Putin's Oil: The Yukos Affair and the Struggle for Russia

Description

This title investigates Vladimir Putin's war for control of Russia's vast oil reserves, in particular Mikhail Khodorkovsky's oil firm, Yukos. "Putin's Oil" investigates the complex world of Kremlin politics, including conspiracies and conspiracy theories, allegations that Roman Abramovitch plotted with Putin to destroy Khodorkovsky, suspicions of betrayal and double agents in the Kremlin and in Yukos, murder charges against Khodorkovsky's partners, and the KGB defector who claims they were carried out by Kremlin agents. After the mysterious death in a helicopter crash of the Englishman who had taken over Yukos, the company's war against the Kremlin is now being waged by a troika of mild mannered Britons, pursued by Interpol arrest warrants and Moscow's fury. Khodorkovsky remains in a penal camp in far Eastern Siberia. Martin Sixsmith, former BBC Moscow Correspondent, has gained unprecedented access to many of the players in the drama. The resulting book is both a thriller and an analysis of the defining moments of Putin's presidency and their ongoing impact in Russian and world politics.

Martin Sixsmith is a journalist, writer, and broadcaster. He began working at the BBC in 1980 as a foreign correspondent, reporting from Moscow during the end of the Cold War, the era of Perestroika, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 1997, he went to work for the government of Tony Blair as Director of Communications and Press Secretary to Harriet Harman and then to Alistair Darling. He then served as Director of Communication at the Department for Transport, Local Government, and the Regions. Sixsmith is the author of two political novels, Spin and I Heard Lenin Laugh. He has also published an account of the Litvinenko murder, The Litvinenko File, and made a documentary film in 2008 exploring the legacy of the KGB in today's Russia and the FSB.

"Khodorkovsky's arrest and trial turned him into a cause celebre for critics of the Kremlin; thankfully Sixsmith...avoids the impulse to lionize Khodorkovsky and by doing so, manages to give the reader a more complete portrait of a very complex man." -Ed Hancox, The Mantle 'Martin Sixsmith brings out all the political drama (and literary resonance) of the ongoing confrontation between Putin and the imprisoned entrepreneur Mikhail Khodorkovsky.' - Times Literary Supplement 'This history of the rise and fall of the Yukos company reads like a nineteenth century Russian novel in which titans battle for a nation's soul... We are grateful to Mr Sixsmith for the work he has done in telling this sordid story.' -- Contemporary Review "A bleak and well-researched look at the crooked roots of the Kremlin's energy empire" -Edward Lucas, Central & Eastern Europe Correspondent for The Economist, author of The New Cold War "All the drama of a Hollywood thriller, but this is a chilling real life story - the unfinished battle for oil and political power in Russia. This meticulously researched and vividly told story is a must read for anyone who wants to understand today's Russia - a world where politics and big business form a deadly cocktail."-Angus Roxburgh, former Sunday Times Moscow correspondent and author of The Second Russian Revolution "This is a penetrating inside look at the machinations in Russia's most crucial sector. Sixsmith has obtained unprecedented access to the players, inside the Kremlin and out, and his account of the dealings and dirty work up the chain of command to the President's office is both fascinating and appalling." --Don Murray, former CBC Moscow bureau chief and author of A Democracy of Despots 'Martin Sixsmith, a former BBC journalist, picks his way through this battlefield - lucidly, insightfully, quickly - by following the trail of events that led to the fall of Khodorkovsky and his Yukos empire.' -- European Voice Martin Sixsmith's seductive blend of investigative journalism and contemporary history charts the rise and fall over nearly 20 years of Russia's oil giant Yukos and its main proprietor Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky. -- International Affairs 'Well-researched ... it illustrates both the risks of conducting business and the extraordinary realities of politics in Russia today.' - openDemocracy.net 'Written as a thriller, but also provides analysis of the defining moments of Putin's presidency and its ongoing impact in Russian and world politics.' - Petroleum Review this is a test -- tim dennis * Theology *