Putin's Inner Circle of Ex-KGB Loyalists Fueled His Imperialist Ambitions and Undermined the West
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Putin remade Russia in the KGB's image, gathering strategic funds through loyal allies to undermine the West. Many elites now see Western weakness as an opportunity.
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Putin blames the Bolsheviks for tearing up the Russian Empire into separate republics like Ukraine. He's held onto imperialist beliefs since his KGB days.
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Putin surrounds himself with intelligence officials who share his views, like Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev who manipulates Putin.
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The West dismissed Putin and let in Russian money without realizing corruption consolidated Putin's power. Billionaires became beholden to Putin.
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Billionaires sued Belton for defamation over her Putin book, but she refused to withdraw it. She released a Russian version for free after Navalny's death.