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{{Short description|Book by Anna Politkovskaja}}
⚫ '''''Putin's Russia''''' is a book by Russian journalist ] about life in modern ] that she calls "Putin's Russia"
{{about|the political commentary book|the general topic|Russia under Vladimir Putin}}
<ref> , Review of the book by Martha Mercer, ] </ref>
{{Infobox book
| name = Putin's Russia
| image = Putin's Russia book cover.jpg
| caption = Book cover
| author = ]
| title_orig = Путинская Россия
| translator =
| illustrator =
| cover_artist =
| country = Russia
| language =
| series =
| subject = ], ]
| genre =
| publisher = Harvill Press
| pub_date = 2004
| english_pub_date =
| media_type =
| pages = 290
| isbn = 978-1-84343-050-6
| oclc = 56645857
| dewey =
| congress =
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
}}
]
⚫ '''''Putin's Russia''''' is a political commentary book by the Russian journalist ] about events and life in Russia under ].<ref>
{{cite book
|first=Anna
|last=Politkovskaya
|author2=translated by Arch Tait
|title=Putin's Russia
|publisher=Harvill
|year=2004
|isbn=0-8050-7930-0
|url=https://archive.org/details/putinsrussialife00poli
|url-access=registration
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://www.nysun.com/article/46005
|title=Reporting from the Russian Front
|first=Martha |last=Mercer
|work=]
|date=2007-01-03 |accessdate=2008-03-16
}} Review.
</ref>


Politkovskaya argues that Russia still has aspects of a ] or ], under the ]. In a review, Angus Macqueen wrote:<ref>
⚫ In the book Politkovskaya tells about transformation of ] to ] under leadership of ]. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of her book is "that it feels like a Soviet-era dissident's book. Her pieces have that slightly desperate pitch of someone who fears no one is listening - that her own people have given up and that the outside world does not want to hear, or worse, does not care." <ref>, Review of the book by Angus Macqueen, ] </ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/politicsphilosophyandsociety/0,,1376088,00.html
|title=Nothing left but theft
|first= Angus |last=Macqueen
|work=]
|date=2004-12-08 |accessdate=2008-03-16
}} Review.
⚫ </ref> {{quote|Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this collection is that it feels like a Soviet-era dissident's book. Her pieces have that slightly desperate pitch of someone who fears no one is listening - that her own people have given up and that the outside world does not want to hear, or worse, does not care.}}


Politkovskaya describes an army in which conscripts are tortured and hired out as slaves. She described judges who are removed from their positions or brutally assaulted on the street for not following instructions "from above" to let criminals go. She condemns routine kidnappings, murders, rape, and torture of people in ] by Russian military, exemplified by ]. She describes re-emergence of infamous ] of psychiatry and Dr. Tamara Pechernikova who was notorious for torturing ] in "]" of 1960s and 1970s. She tells the story of ], a petty criminal who became "the leading industrialist and deputy of the legislature", as a prototype "]". Politkovskaya described an army in which conscripts are tortured and hired out as slaves. She described judges who are removed from their positions or brutally assaulted on the street for not following instructions "from above" to let criminals go. She describes particular areas in Russia dominated and operating under insensitive companies or cold ]s that resemble brutal mafia bosses, with ex-military and special services personnel to aid them. She condemns routine kidnappings, murders, rape, and torture of people in ] by Russian military, exemplified by ]. She mentions the decayed state and minimally financed conditions of the ] and nuclear arsenal in Vladivostok. She describes the persistence of the infamous ] of psychiatry and Dr. ], who was notorious for torturing ] in "]s" of the 1960s and 1970s, often using drugs such as ]. She tells the story of ], a petty criminal who became "the leading industrialist and deputy of the legislature", as a prototype "]".


Politkovskaya accuses Vladimir Putin and ] of stifling all civil liberties to establish Soviet-style dictatorship, but tells that "it is we who are responsible for Putin's policies" in the conclusion: Politkovskaya accuses Vladimir Putin and ] of stifling all civil liberties and promoting corruption to further the establishment of an authoritarian regime, but tells that "it is we who are responsible for Putin's policies" in the conclusion:
"Society has shown limitless apathy... As the Chekists have become entrenched in power, we have let them see our fear, and thereby have only intensified their urge to treat us like cattle. The KGB respects only the strong. The weak it devours. We of all people ought to know that". {{cquote|Society has shown limitless apathy... As the ] have become entrenched in power, we have let them see our fear, and thereby have only intensified their urge to treat us like cattle. The KGB respects only the strong. The weak it devours. We of all people ought to know that.}}


==Critisism== ==See also==
* ]
Critics accused ] of being partisan by concentrating on the activities of Russian federal forces, but her supporters claim that she also strongly criticised the brutal tactics of the terrorists.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1890481,00.html|title=Assassin's Bullet Kills Fiery Critic of Putin|author=Parfitt, Tom|publisher=The Observer|date=2006-10-08|accessdate=2006-10-09}}</ref> She was also blamed for unwillingness to check facts before reporting them if she felt they furthered her cause.<ref name=Arutiunian> ] N39 2006 </ref>


⚫ ==References==
According to journalist Anna Arutunyan, 'During a reporting trip in 2001, Politkovskaya was detained by military officials in the Chechen village of Hotuni. When she was released, she wrote that she had uncovered pits dug out in the ground where military officials would allegedly keep Chechen hostages for ransom, directly accusing General Baranov, then commander of the Chechen federal troops, of these crimes. The publication was followed by a criminal investigation based on the allegations, but a delegation of official human rights envoys was unable to find any such pits. At a later press conference in Moscow, Politikovskaya admitted that she had never actually seen the pits herself, but that witnesses related seeing them to her. In another account she had said the ransoms was $150, while in another - $500'.<ref name=Arutiunian> ] N39 2006 </ref>
⚫ {{reflist}}


]
Another telling example was Politkovskaya's recent allegations that special forces were preparing an "escape" for jailed oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, in the course of which he was to be killed. Her source was a retired KGB officer who had served time in the camps. While the article was published in Novaya Gazeta this spring, these allegations went nowhere.<ref name=Arutiunian> ] N39 2006 </ref>
⚫ ]
]


Hence, Politkovskaya was primarily viewed as an activist rather than reporter. When terrorists held an auditorium hostage during the Nov. 2002 production of Nord-Ost, she spoke to the hostage takers and made their demands public. In Sept. 2004, terrorist in the Beslan school siege had also demanded her presence.<ref name=Arutiunian> ] N39 2006 </ref>

Against this backdrop, it would seem that despite a brave and sincere commitment to unraveling corruption and atrocities wherever possible, Politkovskaya's priorities as a journalist focused more on accusing and less on reporting. <ref name=Arutiunian> ] N39 2006 </ref>

== External links ==
* on English PEN web site

⚫ ==References==
⚫ {{reflist|2}}


{{poli-book-stub}} {{Russia-poli-book-stub}}
⚫ ]

Latest revision as of 15:16, 4 April 2024

Book by Anna Politkovskaja This article is about the political commentary book. For the general topic, see Russia under Vladimir Putin.
Putin's Russia
Book cover
AuthorAnna Politkovskaya
Original titleПутинская Россия
SubjectVladimir Putin, Putinism
PublisherHarvill Press
Publication date2004
Publication placeRussia
Pages290
ISBN978-1-84343-050-6
OCLC56645857
Anna Politkovskaja in 2005, one year before her murder.

Putin's Russia is a political commentary book by the Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya about events and life in Russia under Vladimir Putin.

Politkovskaya argues that Russia still has aspects of a police state or mafia state, under the leadership of Vladimir Putin. In a review, Angus Macqueen wrote:

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this collection is that it feels like a Soviet-era dissident's book. Her pieces have that slightly desperate pitch of someone who fears no one is listening - that her own people have given up and that the outside world does not want to hear, or worse, does not care.

Politkovskaya described an army in which conscripts are tortured and hired out as slaves. She described judges who are removed from their positions or brutally assaulted on the street for not following instructions "from above" to let criminals go. She describes particular areas in Russia dominated and operating under insensitive companies or cold oligarchs that resemble brutal mafia bosses, with ex-military and special services personnel to aid them. She condemns routine kidnappings, murders, rape, and torture of people in Chechnya by Russian military, exemplified by Yuri Budanov. She mentions the decayed state and minimally financed conditions of the Russian Pacific Fleet and nuclear arsenal in Vladivostok. She describes the persistence of the infamous Moscow Serbsky Institute of psychiatry and Dr. Tamara Pechernikova, who was notorious for torturing Soviet dissidents in "psikhushkas" of the 1960s and 1970s, often using drugs such as haloperidol. She tells the story of Pavel Fedulev, a petty criminal who became "the leading industrialist and deputy of the legislature", as a prototype "New Russian".

Politkovskaya accuses Vladimir Putin and FSB of stifling all civil liberties and promoting corruption to further the establishment of an authoritarian regime, but tells that "it is we who are responsible for Putin's policies" in the conclusion:

Society has shown limitless apathy... As the Chekists have become entrenched in power, we have let them see our fear, and thereby have only intensified their urge to treat us like cattle. The KGB respects only the strong. The weak it devours. We of all people ought to know that.

See also

References

  1. Politkovskaya, Anna; translated by Arch Tait (2004). Putin's Russia. Harvill. ISBN 0-8050-7930-0.
  2. Mercer, Martha (2007-01-03). "Reporting from the Russian Front". The New York Sun. Retrieved 2008-03-16. Review.
  3. Macqueen, Angus (2004-12-08). "Nothing left but theft". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-03-16. Review.


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