Behind Closed Doors: Putin, Power & The Private Empire

Behind the Curtain: Putin, Power & The Private Empire

A bold new book rips the veil off Vladimir Putin’s secret life — exposing the mafia ties, personal betrayals, and power plays that shaped modern Russia.

Courtesy: Organized Crime and  Corruption and Reporting Project

The Tsar In Propria Persona by Roman Badanin & Mikhail Rubin pulls no punches.

Why it matters

Russia’s president has crafted an image of tradition, discipline, and moral superiority. But behind that curated façade is a reality of strip clubs, criminal mentors, marital collapse, and oligarchic favoritism — a parallel system that helps explain the logic behind modern authoritarian rule.

“Putin’s private life is many times more important than his public life.”
— Roman Badanin

Key revelations

• Mob mentorship: Putin’s early mentor was violent gang figure Leonid Usvyatsov — possibly instrumental in his law school admission.
• Marital breakdown: His marriage collapsed under “constant humiliation,” lavish living, and affairs housed in state-owned apartments.
• Strip club diplomacy: Putin held meetings at Luna, a St. Petersburg strip club protected by a mob boss — his signed photo still hangs there.
• State-sponsored scandal: Putin helped orchestrate a “honeytrap” against the General Prosecutor to secure the Kremlin’s loyalty.

Big takeaway

Behind the nationalism and war rhetoric lies a man of wealth, revenge, and relationships — not values.

“Oblivion is Putin’s main ally… The bad guys are erasing our memory of them.”
— Roman Badanin

Systemic decay

• Courts and archives sealed
• ️ Media crushed
• Truth-tellers exiled

“This book cost us our homeland.”
— Badanin, now in exile with Rubin in the U.S.

The deeper system

• Kremlin-controlled media
• ✝️ Orthodox Church as political tool
• Family & friends profiting from Putin’s power

This book joins the canon of Putin’s Kleptocracy and Putin’s People — offering a uniquely personal lens into authoritarian power.

Bottom line

The real Putin isn’t the one behind the podium. He’s the one behind closed doors — where power is personal, history is rewritten, and no one is safe.

The book: Amazon.com: VLADIMIR PUTIN AND THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE: FROM KGB TO KREMLIN – THE MAN, THE POWER, WAR AND THE FUTURE OF RUSSIA (Biographies): 9798313617268: Clarke, Peter, Wood, Robin: Books