Putinland
Key Data
- Author: Leonid Volkov
- Published: 2022
- Purchase link: here
- Finished reading on: 24.07.2026
Content
The book describes Russia's descent into totalitarianism and explains the rise of the opposition around Navalny and their methods and hopes.
Why Did I Read It?
While I know quite a bit of Russian foreign policy, knowing more of their internal politics is important for understanding that. To fully flesh that out, and get the Russian oppositionary perspective, I bought the book.
Thoughts After Finishing
The book was really helpful in understanding the Russian opposition, it's creation, the central figures in it, and their hope for a better Russia.
Main Takeaways
- The Russian opposition has roots all throughout the country, initially developed to aid Navalny's presidential run in 2018.
- Navalny had a very successful campaign to be the mayor of Moscow.
- Putin's approval ratings were very low in 2014, which certainly played a role in him annexing Crimea in that year.
- Russia slid into totalitarianism after Navalny was barred from running for president because his organization was so successful in organizing protests.
- The scale of corruption in Russia is just astounding.
- It is very likely that Putin will be put out of power by the Russian elite due to the failed invasion of Ukraine. However, with no clear successor, that will cause a massive power struggle among them. That window of opportunity must be seized by the opposition to get the best possible outcome for the Russian people.