When The Times foreign correspondent Marc Bennetts moved to Russia in 1997, there was hope for a new future for the country. But over the next 25 years, he witnessed the rise of Vladimir Putin and the erosion of civil liberties. In his new book, The Descent: Witnessing Russia’s Spiral into Madness Under Putin, Marc charts how one man remade Russia in his own paranoid image.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Marc Bennetts, foreign correspondent, The Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Micaela Arneson.

We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com

Read more: Lies and fear: my life under the Kremlin’s propaganda machine

Further listening: ‘I took a grenade blast to escape’: Russian deserters speak to The Times

Clips: Channel One Russia, Educational Video Group, NBC News, ITN, Times Now World, Dot’s Eye.

Photo: Getty Images.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The descent into madness under Putin

The Story