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Apr 3, 2026 32 min

The descent into madness under Putin

from The Story

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: [email protected] 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.

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The descent into madness under Putin

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This episode was published on April 3, 2026.

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