Downfall: Prigozhin, Putin, and the New Fight for the Future of Russia by Anna Arutunyan and Mark Galeotti

Mark Galeotti and Anna Arutunyan's “Downfall” traces Yevgeny Prigozhin's rise and his rivalry with Putin, revealing how private armies and shadow power upset Russia’s elite. This timely, forensic account shows how personal ambition, violence and fractured loyalties threatened to reshape the country's future, and the stability of the wider world.

Yevgeny Prigozhin emerged as one of the most dangerous warlords in the world and as one of Vladimir Putin's chief rivals in Russia's tumultuous political climate, exiled after leading Wagner's attempted coup and killed in a mysterious plane crash. But what is the truth about this enigmatic figure, his role in the war with Ukraine, and the chaos unleashed across Russia by his turn against Putin? And, in the aftermath of his death, what is next for Russia in the new stage of late Putinism that Prigozhin's life forged?

Drawing on years of research, this book traces the rise of Russia's most prominent non-state actor and examines the political climate that propelled a convicted gangster with no government office to the formidable role he came to occupy. An essential story of Russia's recent history, Downfall is also a compelling insight into its likely future.

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