Vladimir Putin has turned Russia from a fledgling democracy into a police state, and in 2020 a constitutional change gave him the means to stay in power until 2036. In this political biography, former BBC Moscow correspondent Angus Roxburgh charts the dramatic fight for Russia's future under Putin. Roxburgh shows how the former KGB man evolved from reformer to autocrat, how he sought the West's respect but earned its fear and contempt.

First published in Great Britain 2011.