A former KGB spy, Vladimir Putin was named President of Russia in 2000. From the moment he entered the public arena he marketed himself as an open, enlightened leader eager to engage with the West. This book tells the story of Putin's iron grip on Russian life from the individual citizens whose situations have been shaped by his brand of tyranny.

Anna Politkovskaya turns her steely gaze on President Putin and his early regime in this explosive book.

From Putin's tyrannical grip on ordinary citizens to rampant corruption in highest ranks of the government, as well as Mafia dealings, scandals in the provinces and the decline of the intelligentsia, Politkovskaya offers a scathing condemnation of the President and his rule, revealing a shocking state of affairs: soldiers dying from malnutrition, parents requiring to bribes to recover their dead sons' bodies and conscripts are being hired out as slaves.

Politkovskaya was an internationally admired, fearless and award-winning journalist who was assassinated in 2006. More relevant and important than ever in today's political landscape, Putin's Russia is both a gripping portrayal of a country in crisis and the testament of an extraordinary reporter.

'A searing portrait of a country in disarray and of the man at its helm, from the bravest of journalists' New York Times

'Anna Politkovskaya is a heroic journalist' Guardian

'We will continue to learn from her for years' Salman Rushdie