Iran, Putin’s mafia state: How despotic leaders are buying power across the globe

Iran, Putin’s mafia state: How despotic leaders are buying power across the globe

In 1992, Vladimir Putin​— who at the time was deputy mayor of the Russian port city of St. Petersburg​— commissioned a film about himself called “Vlast,” a Russian word meaning power. In it, he argued passionately for the West to invest in Russian industry. After he became Russia’s president in 2012, he continued to project … Read more

Inside Vladimir Putin’s top secret bunker on the Black Sea

Inside Vladimir Putin’s top secret bunker on the Black Sea

Not far from Crimea, Russian President Vladimir Putin enjoys life in a 190,000-square-foot, billion-dollar compound on the shores of the Black Sea in the resort town of Gelendzhik, Russia. Inside the privately-owned facility, there is a hockey rink, wine cellar, hookah lounge, casino arboretum, his very own stripper pole and, of course, a church too. … Read more