RUSSIA : Moscow After Putin; Gessen's Critical Biography.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203960804577241392587109400.html?google_editors_picks=true

      This long piece...describes Putin's rise...and his probable demise...as the number of young, educated, angry middle class Russians grows.
     Bloggers have changed the way Russia sees itself...as state controlled TV loses its power of propaganda...and oligarchs and petty officials sour society with blatant corruption.

     AND: Muscovite Masha Gessen (foto) 45, has written a highly critical biography about Putin...'Man Without a Face'.
      This long article includes her bio...and a link to a brief excerpt about what Putin learned from the nuclear sub Kurst disaster:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/vladimir-putin/9100388/Vladimir-Putin-the-godfather-of-a-mafia-clan.html