Chapter 2: The Rat

Putin grows up as a small, scrawny kid in a poor neighborhood with few ways up. Enter judo and the KGB. 

Organized crime and violence reign supreme in post-Soviet Russia. In this world, the rules of the dvor prove invaluable — for the men fighting over the jewels of the Soviet industrial empire, and for Vladimir Putin. 

To predict what Vladimir Putin might do next in Ukraine, it’s helpful to remember his first and foremost education — in the dvor. 

In the West, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is always seen as one of two things: KGB spy or judo master. But to anyone who’s ever lived in the Soviet Union, Putin is something else entirely: a street kid. Join journalist Julia Ioffe as she explores how Putin’s childhood taught h ... Show More

In the midst of the Cold War, Joseph Stalin's only daughter, Svetlana Alliluyeva, decides to flee Mother Russia to start a new life in America. But with the KGB on her tail, how on earth is she going to get out? Playwright Dan Kitrosser unravels her story. See omnystudio.com/list ... Show More

In the midst of the Cold War, Joseph Stalin's only daughter, Svetlana Alliluyeva, decides to flee Mother Russia to start a new life in America. But with the KGB on her tail, how on earth is she going to get out? Playwright Dan Kitrosser unravels her story. See omnystudio.com/list ... Show More

<p>At some point in our childhood we all met the moment where we had to summon the courage and strength to stand up to the difficulties of the world. But imagine being 8 years old and finding yourself in the car with your mother in the middle of the night as she hands you a map a ... Show More

From street thug to spy – what the Russian president did before he came to power. To understand what Vladimir Putin might do in the future, you need to understand his past; where he’s come from, what he’s lived through, what he’s done. Jonny Dymond hears tales of secret agents, g ... Show More

Svetlana keeps searching for a place that feels like home. Could it be America? Could it be England? Could it be… Russia and the children that she left behind 18 years ago?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Stories about mothers, the difficult choices they face, and the moments they had no control over.Leave us a voicemail at 702-706-TALK, or email us at podcast@storycorps.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to ma ... Show More

The trauma of war and its aftermath can leave scars on those who survive - deep scars that can be both physical and emotional. For children who experience war, trauma can cut deep, reshaping every part of their lives.While we hear news reports from war zones, stories from survivo ... Show More

You’ve been bullied and ignored for much of your childhood. You lose yourself in trances that can last for an hour. Your only escape is the books you love, the complex thoughts that bounce around inside your mind...and to get out of your father’s house. Hosted by Robbie Daymond.Y ... Show More