1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,440 Speaker 1: All right, this story is going to blow you away. 2 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:04,960 Speaker 1: And if you're an enemy of this guy, you have 3 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:08,039 Speaker 1: a really excellent chance of being blown away. He's in 4 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:11,680 Speaker 1: the news, reviled by most around the world. But what's 5 00:00:11,720 --> 00:00:16,440 Speaker 1: the story behind Russia's powerful and villainous leader. From poverty 6 00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:18,800 Speaker 1: to being one of the richest people in the world. 7 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:23,520 Speaker 1: From worshiping Communism as a KGB officer to completely embracing 8 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 1: democracy until it no longer served his purposes. I'm Patty Steele. 9 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:32,319 Speaker 1: Vladimir Putin was his rise to power one of the 10 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:37,240 Speaker 1: greatest examples of gaslighting ever? That's next on the backstory 11 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:45,160 Speaker 1: the book. We're back with the backstory. Vladimir Putin has 12 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:49,600 Speaker 1: lived a life of violent contradictions fueled by his narcissism. 13 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: Back when his public persona in America was a little 14 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 1: more positive due to his support of the US in 15 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:58,920 Speaker 1: the aftermath of nine to eleven, Folks were both impressed 16 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: and amused by his macho public persona. We saw images 17 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:07,920 Speaker 1: of him doing everything from judo to hunting, fishing, horseback riding, 18 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 1: half naked, kind of going for the Jean Claude van Dambluk. 19 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:16,320 Speaker 1: But his popularity in the US faded fast and continued 20 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:19,399 Speaker 1: to spiral down after two thousand and three, when he 21 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: strongly opposed the US war in Iraq, and his rep 22 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:27,400 Speaker 1: has gotten far worse since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Lately, 23 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 1: as we've all seen in the news, he's become an 24 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: authoritarian dictator in his own country, a bit of a 25 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 1: megalomaniac who has no problem ordering the murder of his opponents. 26 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:42,880 Speaker 1: So where did he get his start? Well, Putin grew 27 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: up in poverty in the nineteen fifties and sixties. His 28 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:49,880 Speaker 1: two brothers died as children before he was even born. 29 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: His dad had been disabled by a grenade in World 30 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: War II and struggled to work, while his mom earned 31 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: a pittance as a street sweeper to feed the family. 32 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: They lived in a communal apartment with several other families, 33 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 1: with no hot water and lots of rats. Now think 34 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:11,240 Speaker 1: about the contrast of that life with his current life. 35 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 1: By some estimates, he's worth a staggering two hundred billion dollars, 36 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 1: which would make him close to the richest man in 37 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:22,800 Speaker 1: the world. He now lives in a complex in the 38 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:27,360 Speaker 1: Russian countryside on a cliff overlooking the Black Sea. That's 39 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:30,640 Speaker 1: worth close to one and a half billion dollars. The 40 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:35,720 Speaker 1: press calls his enormous Italianate style home Putin's Palace. The 41 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 1: main house, with its frescoed ceilings, is almost two hundred 42 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: thousand square feet that's around four times the size of 43 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 1: the White House. There's an arboretum, a greenhouse, an ice 44 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 1: palace where he plays hockey, a church, an amphitheater, a 45 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 1: two hundred and fifty foot bridge, and a special tunnel 46 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: inside the cliffs with a tasting room. There's also an 47 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:01,520 Speaker 1: indoor marble swimming pool lined with statues of Greek gods, 48 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: a spa, saunas, Turkish baths, a nightclub, a hookah lounge, 49 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 1: a movie theater, a wine cellar, a casino, and about 50 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 1: a dozen guest bedrooms. It's like a really high end resort, 51 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:17,800 Speaker 1: so much for communal living, with rats and no hot water. 52 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:22,360 Speaker 1: In addition, he's said to own nineteen other houses, seven 53 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:26,799 Speaker 1: hundred cars, fifty eight aircraft and helicopters, as well as 54 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 1: a five hundred foot long, six floor super yacht said 55 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:33,520 Speaker 1: to be worth well in excess of seven hundred million dollars. 56 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:37,480 Speaker 1: It has a massive defense system, a submarine, as well 57 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 1: as a spa, swimming pools, two helipads, wood burning fireplaces, 58 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:44,920 Speaker 1: and a pool table designed to tilt so as to 59 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 1: reduce the impact of ocean waves on his game. As 60 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: far as his personal inclinations go, on the one hand, 61 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: he loves the violence of martial arts and is a 62 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 1: ruthless eighth degree black belt in judo, but he also 63 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: has an intense love for an animals, working to protect 64 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 1: Siberian tigers and bears, pushing for laws for the better 65 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: treatment of all animals, banning petting zoos in mauls and restaurants, 66 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:13,040 Speaker 1: as well as laws prohibiting the killing of stray animals 67 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:16,040 Speaker 1: and mandating proper care for pets, of which he has 68 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:19,480 Speaker 1: a whole time. He supports religion, and he's a huge 69 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:22,679 Speaker 1: fan of spy novels and of the Beatles. He also 70 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 1: collects watches, of which one alone is worth half a 71 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 1: million dollars. His career is also filled with contradictions. Coming 72 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:34,040 Speaker 1: of age during the Cold War, he embraced Communism fully 73 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:38,840 Speaker 1: becoming an officer in its security agency, the KGB, learning 74 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: the art of espionage and manipulation. In the midst of 75 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:47,040 Speaker 1: all that, putin studied law at Leningrad University before joining 76 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 1: the KGB full time. He made his share of mistakes, 77 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:54,200 Speaker 1: but he always managed to come out unscathed. In nineteen 78 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:58,000 Speaker 1: ninety one, he allowed close to one hundred million dollars 79 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: in precious metals and gems to be exported from Russia 80 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 1: in exchange for foreign food aid, but that food never arrived. 81 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 1: There's some question as to whether he may have kept 82 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:12,919 Speaker 1: the medals and gems. An investigation left Putin without a 83 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 1: blemish on his career. Then, in the mid nineties he 84 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 1: defended his doctoral dissertation in economics, but word is he 85 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:24,479 Speaker 1: plagiarized much of his work from an American textbook. Kind 86 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:28,159 Speaker 1: of ironic, right. Probably his most cunning move was his 87 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:33,159 Speaker 1: ability to manipulate the Russian Psyche. People were craving stability, 88 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:36,840 Speaker 1: and Putin gave them hope, promoting himself as a strong 89 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:40,360 Speaker 1: and decisive leader who would restore Russia to its former 90 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:43,800 Speaker 1: glory in the days of the Tsars. That's where those 91 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:47,520 Speaker 1: manly publicity shots of him bare chested in the Siberian 92 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:51,320 Speaker 1: wilderness came into play. Much like Hitler had in Germany, 93 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:55,960 Speaker 1: he capitalized on the Russian people's longing for return to greatness. 94 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 1: As his power grew, Putin used the media to shut 95 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:04,520 Speaker 1: down upononents. Critical voices were silenced, and state controlled propaganda 96 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:06,640 Speaker 1: meane him out to be a hero of the people 97 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:11,640 Speaker 1: as the free press was systematically dismantled. And then there 98 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: was Putin's ruthless crackdown on political opponents. Journalists, activists, and 99 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:21,159 Speaker 1: political rivals have been harassed, imprisoned, and even killed for 100 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:25,560 Speaker 1: daring to challenge him, most recently the murder of Alexei Navalny, 101 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:28,960 Speaker 1: a vocal critic who survived a poisoning attempt in twenty 102 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:33,279 Speaker 1: twenty but continued to speak out against Putin's corruption. He 103 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:36,720 Speaker 1: was finally arrested and put in a Siberian prison, where, 104 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:40,880 Speaker 1: at forty six he somehow died earlier this year. The 105 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:43,239 Speaker 1: same thing has happened to those who speak out about 106 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:47,440 Speaker 1: Putin's brutal war in Ukraine. So what's next with him? 107 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:50,640 Speaker 1: Around six years ago, he was already thinking about the 108 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 1: possibilities of AI when it comes to global power. As 109 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:58,159 Speaker 1: a big fan of AI, he said, artificial intelligence is 110 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:01,760 Speaker 1: the future for Russia and for all humankind. It comes 111 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:06,000 Speaker 1: with colossal opportunities and threats. Whoever becomes the leader in 112 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 1: this sphere will become the ruler of the world. Wow, 113 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:15,560 Speaker 1: there's the megalomaniac peaking out right. So through cunning, manipulation 114 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 1: and force of will, Vladimir Putin took complete power in Russia. 115 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:24,960 Speaker 1: It's definitely a warning about unchecked ambition the future of 116 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:35,160 Speaker 1: the world. Hope you're enjoying the Backstory with me, Patty Steele. 117 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:38,480 Speaker 1: Please subscribe It would be much appreciated. And if you 118 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:40,320 Speaker 1: have a story you'd like me to take a dive 119 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:43,280 Speaker 1: into and share, feel free to dm me on Facebook 120 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 1: at Patty Steele or on Instagram at Real Patty Steele. 121 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 1: I'm Patty steel The Backstories a production of iHeartMedia, Premier Networks, 122 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 1: the Elvis Durand Group and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer 123 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:01,280 Speaker 1: is Doug Fraser. Our writer Jake Kushner. We have new 124 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:04,840 Speaker 1: episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to reach out 125 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 1: to me with comments and even story suggestions on Instagram 126 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:11,560 Speaker 1: at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at Patty Steele. 127 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:14,920 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to the Backstory with Patty Steele. The 128 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:17,960 Speaker 1: pieces of history you didn't know you needed to know