Welcome to Putingrad: The Incredible Story of the Only Man to Collect Money from Vladimir Putin

by Franz J. Sedelmayer, John Weisman

The author founded a security company in St. Petersburg, Russia, in the early 1990s. It was so successful that Boris Yeltsin appropriated it in its entirety. The book describes this and then the lengthy court fight to win (and then collect several million dollars in restitution.

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Guy Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome to Putingrad provides the personal story of a German businessman who manufactured and supplied law enforcement equipment and specialized vehicles business with the intent of modernizing St Petersburg police. The book provides an accurate and detailed understanding of the multiple competing security organizations, criminal organizations and corrupt government officials including Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin. This book makes it clear why Russia should never be accepted as a world power in the G7.
I read this book for research into my next book which has a character close to Putin, and came away with a clearer understanding of his hold on a certain US President. While the book was jammed full of interesting and useful stories, I rated it four stars because it could drag at points.

[Kathy Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic given it was a true story. Even thou it's written as pseudo biography which could have been awful. No one has ever published such a detailed narrative of Putin who is one of the most dangerous foreign leaders the world has ever seen. Please read and pass on what you read. We as nation are becoming apathetic turns world events. This is written in such a style that should appeal to many. Of course,George Guidal is fantastic! Read it, pass it in.

[Owlseyes]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/04/op...

[Randal · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a familiar story by now: A westerner invests in Russia, builds something worthwhile and then has it stolen by the Russian state. In this case, the investor's family are Bavarians and the family business is security. The book, co-written in the first person by Franz Sedelmayer, tells of how he had to work through layers of corruption to establish his business and rebuild a blighted property into a modern facility, often with the help of the assistant to the mayor of St. Petersburg, Vladimir Putin.
Then Boris Yeltsin decided the whole setup was something he wanted and expropriated it -- with the help of the former assistant to the mayor of St. Petersburg, now assistant to the office of President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.
It's a fascinating story, outlining the origins of the kleptocracy that runs Russia today and the rise of Putin as it details the underhanded and often comically inept tricks the Russians used to try to prevent Sedelmayer from collecting on the debt owed him.
It's not beautifully written, but clips along at a fair pace and Sedelmayer's larger-than-life persona comes through. If you want to read the story of David knocking Goliath down and then giving him a good kicking, this is an excellent title for you.
Self-published but at a much higher standard than most simliar books.

[Susan Bloesl · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has no idea how Russians live or think, I found this to be a great book! Kudos to Franz for persevering!
This book opens your eyes to the way Russians and Putin think. Kudos to Franz for persevering

[Walter A. Hoyt, III · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Must Read in Today's International political and business climate with Russia

This is a compelling story of what it was like to initially invest in Russia 30+ years ago and then the corruption the Russian culture that has made it untenable! Great in with to Putin as well.