Putin's Russia E-Book

Darryl Cunningham

• Herausgeber: Myriad Editions
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

'A blistering broadside of a graphic biography.'—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY a highly accessible, thoroughly researched and chilling account of Putin's intentions for Russia and the Ukraine. Darryl Cunningham's graphic novel shows how the West has been culpable in aiding Putin's rise – and why Western governments and companies have turned a blind eye to the regime's excessive brutality and corruption: accepting floods of Russian money, allowing businessmen and politicians to be bought, political parties to be corrupted, elections to be interfered with, countries to be destabilised and invaded. Now available in several languages since its publication in September 2021.

Leseprobe

SINCE THIS BOOK FIRST APPEARED IN SEPTEMBER 2021, RUSSIA HAS BEGUN A FULL SCALE

INVASION OF UKRAINE. EVEN NOW, AS I WRITE, THE SITUATION IS WORSENING. VLADIMIR

PUTIN IS SYSTEMATICALLY REDUCING CITIES TO RUBBLE AND DELIBERATELY TARGETING

CIVILIANS, KILLING THOUSANDS

-

THE SAME TACTICS EMPLOYED IN THE WAR IN CHECHNYA AND

IN PROPPING UP BASHAR AL-ASSAD IN SYRIA. PUTIN IS HARDLY THE CLEVER AND CALCULATING

PERSONALITY MANY IN THE WEST BELIEVED HIM TO BE. HE NEVER WAS. HE DOESN’T NEED TO BE.

PREFACE

DECADES OF POLICIES OF APPEASEMENT TOWARDS PUTIN HAVE BROUGHT US TO THIS

POINT. IT IS AN ESCALATION THAT WAS ALWAYS GOING TO HAPPEN

-

BECAUSE NO ONE WAS

STOPPING HIM. SOME CLAIM THAT THE CURRENT CRISIS WAS SPARKED BY THE THREAT OF

AN EASTWARD EXPANSION OF NATO. THIS IS TO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW OBSESSED PUTIN

IS WITH UKRAINE: THERE’S NO RUSSIAN EMPIRE WITHOUT THE CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT

AND RESOURCE-RICH UKRAINE.

IT IS THIS THAT PUTIN IS ATTEMPTING TO RECAPTURE.

AN EX-KGB MAN, HE WANTS TO BRING BACK THE GREAT DAYS OF SOVIET STRENGTH.

NATO IS A CONVENIENT EXCUSE, BUT IT IS NOT, AND NEVER HAS BEEN, THE REAL REASON.

DARRYL CUNNINGHAM, MARCH 2022, WAKEFIELD

FOR DECADES RUSSIAN MONEY HAS FLOODED INTO THE WEST, INTERFERING IN POLITICAL

SYSTEMS, BUYING BUSINESSMEN AND POLITICIANS, CORRUPTING POLITICAL PARTIES,

DESTABILISING COUNTRIES AND AIDING THE RISE OF AUTHORITARIANISM. IT’S TAKEN THE

INVASION OF UKRAINE TO BRING ALL OF THIS INTO SHARP FOCUS. AFTER YEARS OF WILFUL

BLINDNESS, THE BRITISH MEDIA AT LAST APPEAR TO BE TAKING SERIOUSLY THE EVIDENCE

THAT BORIS JOHNSON AND HIS CONSERVATIVE PARTY ARE TIED TO RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS.

THE UK IS CURRENTLY AWASH WITH LAUNDERED RUSSIAN MONEY

-

BLOOD-STAINED CASH

STOLEN FROM THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE. PERHAPS NOW IT WILL CLEAN UP ITS FINANCIAL SYSTEM.

WE’VE ALL SEEN THE PHOTOS OF PUTIN IN MEETINGS, SITTING AS FAR FROM HIS LACKEYS

AS POSSIBLE. HE HAS REACHED THE END-STAGE OF THE DICTATOR’S RULE

-

THE PHASE OF

PARANOID MEGALOMANIA. I DOUBT THIS HAS MUCH TO DO WITH COVID ANYMORE. FEAR IS

LOCKED IN AND EVERYONE IS HIS ENEMY NOW. IN THE GAP BETWEEN MY WRITING THESE WORDS

AND YOU READING THEM, EVENTS WILL HAVE UNDOUBTEDLY WORSENED. MY HOPE IS THAT BY

THEN, DEMOCRATIC FORCES BOTH IN RUSSIA AND THE WEST WILL HAVE LOOSENED PUTIN’S GRIP

AND WE WILL HAVE SEEN THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THIS MOST BRUTAL OF DICTATORS.

ALSO BY DARRYL CUNNINGHAM

PSYCHIATRIC TALES

SCIENCE TALES

SUPERCRASH

GRAPHIC SCIENCE

BILLIONAIRES

First published in 2021 by

Myriad Editions

www.myriadeditions.com

Myriad Editions

An imprint of New Internationalist Publications

The Old Music Hall, 106–108 Cowley Rd,

Oxford OX4 1JE

Second printing

3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Copyright © Darryl Cunningham 2021, 2022

The moral right of the author has been asserted

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means

without the written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise

circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is

published and without a similar condition including this condition being

imposed on the subsequent purchaser

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from

the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-912408-91-7

E-ISBN: 978-1-912408-92-4

BORN IN

1952

, PUTIN GREW UP IN A COMMUNAL APARTMENT SHARED

BY THREE FAMILIES IN ST PETERSBURG, THEN KNOWN AS LENINGRAD.

JUST EIGHT YEARS HAD PASSED SINCE THE END OF THE SIEGE OF

LENINGRAD, IN WHICH MORE THAN A MILLION OF THE CITY’S

INHABITANTS HAD DIED, KILLED BY HUNGER OR BY ARTILLERY FIRE.

VLADIMIR VLADIMIROVICH PUTIN

MUCH OF WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT PUTIN’S EARLY LIFE COMES FROM A SERIES OF

INTERVIEWS HE GAVE IN

2000

, PUBLISHED IN THE BOOK

FIRST PERSON

, WHICH

IS PERHAPS AS MUCH AN ATTEMPT BY HIM AT MYTH-MAKING AS IT IS AN

ENTIRELY TRUE ACCOUNT. THIS SHOULD BE KEPT IN MIND WHEN YOU READ

THE FOLLOWING.

AS SOON AS THE WAR BEGAN HE JOINED THE DESTRUCTION BATTALION OF

THE NKVD

(

A SECRET POLICE AGENCY ORIGINALLY TASKED WITH CONDUCTING

REGULAR POLICE WORK AND OVERSEEING THE COUNTRY’S PRISONS AND LABOUR

CAMPS

)

. LATER, HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE REGULAR ARMY WHERE HE

WAS SEVERELY WOUNDED, HIS LEGS BLASTED BY A GERMAN GRENADE.

PUTIN’S FATHER SURVIVED, BUT HE WAS IN

HOSPITAL FOR MONTHS. HIS WIFE FOUND HIM

AND VISITED HIM THERE EVERY DAY.

BEFORE THE WAR, THE ELDER PUTIN, ALSO NAMED

VLADIMIR, HAD BEEN A CONSCRIPT IN THE SOVIET

NAVY, SERVING IN THE SUBMARINE FLEET IN THE

EARLY

1930

S

.

THE ELDER PUTIN SAW THAT

HIS WIFE WAS HALF DEAD FROM

STARVATION, SO HE BEGAN

TO GIVE HER HIS OWN FOOD,

MAKING SURE THE NURSES

DIDN’T SEE THIS.

BUT WHEN THE DOCTORS

SAW VLADIMIR FAINTING

FROM HUNGER, THEY

SOON REALISED WHAT

HE’D BEEN DOING.

HE GOT A STERN LECTURE

AND WAS BANNED FROM

SEEING HIS WIFE FOR

A WHILE.

HOWEVER, BOTH OF

PUTIN’S PARENTS

SURVIVED THE WAR,

ALTHOUGH HIS FATHER’S

INJURIES LEFT HIM

WITH A LIFELONG LIMP.

THE YOUNG PUTIN GREW UP IN THE TRASH-STREWN, RAT- INFESTED COURTYARDS OF THE

CITY’S APARTMENT BLOCKS. YOUNGER AND SLIGHTER OF BUILD THAN THE OTHER BOYS, HE

HELD HIS OWN. HIS FORMER CLASSMATE AND LONG-TIME FRIEND, VIKTOR BORISENKO, RECALLS

THAT IF YOUNG PUTIN WAS EVER INSULTED, HE WOULD FIGHT FEROCIOUSLY, BITING AND

SCRATCHING, USING ANY DIRTY METHOD TO TAKE VENGEANCE ON ANYONE WHO ATTEMPTED

TO HUMILIATE HIM.

AFTER THE WAR PUTIN’S FATHER WORKED

AT THE YEGOROV FACTORY, WHICH BUILT

PASSENGER CARRIAGES FOR THE SOVIET UNION’S

RAILWAY SYSTEM. WHETHER HE REMAINED

A RESERVE MEMBER OF THE SECRET POLICE

(

KNOWN BY THEN AS THE KGB

)

IS A MATTER OF

CONJECTURE. MANY THOUSANDS OF OFFICERS

HELD REGULAR JOBS WHILE ALSO INFORMING FOR,

AND DRAWING A SALARY FROM, THE KGB. THIS MAY

EXPLAIN WHY THE PUTINS LIVED COMPARATIVELY

WELL:THEY HAD A TELEVISION AND A TELEPHONE,

RARE ITEMS FOR ORDINARY SOVIET PEOPLE

AT THIS TIME.

IN

1964

, THE YOUNGER

PUTIN TOOK UP SAMBO, A

SOVIET MARTIAL ART

THAT MIXED JUDO AND

WRESTLING, AND WAS SUITED

TO HIS SMALL STATURE AND

TOUGH NATURE.

SAMBO, WITH ITS DISCIPLINE, BECAME

PART OF PUTIN’S TRANSFORMATION FROM

ACADEMICALLY POOR STREET THUG INTO

A GOAL-DIRECTED AND HARD-WORKING

ADOLESCENT. IT WAS HIS AMBITION TO JOIN

THE KGB AND HE HAD HEARD THAT THEY

EXPECTED NEW RECRUITS TO BE SKILLED IN

HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT.

AT THE AGE OF

16

, A YEAR BEFORE FINISHING

SECONDARY SCHOOL, PUTIN WENT TO THE

KGB HEADQUARTERS IN LENINGRAD. THE

PLACE HAD AN EVIL REPUTATION, HAVING

BEEN THE OFFICES OF STALIN’S SECRET

POLICE, WHERE SUPPOSED ENEMIES OF THE

STATE HAD BEEN EXECUTED IN BLOOD-

DRENCHED BASEMENT ROOMS.

HE ASKED THE OFFICER WHO SAW HIM THERE WHAT HE WOULD HAVE TO DO JOIN

THE KGB AND WAS TOLD THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO EITHER DO MILITARY SERVICE

OR GRADUATE FROM UNIVERSITY FIRST.

SO, THE FIERCELY DETERMINED PUTIN WENT TO LENINGRAD STATE UNIVERSITY AND

GRADUATED WITH A LAW DEGREE IN

1975

.

ALL THROUGH THE YEARS HE SPENT AT

UNIVERSITY, PUTIN WAITED FOR THE MAN

HE SPOKE TO AT KGB HEADQUARTERS

TO GET IN TOUCH WITH HIM. BUT THERE

WAS ONLY SILENCE. HE MADE NO MOVES

HIMSELF, BECAUSE HE KNEW

THEY DIDN’T SIGN UP VOLUNTEERS.

BUT THEN OUT OF THE BLUE HE WAS CONTACTED BY A MAN

WHO WANTED TO MEET HIM. THE MAN DID NOT SAY WHO HE WAS.

PUTIN RECALLED THE MAN TELLING HIM

THAT THE DISCUSSION WOULD BE

ABOUT FUTURE JOB ASSIGNMENTS,

BUT HE REFUSED TO BE SPECIFIC.

THAT’S WHEN PUTIN REALISED THAT

IF HE DIDN’T WANT TO SAY HE

WORKED FOR THE KGB, THEN

THAT MEANT HE DID.

1975

. HE JOINED THE KGB.

IF PUTIN EXPECTED A HIGH-OCTANE LIFE OF

ADVENTURE, THEN HE MUST HAVE BEEN

DISAPPOINTED. KGB LIFE IN A BACKWATER LIKE

LENINGRAD MOSTLY INVOLVED PUSHING PAPER

AROUND. AT THAT TIME, HE WAS JUST ONE

OF MANY THOUSANDS OF YOUNG MEN WHO

SWELLED THE BLOATED RANKS OF THE KGB

WITH NO REAL PURPOSE.

BOREDOM.

HELLO?

AFTER TEN YEARS HE WAS

TRANSFERRED TO THE KGB’S FOREIGN

ESPIONAGE DIVISION AND POSTED TO

DRESDEN IN COMMUNIST EAST GERMANY.

HERE PUTIN CLAIMED TO HAVE BEEN

COLLATING RECORDS AND DEBRIEFING

EAST GERMAN CITIZENS WHO TRAVELLED

ABROAD.

HE HAD MARRIED LYUDMILA

SHKREBNEVA, A DOMESTIC FLIGHT

ATTENDANT FROM THE BALTIC

SEA CITY OF KALININGRAD.

THE COUPLE HAD TWO CHILDREN,

MARIA AND YEKATERINA.

IN HIS OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY, PUTIN

CLAIMS THAT, IN DRESDEN, DEPRESSED

BY THE DULL ROUTINE OF HIS WORK,

HE DRANK BEER, STOPPED EXERCISING,

GOT FAT, AND DID NOTHING OF

INTEREST.

URP!

THIS SEEMS VERY UNLIKELY. A FEW

FACTS ARE KNOWN ABOUT WHAT

PUTIN ACTUALLY DID DO IN DRESDEN.

HE WAS A LIAISON OFFICER WITH THE EAST GERMAN STASI

(

SECRET POLICE

)

AND HE WAS INVOLVED IN RECRUITING SCIENTISTS AND BUSINESSMEN WHO COULD

HELP THE KGB SMUGGLE WESTERN TECHNOLOGY INTO THE EASTERN BLOC.

AT THAT TIME THE KGB HAD ASSETS OR AGENTS PLACED INSIDE MANY GERMAN

COMPANIES, INCLUDING SIEMENS, BAYER, MESSERSCHMITT AND THYSSEN.

PUTIN ALSO HANDLED ‘SLEEPER AGENTS’

-

SPIES WHO ARE PLACED IN

A TARGET COUNTRY TO ACT AS POTENTIAL ASSETS IF ACTIVATED.

PUTIN CLEARLY ADMIRED THESE AGENTS,

SAYING HE THOUGHT THEM UNIQUE IN

BEING ABLE TO GIVE UP THEIR LIVES

AND LOVED ONES…

AND LEAVE THE COUNTRY FOR MANY

YEARS TO SERVE THE CAUSE OF THE

SOVIET UNION. HE BELIEVED THAT ONLY

AN ELITE COULD DO THIS.

MEANWHILE, THE SOVIET UNION WAS DISINTEGRATING. MIKHAIL

SERGEYEVICH GORBACHEV, WHO HAD A DISTINCTIVE BIRTHMARK ON

HIS HEAD, WAS THE EIGHTH AND LAST LEADER OF THE SOVIET UNION.

GORBACHEV’S MAIN DOMESTIC GOAL WAS TO REVIVE THE SOVIET ECONOMY

AFTER ITS YEARS OF LOW GROWTH, DUE, IN LARGE PART, TO EXCESSIVE

MILITARY SPENDING. HIS FOCUS WAS ON INCREASING WORKER PRODUCTIVITY,

RAPIDLY MODERNISING TECHNOLOGY, AND TRANSFORMING OPPRESSIVE

SOVIET BUREAUCRACY.

WHEN THESE CHANGES FAILED TO BRING

RESULTS, GORBACHEV BEGAN DEEPER

ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL SYSTEM

REFORMS. HIS NEW POLICY, GLASNOST

(

MEANING ‘OPENNESS’

)

, INSTIGATED A

MAJOR CULTURAL THAW.

DID YOU

KNOW

THAT

YOU CAN

SAY WHAT

YOU LIKE

NOW?

REALLY?

WITH FREEDOMS AND INFORMATION

GREATLY BROADENED, THE PRESS WERE

SUDDENLY ALLOWED TO REPORT FRANKLY

ON CURRENT EVENTS.

GORBACHEV’S NEW POLICY OF PERESTROIKA

(

RESTRUCTURING

)

WAS THE FIRST ATTEMPT

AT DEMOCRATISING THE SOVIET POLITICAL

SYSTEM.

HEY, EVERYONE. LET’S START

A NEW POLITICAL PARTY.

BOTH SECRET BALLOTING AND MULTI-

CANDIDATE CONTESTS WERE INTRODUCED

IN SOME PARTY AND GOVERNMENT

ELECTIONS.

GORBACHEV LARGELY AVOIDED THE

TOTALITARIAN USE OF POWER,

PREVIOUSLY USED TO CRUSH DISSENT

AND FREE SPEECH.

IT FEELS WEIRD. NO ONE’S

COMING TO BREAK UP

THIS RALLY.

BUT HE ALSO RESISTED ANY REAL SHIFT

TO PRIVATE OWNERSHIP AND THE USE

OF FREE-MARKET MECHANISMS.

AND SO THE CENTRALLY PLANNED

ECONOMY CONTINUED TO CRUMBLE

WITH NO PRIVATE ENTERPRISE TO

REPLACE IT.

CHANGE SPREAD.

IN LATE

1989

-

90,

DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED,

NON-COMMUNIST GOVERNMENTS

CAME TO POWER IN EAST GERMANY,

POLAND, HUNGARY, AND

CZECHOSLOVAKIA.

IN SOME OF RUSSIA’S CONSTITUENT REPUBLICS

-

INCLUDING GEORGIA, UZBEKISTAN AND

AZERBAIJAN

-

THE NEW FREEDOMS ARISING

FROM GORBACHEV’S DEMOCRATISATION OF THE

POLITICAL SYSTEM LED TO CIVIL UNREST, AND,

IN LITHUANIA, AN ATTEMPT TO GAIN ABSOLUTE

INDEPENDENCE.

GORBACHEV RETALIATED WITH MILITARY

FORCE, SUPRESSING INTER-ETHNIC CONFLICT

IN SEVERAL OF THE REPUBLICS.

ON THE NIGHT OF

9

NOVEMBER

1989

, CROWDS OF GERMANS BEGAN

DISMANTLING THE BERLIN WALL,

A BARRIER THAT FOR ALMOST

30

YEARS HAD SYMBOLISED THE COLD

WAR DIVISION OF EUROPE.

BY OCTOBER

1990

, GERMANY WAS

REUNIFIED, TRIGGERING THE COLLAPSE

OF THE OTHER EAST EUROPEAN REGIMES.