime syndicates with their hit-men (murdering in the interest of `their' (all the former groups) State).
Its population is brainwashed by propaganda. Political and social apathy is rampant.

Government
More than six thousand members of the KGB/FSB followed in the footsteps of Putin in order to occupy the highest offices and key governmental positions.
The judiciary is subordinate to the executive branch. As the author states, `lawlessness is more powerful than the law.'
`Democratic' elections are a pantomime.
Moreover, the political-psychiatry-to-order system has returned (search for social justice is seen as a symptom of mental illness). But, as in the Soviet era, those in power remain highly sensitive to criticism from abroad.

Army
Soldiers are deserting in droves, fleeing a violent environment created by their superiors. Alcoholism is endemic. Officers even `sell' new recruits as cheap labour (working only for food). Those, who are staying, are living on survival wages (if paid).
But more importantly, the Navy with its nuclear submarines is breaking down.

Putin
Putin is a product of Russia's murkiest intelligence services. But, he is and continues to be supported by the West.

Why did Anna Politovskaya attack head-on dangerous forces wielding nearly dictatorial powers? To be free, to live in freedom and not to be a simple cog as people were in the former Soviet system.

This courageous book should be an example for all true journalists.
It is a must read for all Russian scholars and for all those who want to understand the world we live in.

For those who are unsure about what to make of Putin's Russia, this important little book, that punches way above its weight, will bring you up to date in a flash.

Personally, I don't understand why people try to undermine the integrity of this brave woman by claiming she was too subjective or too emotionally intense in making her case, when the issues at stake are extremely serious.

There is no independent judiciary in Russia; the State, and its myriad cells of Mafia thugs that feed off its corrupt munificence, expropriates private property and jails anybody capable of mounting a legitimate political challenge; investigative journalism has been wiped out with the death toll of journalists heading towards fifty; a long and brutal war in Chechnya has poisoned Russian society; poverty and prostitution is on the rise, while state infrastructure collapses. The enourmous wealth of this country is being stolen by a minority of oligarchs, Mafia bosses and politicians that are turning Russia into a grand Zimbabwe; after all, wasn't that what the 1917 revolution was meant to have achieved, a more equitable distribution of wealth?

Believe it or not, Russia is not a reflection of Moscow; its affluence does not rain down elsewhere, and who cares if Moscow has some very sophisticated night clubs that would make your head turn, it means nothing to 60% of the population trying to find food.

Surely the missed opportunity for real political transformation must rest at Putin's door, the man who has been at the helm for almost ten years. Russia has never known true democratic involvement and confuses, deliberately, the chaos of the Yeltin years with democracy; it just didn't happen. Remember the name given to countries of Eastern Europe under Soviet domination; the so called "Peoples Democracies"; please, give us a break. Yet Putin has done everything he can to turn the clock back to those frozen times, change in Russia is a delusion, and the cynical misanthropic expression on that mans face needs to be removed. He has successfully steered the ship of state in the opposite direction to where the people wanted it to go. Now a corrupt, xenophobic Russia that continues to carry out political assassinations on foreign soil has some serious soul searching to do. Just to cap it all off, fancy trying to resurrect Stalin's image into one of admiration! Is it any wonder those very East European countries are looking nervously back over their shoulder in the direction of Moscow. What other country in the world hands out passports to people in neighbouring countries as though they were chocolate bars, as Russia has done in Georgia and the Ukraine?; no doubt trying to foster the pretext that the Kremlin needs to be more involved in those countries for the sake of its citizens.

Taking this into account, I should say Anna's book is restrained, making its injured eloquence all the more endearing. Let's not forget, she paid a high price for this testimony, she paid for it with her life!

I had seen a piece on tv about Anna and the plight of journalism in Russia, so decided I had to learn more. I could not put this book down. Her courage in face of insurmountable danger for journalists during the Putin regime should humble any American journalist. I am saddened by the fact that she along with many other Russian journalists, ended up a victim of the very regime she wrote so bravely about.

I was also a bit taken back by some of the Putin regime activities that we could corrolate to recent political events in the U.S.

I think this book should be required reading in any/all high school and college journalism and political science classes.