The Strongman

Russia under Vladimir Putin has proved a prickly partner for the West - in 2020 a constitutional change gave him the right to run as ruler of Russia until 2036. In this acclaimed political biography, former BBC Moscow correspondent Angus Roxburgh charts the dramatic fight for Russia's future under Vladimir Putin. Tracing how the former KGB man changed from reformer to autocrat, how he sought the West's respect but earned its fear, how he cracked down on his rivals at home and burnished a flamboyant personality cult.

Drawing on dozens of exclusive interviews in Russia, where he worked for a time as a Kremlin insider advising Putin on press relations, as well as in the US and Europe, Roxburgh also argues that the West threw away chances to bring Russia in from the cold, by failing to understand its fears and aspirations following the collapse of communism. This new edition includes new chapters on Trump and Putin's election interference, and Russia's devastating role in Syria and the Middle East.