The West's obsession with Vladimir Putin's KGB past often misses the biographical detail that can be captured by a single word: dvor.... more
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Episodes
To predict what Vladimir Putin might do next in Ukraine, it’s helpful to remember his first and foremost education —... more
Organized crime and violence reign supreme in post-Soviet Russia. In this world, the rules of the dvor prove invaluable —... more
Putin grows up as a small, scrawny kid in a poor neighborhood with few ways up. Enter judo and the... more
Soviet baby boomers are born into a country ravaged by war. Given that parents are largely absent — either dead,... more
The Soviet Union suffers unthinkable horrors during World War II. Leningrad, the city into which Vladimir Putin is born, loses... more
In the West, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is always seen as one of two things: KGB spy or judo master.... more