The Path of the Tsar: The Secret Struggle for Power and Influence in Modern Russia. From Yeltsin to Putin

The politics of Boris Yeltsin in the mid and late 1990s were shaped by the Family - a tight-knit group of people who influenced all key decisions in the country. This informal circle also included journalist Valentin Yumashev. How did this happen and what decisions did he help the president make? What was the fate of Yumashev and other close associates of Yeltsin during Putin's rule? Does Vladimir Putin, whom these people brought to power at the end of Yeltsin's presidency, have his own "family"? How is a support group for the top leader formed, and how dependent is the top leader on it? To understand the mechanisms of Russian power, well-known journalist Ilya Zhegulyev spent many hours conversing with key members of the Family, their friends, and foes, and wrote a collective history of the people involved in governing the country.