With the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia launched itself on a fitful transition to Western-style democracy and a market economy. But a decade later, Boris Yeltsin's handpicked successor-Vladimir Putin, a self-described childhood hooligan turned KGB officer-resolved to end the revolution.

Containing firsthand narrative, personal stories, and groundbreaking reporting, this work examines the Russia under Vladimir Putin, who the authors assert along with his circle of close associates from the former KGB have waged a methodical campaign to end Russia's democratic experiment and reconsolidate power in the Kremlin.