Podcast Summary: The Rise Of Putin: Becoming President

Podcast: The Rest Is Classified
Episode Date: November 28, 2025
Hosts: David McCloskey (former CIA analyst, novelist), Gordon Corera (security correspondent)
Special Guest: Mark Galeotti (Russian security and crime expert)

Overview:

This episode, the finale in a three-part miniseries for club members, delves into Vladimir Putin’s enigmatic ascent from KGB functionary in St. Petersburg to President of Russia. The conversation paints a nuanced portrait of 1990s Russia—a world of political chaos, organized crime, and oligarchic intrigue—while exploring Putin’s rise through loyalty, discretion, and opportunistic power-brokering.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Putin’s Transition from St. Petersburg to Moscow

• Reputation as a Loyal Operator:
  After his mentor Anatoly Sobchak loses his mayoral re-election in St. Petersburg, Putin (then a deputy mayor) is forced to seek new opportunities.
  • Quote (Mark Galeotti, 02:08): “He’s made a reputation for himself as a loyal and efficient and discreet bagman...the sort of person you want as your deputy—to do all the dirty work that needs to be done.”
• Old Boy Network and the Sobchak Connection:
  Putin's next steps are enabled by KGB contacts and Sobchak himself.
  • Putin’s loyalty is demonstrated by arranging Sobchak’s escape when an arrest warrant is issued.
  • Quote (Mark Galeotti, 02:48): “He understands that loyalties are important things.”

2. Managing Presidential Property—Corruption as Currency

• Appointment to Presidential Property Management Agency:
  Putin is given a job that, while seemingly mundane, is central to the era’s endemic corruption.
  • Quote (Mark Galeotti, 03:00): “By golly, it is lucrative...one of the most extraordinarily corrupt elements of what is already an extraordinarily corrupt system.”
• Developing a Reputation in Moscow:
  In the Russian capital, Putin is seen as boring but reliable—a rare trait in a city teeming with intrigue.
  • Quote (Mark Galeotti, 04:00): “Everyone is keenly aware of who the rising stars are...Putin seems to be trustworthy, and that is actually quite a talent.”

3. From Trusted Functionary to Head of the FSB (Federal Security Service)

• Why Putin?:
  Boris Yeltsin and “the Family” (a circle of relatives, associates, and oligarchs) are searching for a loyalist to head the FSB.
  • Quote (Mark Galeotti, 05:43): “He was there to make sure that it was politically controlled, that he was loyal to Yeltsin and that mattered.”
• Not a Hands-On Manager:
  Putin delegates much of the FSB’s actual running. His main function is political control and loyalty, not operational expertise.
• Method of Rule:
  • Quote (Mark Galeotti, 05:47): “Putin...encourages everyone to be corrupt because you want everyone to have a skeleton in their closet when you get to decide whose closet gets rummaged through.”

4. Political Climate of 1990s Moscow: Oligarchs and Power Plays

• The Oligarch Network:
  Hosts discuss the symbiotic relationship between the Kremlin and an emerging class of oligarchs—created largely through dubious “shares-for-loans” deals during Yeltsin’s tenure (especially around 1996).
  • Powerful figures like Boris Berezovsky gain both commercial and political prominence.
• Security and Insecurity:
  Putin leverages the organs of state to provide “security for some people and insecurity for others”—the start of a transactional, often menacing, governance style.
  • Quote (Mark Galeotti, 07:09): “He’s in some ways collecting favours, he’s collecting clients, rather than just simply wads of cash...Politics is the new currency at that level.”

5. Was Putin Always Ambitious for Power?

• Calculated Opportunist, Not a Mastermind:
  The view is that Putin’s ascent is more a product of circumstance and loyal service than of explicit ambition.
  • Quote (Mark Galeotti, 08:03): “It seems to have come as much as a surprise to him as to everyone else when he's then made Prime Minister...he was one of many potential candidates who had been picked.”
• Yeltsin’s Weakness and the Family’s Search:
  As Yeltsin’s health declines, the search for a “loyal factotum” leads to Putin’s selection as Prime Minister—effectively a surprise both to the political class and to Putin himself.
  • Quote (Mark Galeotti, 08:40): “This time the family decided, okay, this is the guy...And it’s only at that point, really, that they started to actually tell Putin what they had in mind for him.”

6. Putin’s Personal Habits and Discipline

• Unlike Yeltsin, Putin Is Not a Drinker:
  In a lighter moment, the hosts ask about Putin’s relationship with alcohol.
  • Quote (Mark Galeotti, 10:18): “No, he’s essentially teetotal...his vices seem to be much more about power and ego.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He understands that loyalties are important things.” (Mark Galeotti, 02:48)
• “Putin, frankly, encourages everyone to be corrupt because you want everyone to have a skeleton in their closet when you get to decide whose closet gets rummaged through.” (Mark Galeotti, 05:47)
• “Politics is the new currency at that level.” (Mark Galeotti, 07:09)
• “It seems to have come as much as a surprise to him as to everyone else when he’s then made Prime Minister after his year at the FSB.” (Mark Galeotti, 08:03)
• “His vices seem to be much more about power and ego rather than...sauce.” (Mark Galeotti, 10:18)

Important Timestamps

• 02:08: Galeotti explains Putin’s leap from St. Petersburg to Moscow and his loyalty to Sobchak.
• 03:00: The corrupt property management agency position and what it meant.
• 04:00: Putin’s growing Moscow reputation as “the trustworthy one.”
• 05:43: The logic behind Putin’s promotion to head of the FSB.
• 05:47: The origin of Putin’s method: making corruption a political tool.
• 07:09: The shift from cash to political power as currency in Moscow’s elite.
• 08:03: The contingent, almost accidental way Putin became prime minister.
• 10:18: Putin’s personal habits—his teetotaler reputation.

Tone and Style

Throughout, the conversation is accessible yet incisive. Gordon Corera adds dry asides (“Shame on you, Gordon, shame on you”, 00:35), while David McCloskey’s probing questions prompt detailed, sometimes wry responses from Galeotti. The episode manages both depth and entertainment, with the expert guest bringing granular, colorful insight into a period widely acknowledged as mysterious and pivotal.

For listeners seeking a revealing, context-rich analysis of how Putin’s unique mix of loyalty, competence, and opportunism set the stage for his rise—and how the chaos and personalities of 1990s Russia made it possible—this episode is indispensable.