Had you read this book late last year, you would not have been caught off guard by the onset of a major war between Russia and Ukraine, in as much as the author was very concerned that Putin would see fit to try and convert Russia's still substantial military might into economic and political power before it dwindled away. However, isn't it funny how a regime based on corruption and graft would turn out to field armed forces that were corroded by that same corruption and graft?

That said, is this book still worth your time? Probably yes, as Aslund details the structures that Putin created to bolster his power, and the people he used to help him. There is a particular emphasis on the system of secret off-shore banking that allowed the Russian oligarchs (and Putin is the biggest oligarch of all), to smuggle their wealth overseas.

As for the future, that remains to be the seen. At the time I'm writing this, maybe Russia can still bludgeon its way to a pyrrhic victory in the current war. However, it seems unlikely that Putin's ruling system will long survive him; who knows what social stresses are taking place that made Putin decide that it was "make or break" time. ( )