Žudikas Kremliuje: Kaip Vladimiras Putinas kūrė savo teroro karalystę ir užpuolė Ukrainą

by John Sweeney, Kęstutis Choromanskis (Translator)

Žudikas Kremliuje" – tai intriguojantis, kvapą gniaužiantis pasakojimas apie Vladimiro Putino tironiją, nušviečiantis jo iškilimą nuo paprasto KGB šnipo iki vienvaldžio caro, jo grėsmingas ambicijas ir galiausiai įvykius, lėmusius Rusijos invaziją į Ukrainą.

Garsus žurnalistas ir karo reporteris Johnas Sweeney'is vedžioja skaitytojus po pačią Putino Rusijos širdį, Kremlių, po Čečėnijos masinių žudynių laukus ir naikinamus Ukrainos miestus.

Kad geriau suprastume ilgai trunkančio Putino karo mastą, autorius dalijasi savo trisdešimties metų reporterio darbo patirtimi, atskleidžia daugybę pasaulį sukrėtusių įvykių: nuo Maskvos surežisuotų daugiabučių sprogdinimų iki Rusijos kariuomenės žiaurumų Čečėnijoje, nuo Krymo aneksijos iki kruvinų mūšių prie Kyjivo.

Remdamasis įvairių liudininkų ir Putino persekiojamų žmonių pasakojimais, Johnas Sweeney'is parodo Ukrainos žmonių drąsą ir Kremliaus šeimininko žiaurumą, su kuriuo jis atsako į bet kokį pasipriešinimą, žudydamas ar ilgiems metams įkalindamas savo kritikus, bet kokiomis priemonėmis siekdamas savo imperialistinių tikslų.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, History, Russia, Biography, Ukraine, Audiobook

378 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 2022

About the author

John Sweeney is an award-winning journalist and author, currently working as an investigative journalist for the BBC's Panorama series. Before joining the BBC in 2001, Sweeney worked for twelve years at The Observer, where he covered wars and revolutions in more than sixty countries including Romania, Algeria, Iraq, Chechnya, Burundi and Bosnia.

In 1996, He was sued for criminal defamation in France by the Barclay brothers, owners of the Daily Telegraph, but the claimants lost their case. At the time, Sweeney worked for the rival newspaper The Observer, and had given an interview on BBC Radio Guernsey alleging that they had been involved in corruption. Since the broadcast could also be heard in northern France, the claimants were able to bring their claim in the French courts. Sweeney was ordered to pay €3000 by the appeal court in Rennes, France

Sweeney spent four years investigating the cases of Sally Clark, Angela Cannings and Donna Anthony, three women who had been falsely imprisoned for killing their children. Sweeney's investigation helped to clear their names, and led to Sir Roy Meadow, the expert witness whose testimony had proved decisive in their convictions, being temporarily struck off the General Medical Council's medical register. Sweeney received the Paul Foot Award in 2005 in recognition of his work.

He has won several awards throughout his career, including:

1998: What the Papers Say Journalist of the Year prize for reports on human rights abuses in Algeria.

2000: an Emmy Award and a Royal Television Society prize for programs about the Massacre at Krusha e Madhe, Kosovo.

2001: the Amnesty International prize for "Victims of the Torture Train," about human rights abuses in Chechnya.

2003: a Sony Gold award (2003) for Best Radio News program.

2004: a Royal Television Society prize (2004) for "Angela's Hope," a BBC One documentary about a woman wrongly convicted of murdering her three babies.

2005: The Paul Foot Award.

"Scientology and Me", a Panorama investigation into Scientology written and presented by Sweeney, was aired on BBC One on Monday, 14 May 2007. Prior to its airing,video footage filmed by the Church of Scientology was released that showed Sweeney shouting at Scientology representative Tommy Davis during a visit to CCHR's "Psychiatry: An Industry of Death". The clips were sections of a documentary the Church of Scientology's Freedom Magazine TV produced about the BBC Panorama programme. Sweeney remarked that he lost his temper due to days of harassment by Davis and the Church, and a strong personal reaction to the psychiatry exhibit. He had been visited at his hotel by Davis, despite not having shared the address with the Church, and had been followed on several different occasions. Sweeney labelled the clips "attack videos" and others say they were produced to discredit himself and the documentary. The BBC in response aired its own full recording of the incident. Panorama's Editor Sandy Smith explained what happened and how the BBC dealt with the incident in a post on the BBC's Editor's Blog. An internal BBC investigation found that Sweeney's conduct at one point in the filming was clearly inappropriate, but also noted that Sweeney had apologised for his outburst and concluded that as a whole, filming of the documentary had been performed in a proper and fair manner. Later on that same year in the BBC Panorama year in review Sweeney said “..a new generation is making up its own mind, and for that I make no apology”. Only a month and a half later Project Chanology began. This time as a part of a rehearsed joke, Sweeney goes into a similar outburst in January 2009 when being interviewed on Radio 4 about the Tom Cruise film Valkyrie—clearly referring to the episode two years previously. A follow-up Panorama programme also hosted by Sweeney, which at an hour is twice the length of the original one was aired on the 28 September 2010. This documentary contained int

Reviews

[Geevee · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Sweeney has a long career in investigative journalism and as such his experience of and interest in Russia and Putin helps to create a very readable and useful book. In Killer in the Kremlin, the story of Ukraine is bookended at the start and finish, using Sweeney's own experiences in Kyiv and elsewhere, with the wider story of Vlad the murder's executions and assassinations.

Sweeney outlines briefly Putin's early life - some fascinating suggestions on his treatment as a child - to his KGB career - again suggesting why Putin languished in Russia and Dresden - and then onto his rise through domestic politics to leader of Russia.

Through these periods, especially the friends and associates made in the Cold War KGB and after, we see, all interspersed with insight from Sweeney's interviews, writings and physical interactions with "authorities", many well known Russian politicians, military, intelligence and 0ligarchs, along with journalists and ordinary citizens of Russia, we get to see how Putin's government works. What we see is a long list of people who are blown up, poisoned, shot, fall from windows, and die in air crashes with the background information of events and people's movements confirmed or where necessary suggested using interviews and information from others such as Bellingcat, courageous Russian journalists and others.

Overall, especially with Sweeney's conversationalist style and humour, Killer in the Kremlin is a good book to read, and I would recommend it as a solid primer for the works of Luke Harding, Catherine Belton, Mark Urban and Owen Matthews, who help detail many of the people and points in Sweeney's book in greater depth and detail.

[Akhmal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3/5 stars

Quite a lot to unpack here but overall, an intriguing read. I appreciate John Sweeney's courageous investigative journalism on the Kremlin's dirt, risking himself from getting the Novichok treatment. In fact, I'm shocked Sweeney still gets away with it and has gone this far without getting himself harmed.

Anyway, although most of his musings are backed with hard facts, some just appear to be blatant rants and speculations, for instance, Sweeney's accusations of him being a bastard, pedophile, bisexual, etc. And there aren't any investigative reports and arguments on the West e.g. NATO's soft expansion in Europe over the past decades which imo, has only added fuel to the fire.

But ultimately, this book has clearly and most certainly demonstrated to the reader the Kremlin's villainy. No doubt about that. Do proceed with a salt shaker in hand - Sweeney spares no room in giving his blunt opinions and expressing his hatred of Putin.

I mean, with a title like that...

[Laurens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short review: F*ck Putin

[Hilay Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an important book. Twenty years in the making, so well written and explained. Thank you John Sweeney in your natty orange hat.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5⭐️ Man ši knyga buvo emociškai per sunki, ne kiekvienam ši knyga. Ši knyga apie Putino gyvenimą, apie tai kai Rusija užpuolė Ukrainą.

[Kirkirvarpa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knyga lyg susideda iš dviejų dalių. Pirmoje rašoma apie patį Putiną. Įskaitant ir versijas, kokia galėjo būti jo vaikystė. Viešai žinomų faktų beveik nėra, todėl daugiau gandai ir pasvarstymai. Antra pusė apie prasidėjusį karą. Yra įdomių aprašymų iš Kijevo pirmomis karo dienomis, Bachmuto, kai ten vyko įnirtingiausi mūšiai, ir keli žvilgtelėjimai į apkasus, kur visai šalia sproginėja sviediniai ir dunksi žemė. Įdomu skaityti autoriaus mintis apie beveik mirštantį Putiną ir Rusijai prastai besiklostantį karą iš šios dienos perspektyvos, kai frontas tapo varginančiu beveik nejudančiu karu, o Ukrainai pasaulio dėmesio ir karinių reikmenų tenka vis mažiau. Prieš metus, kai autorius rašė paskutines knygos eilutes, pozityvo jautėsi daugiau.
Apie Putiną šioje knygoje tikėjausi daugiau ir išsamiau. Net kai kurie svarbiausi aspektai paminėti gana paviršutiniškai. Tikėjausi daugiau detalių apie jo KGB karjerą ir aiškesnių motyvų, kas lėmė jo tapimą prezidentu. Knyga įdomi, bet gal artimesnė britų skaitytojui, kuriam Rusija ir karas kiek tolimesni ir mažiau detaliai žinomi, nei mums.

[Rita Costa (Lusitania Geek) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bem, este livro foi bastante interessante e mostra o nível de crimes que o Vladimir Putin praticou ao longo da sua carreira no KGB e no Kremlin. Foi um “zé ninguém”, que em curto prazo de tempo tornou-se o homem mais poderoso da Rússia e das figuras mais temíveis do Mundo.

John Sweeney, o autor do livro, é jornalista de investigação e chegou a trabalhar para a BBC durante alguns anos e tem 30 anos de experiência em ambientes de guerra. Este livro revela os seus vinte e dois anos de investigação sobre o misterioso Vladimir Putin, que revela o quão monstruoso e louco ao ponto de que prejudicar gravemente o povo russo e o Ocidente.

Será que os assassinatos, a corrupção, o controle da propaganda russa e a invasão à Ucrânia é suficiente para o manter no poder ? Será que a sua loucura irá prejudicar levar à sua morte ?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Passionate denunciation of Putin. Does a very good job of numerating the evils over the decades and the profound miscalculations of western politicians in dealing with him. Sweeney hates Putin so much, with good reason, that more interesting discussion on how he fits into Russian society and what shaped his world view is laid aside for more scurrilous stories.

[Roger Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part two of my Ukrainian reading. Sweeney is an old time journalist who writes fast and loose but covers a lot of ground. This is a remarkable and extremely up to date compilation of the serial crimes of the gangster Vladimir Putin who has, though manipulation and murder, made himself into the master of a powerful nation. The catalogue of Putin's crimes, for which he has never been brought to account, are depressing indeed. The take away message is simply that Putin cannot be allowed to win in Ukraine under any circumstances and the west (who have been duped by him and pandered to him for decades) must now stand firm against him. It is a miracle that Sweeney is still alive given the places he has been and the enemies he has made (Putin in particular). There are some good You Tube interviews of Sweeney that are recommended too.

[Rob Twinem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ukraine, always in our thoughts today, and John Sweeney gives an insight not only into Putin the man but also hardships faced by frontline war correspondents. The resilience and spirit of the Ukrainian people is admirable to behold and Sweeney’s assumption and opinions concerning Putin’s health and state of mind makes for interesting reading.

[Jari Kool · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leuke verhalen over de opkomst en presidentschap van Putin. Veel anekdotes over hoe alle criticasters en concurrenten uit de weg ruimt. Zij lijken allemaal toevallig dood te gaan door van het balkon te vallen, vergiftiging of een plotseling hartaanval.
Er wordt toegelicht dat eigenlijk al twintig jaar oorlog met Westen gevoerd wordt, terwijl zij het zelf niet doorhebben. Een van de voorbeelden is de financiering van extreem-rechtse Europese politieke partijen, de Brexit en support voor Donald Trump in de campagne tegen Hillary Clinton.
Vele Russische bronnen schijnen te zeggen dat Putin kanker heeft en met steroïden de pijn onderdrukt, al worden allerlei verschillende soorten kanker genoemd, dus of dat nou betrouwbaar is…

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary: This was an approachable read, but the tone and lack of citations make me question its credibility.

This biography of Putin focuses on the violence he used to claim and maintain power. Author and BBC journalist John Sweeny includes his personal experiences reporting on Russia and with the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The personal tone of this book was both a strength and a weakness. It was one of the most approachable books I've read on Russia. It covers a lot of dark topics, but felt somewhat light and gossip-y. I enjoyed hearing about the author's recent experiences in Ukraine and about his interviews with people living there now. It was a vivid look at the current events that inspired me to start this reading project. On the other hand, the author's tone sometimes felt too light for the topic. His jokes and cultural references were hit or miss for me. I minded them less as the book went on, because it became clear that this is a topic that author cares about very much.

The personal tone and the author's lax approach to citations reduced my confidence in his credibility. I read this book with Rennie of What's Nonfiction and I think we both found it hard to trust the author unless he was repeating facts we already knew to be true. Having read fewer books on Russia than Rennie, this meant that I had more moments of skepticism. Many of his claims seemed plausible (allegations that Putin has cemented his credibility by responding to "terrorist attacks" he organized), but also a little conspiracy minded. Without any in-text citations and a sparse bibliography, I only had confidence in claims Rennie or I had read elsewhere.

I didn't find many book reviews or author interviews (although the author does his own podcast I might yet check out). One review did stand out to me though, because the author of the review questions some of Sweeny's claims about the second Chechen War. It was somewhat validating to see that Rennie and I weren't alone in our concern with the lack of citations here. This review is probably worth checking out if you pick up the book.This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey

[Hamid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Afraid this is just poor. The book starts out with some passionate, melodramatic self-aggrandising about Sweeney's adventures in Ukraine, which could have been interesting if spun out into an examination of the present, Russia's crimes and the impact he's observed in Ukrainian society. Instead, the bulk of the book is focused on paraphrasing the works of other, better books with the addition of being written by a somewhat manic Steve Zissou figure. He's obviously been reading Masha Gessen, heavily - no bad thing because her books are great - but if you want a book examining Putin and taking guesses as to what's wrong with him then read The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin, which is truly excellent.

The book is at its best in rare moments where he takes a step back and bases it on real work. Some of the parts touching on his experience in Chechnya. A little on his coverage in London. But this? Every other paragraph ends with a melodramatic human interest flourish. He writes as though he's chaining three-minute TV segments. You could write a bot to churn out the cringe-inducing paragraph closers. Which is extremely frustrating because he's writing about an important and interesting topic! What a wasted opportunity.

[Roland Glotzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reads (unfortunately) like a crime thriller where Putin is the godfather. While many of the killings or attempted assassinations are known, it is scary to see them all in a sequence. It is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the criminal mind of Putin. The style of the author makes it an easy read. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because mixed with the many factual data is a mix of gossip and speculation (X said Y but only one source for it so hard to validate). Despite this, I definitely enjoyed the book.

[Jacob Stelling · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I was worried this book wouldn’t offer much which was new, but Sweeney’s career holding Putin to account, as well as his highly personable writing style, ensured there was much new material to learn from in this book.

What struck me most, though, were the first-hand accounts of the Ukrainian people suffering at the hands of the Russian dictator; this really served to humanise the war narrative and reiterated why the Ukrainians must win. Highly recommend as an up-to-date read.

[Hannah Harazawa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I loved Red Notice, as Browder is a great storyteller and Sweeney is the same.

I also loved Sweeney’s podcast on Ghislaine Maxwell.

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow.

[John Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read of a current leader

[Mark O'mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars because of the quality of insights into Putin & his war and experience of the writer on this topic. Falls down a little with lack of evidence and too many “musings”. The writer is also way off the mark and gives no evidence to support his take on the unambiguously discredited narrative around Russia, Putin and Trump, the writer actually seeing Chris Steele’s intelligence reports as credible. This made me wonder further about the credibility of other assertions the writer makes in the book of which I have much less background knowledge.

[Graham Brownett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Killer in the Kremlin is a detailed and shocking account of one man’s rise from poverty to almost certainly the richest man in the world. It tells of his ruthlessness, his total disregard for human life, his absolute power over all aspects of life in Russia and his terrible fear of his own mortality.

John Sweeney is a distinguished award winning investigative journalist, working in the past for many news outlets including BBC’s Panorama and Newsnight as well as Channel 4’s Dispatches. He has reported fearlessly from Chechnya and Ukraine and witnessed scenes that no-one should see.

This book delves into Putin’s soul, it questions his birthright and sexual preferences, it looks at his close links with organised crime and how he has become so wealthy, it delves into his relationships with corrupt business leaders and politicians including ex-Presidents and how he has manipulated the Russian economy for his own benefit. It gives many detailed examples of his vindictive and controlling methods and how any criticism has put people’s live at risk. From this book it is impossible to estimate how many lost lives Putin has been responsible for, but the lists of those who were once close and have died in mysterious circumstances is extraordinary.

The book itself is engrossing from Chapters 1-13 after which it starts to lose itself in waffle for a couple of chapters, almost as though a first draft was used, he was under the influence or it was written by someone else, however it does start to recover from Chapter 16. I also felt there are parts of the book that drift away from the central focus of the ‘killer’ in the Kremlin, interesting though it is I feel there could have been two books in there somewhere.

[Klee · Rating 4 out of 5]

"By the time I get to the Post Office building a great curl of sound walls up in front of me like a monster wave at sea. It’s the air-raid siren, going off big time, warning of incoming Russian artillery or mission fire. The noise is obscene.
They call it Putin’s lullaby."

Explosive. Volatile. Violent. All adjectives to describe this novel and Putin's rise to reign. Sweeny breaks down Russia's modern history and comes to the conclusion that it is "… an ethno-nationalist kleptocracy run by a pleonexiac …", this description is all encompassing. What makes Putin tick? No one is completely sure but a history of events sure gives us a good idea of the evil that is Putin. The death count of his rule is horrifying and cruel - the sneaking wide powers of the FSB are truly something to be feared. Once Russia sets its eye on you, beware. This account, which includes first hand reporting from the streets of Ukraine under siege, we travel back in time to Putin's early years (adopted? abused?) to current day invasion. It will give you chills and leave you mortified at the world's response to this dishonourable fascist who rules with a poisonous, iron fist.

John Sweeney is an award-winning journalist and author, who brings a novel to the layman that truly confirms the Russian powers mindset - "Oderint dum metuant. Let them hate so long as they fear."

"You may succeed in silencing one man but the howl of protest from around the world will reverberate, Mr Putin, in your ears for the rest of your life - Alexander Litvinenko"

Thank you to the publisher for trusting me with an honest review.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel as though this book is a must read for everyone. It takes the reader step by step through Putin’s early life, his rise to power, his manipulation on the global stage of other world leaders, through to the invasion of the Ukraine. Along the way John Sweeney’s insights on what makes Putin tick adds another interesting lair. I couldn’t put it down.

[Jonas Moonstomper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Labai geras ir profesionalus darbas. Liudna, kad karas vis dar tesiasi ir xuilo vis dar gyvas....

[Birutė · Rating 5 out of 5]

Privalomas skaitinys! Nors po knygos parašymo pasaulis nusirideno dar gilesnėn duobėn, vis tiek labai naudinga prisiminti tuos visus juodus *uilo darbelius.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating examination of Putin. Two things jumped out to me:

* Alexander Litvinenko claimed Vladimir Putin was filmed abusing children in a flat in Moscow in a sensational web before his death by radioactive polonium poisoning. Much is analyzed on the logistics of this multi-year assassination scheme. Compare to "Vladimir Putin kissed Nikita Konkin's stomach" (This tummy kiss sparked Putin pedophile claims.)

* The author's research into Putin's health suggests lymphoma; some cancer of the lymph system.

* The overall view of the malignant narcissist is he is delusional, isolated and possibly unstable due to medication.

* It looks like there is enough out there about Putin's apparently illegitimate birth and possible abuse in youth that one could make a lot of his mysterious early life.

[Kiera Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an important read in the current political climate. This book explains a leader who is often seen to be completely unexplainable. The horrific acts that have occurred during his time are shocking. I was especially interested by the idea that Putin has always seen Russia at war with the West and has acted with a warlike mindset, but the West has not shared this mindset until recently, allowing Putin to gain more international influence due to leaders’ underestimation of him. The personal experiences of Sweeney in Ukraine, Chenya and other places effectively conveys the realities of those who have suffered under Putins’s reign of terror.

[Robin Newbold · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Oh, do f*ck off", journalist John Sweeney often tweets in response to more lies peddled by the Kremlin and its despot in chief Vladimir Putin. This brilliant book manages to convey the same derisive tone over 80,000 or so words. It does not really add anything new to what we know about the "killer in the Kremlin" but the former BBC investigative reporter produces a devastating charge sheet against his arch nemesis. The book is written in a kind of casual, conversational English but it is all the more hard hitting for that, as you feel you are listening to Sweeney impart his controlled rant over a beer.

[Mihaela Popovici · Rating 5 out of 5]

MUST READ

[Morgan Griffith · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

[Matthew Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent insight into the Kremlin and it’s reign of terror highly recommend