What It’s Like To Live In Putin’s Russia — According To An Investigative Reporter

Luke Harding, a journalist and the author of "Collusion: Secret Meetings, Dirty Money, and How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win," explains why he believes Vladimir Putin may secretly be one of the richest people in the world. Following is a transcript of the video.

Luke Harding: I think the thing people need to understand about Russia is that Russia is not Vladimir Putin.

My name is Luke Harding. I'm a journalist and a writer, and my new book is called "Collusion," and it's about Donald Trump and Russia.

Russia is a great country of 142 million people, clever people, people that read books, who like theater. It’s got a fantastic musical tradition.

But what’s happened in the kind of post-Soviet era is that it’s been hijacked by a group of basically KGB people, who have captured the state and run it for their own purposes. And who, by the way, have got fantastically rich. They’re some of the richest people that have ever, kind of, walked the planet.

And so Russia is a sophisticated, postmodern kind of kleptocracy run by someone who — wishes America ill and is determined that Russia will prevail everywhere.

And I just think that Americans should be aware that there’s another Russia out there but at the same time, be wary, very wary of the current leadership.

So my previous book before “Collusion” was called “A Very Expensive Poison.” And it was about a Russian dissident called, Alexander Litvinenko, who was famously murdered in 2006 with a radioactive cup of tea, poured by two assassins sent by the Kremlin to kill him. He was a vehement critic about Vladimir Putin. He was very rude about him and his reward was this really horrible, lingering public death.

That case was properly investigated by the British authorities who concluded that Putin had probably approved the operation.

But there are many other murders that go on inside Russia of other regime opponents, which are never fully investigated. I’m thinking of people like Boris Nemtsov shot dead in 2015, 300 meters away from the Kremlin. And he was a famous opposition activist.

This is what the KGB used to do during the Cold War. They would kill people inside the Soviet Union and also abroad who they perceived as being traitors.

When you’re trying to kind of conceptualize “What is modern Russia?,” of course it’s a state but also it’s a kind of a mafia syndicate that uses mafia methods to snuff out its enemies and to get its way both inside its borders and outside its borders.

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[carolynb]

This guy has no idea of the role of the US and NATO in antagonizing Russia and wanting to control it for themselves.

[iljastalberg]

Another anti russian propaganda from business insider, some thing never change, if we talk on business insider it's propaganda and wrong prognosis on politics / economy

[JC-slbs]

You mentioned nothing as a journalist, about the situation in Russia before and after when Putin is in power, but unproven accusations that were highly likely related to Putin. That's ashame on you, Mr Harding.

[ghostofcato]

And this makes it different from which western countries?!

[mattball]

Ohhhh he's a journalist... makes sense now.

[veljaila]

I don't believe a word this guy says.

[reardelt]

Why don't you talk about Saudi Arabia? It is a cruel dictatorship.

[Aliff_Klg]

Nato ( an organization under u.s.a protection) is surrounding russia. Russia navy cant go anywhere to the west as they are being monitored (both gateways to the open sea must crossed nato countries). Theres a missile program run by the u.s.a in romania, close to russia.

[himmelblau]

Pathetic. He's just trying to get rich saying all the things that certain elements in the USA and UK want to hear.

[bileductable]

0:22 Seriously? "by a group of basically KGB people" - Sums up the childish level of this guy's propaganda.

[captainben]

Putin is a Czar that has been in power for over 18 years and people love him for some reason. The average wage outside of Moscow is about $600 a month, the social programs are shit with very little help for the elderly and a great majority of the people have to struggle to make ends meet. Unfortunately with the media consolidation of the early 2000’s, there is very little there in terms of alternative news and most people can’t even consider a president other than Putin. Even the tragedy in Kemerovo wasn’t highlighted much in the news because is shows the effects of corruption and a governor who has been in power since the 90s. I lived in Russia for almost 6 years, my wife is Russian and it makes me sad that so many good people in the country have so few options. If you want to know whether or not the oligarchs love Russia, just look at where their children live and study. It’s almost never in Russia....

[faxedhead]

The majority of Russian people love Putin, he has done a lot of good for his country. The economy has improved 10 fold and he has really helped people who were down and out due to job cuts and not getting their pay outs from big companies they were working for. That is just one of the many good things he has done for them. He doesnt make false promises to the public either and sticks to the promises he does make.

[justinprice]

guys we as the citizens of each nation need come together

[imrekalman]

This was entertaining. I haven't heard so much nonsense in such a short video for a long time. This is art!
(Still a thumbs down though.)

[ardeq]

Wishes America Ill? Such a childish description

[williamunderhill]

There's nothing in here about life in Russia. This is just a smear vid.

[TheGlampireAlice]

“Probably” not a word I like to use in a criminal investigation.

[ThejaBuddhika]

You have describe the modern capitalistic model in any where in the world :) not only in Russia even in Sri Lanka which was initiated and introduced by West

[felixkiptor]

Nonsense what about criticize western leaders, you are so quick to judge Russia and not the Western, very biased video.

[jakenshake]

People: triggered at the guy being interviewed
Me: genuine happiness because I saw Valeria Kurnushkina in the thumbnail