This is the story of an accidental king and a court out of control. When renowned journalist Mikhail Zygar began conducting exclusive interviews with members of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, he uncovered a shocking slew of inconsistencies, reinterpretations, and confusion. Over time, their firsthand accounts—mired in egos and excuses— comprised a new image of Vladimir Putin as a weary leader controlled by the many men who advise and deceive him.

Through unprecedented portraits of key political figures—from Kremlin Chief of Staff Alexander Voloshin to Deputy Prime Minister Igro Shavalov—Zygar reveals how the Kremlin’s decisions have been nothing more than tactical responses to external events, devoid of logic or objective. And in their failed attempts to defend their actions, Putin’s men have invented implacable enemies of the state and launched an imaginary war. A bestseller in Russian, All the Kremlin’s Men is both a shocking reconstruction of Putin’s tumultuous reign and an exposé of the manipulation and myopia of his closest circle.