Orders to kill : the Putin regime and political murder / Amy Knight.

'Western leaders should be aware that when they shake hands with Putin, they shake hands with a murderer.'--Leonid Martyniuk. In Russia, the twenty-first century belongs to Vladimir Putin. His political dominance has lasted two presidential terms, an appointment to prime minister, and a controversial election to a third presidential term. And like the violent tsars and Soviet revolutionaries who came before him, he maintains his grip on power through coercion and intimidation. As journalists, activists, and political opponents in the Putin era continue to fall victim to suspicious illnesses and outright murder, a pattern has emerged. No matter who is charged with a specific death, the order to kill appears to come from above.