Main content

The mystery of Putin and the apartment bombs

How a series of attacks on Russian apartments helped propel Putin鈥檚 rise to power.

In September 1999, just weeks into Vladimir Putin鈥檚 first premiership, four bombs blew up four apartment buildings, over a period of twelve days, killing hundreds and plunging the entire nation into fear.
The government blamed Chechen militants, a conclusion corroborated by many journalists at the time. But whispers of a darker conspiracy persist to this day.
A new 麻豆社 podcast, The History Bureau: Putin and the Apartment Bombs, tells the story of those bombings and re-examines how these tragic events helped propel Vladimir Putin to power. Asma talks to the host of the series, Helena Merriman.
Producers: Viv Jones
Executive producer: Bridget Harney
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Moscow apartment buildings in the 1990s. Credit: 麻豆社.

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Wednesday 01:32GMT

Featured

  • .

Broadcasts

  • Tuesday 11:32GMT
  • Wednesday 01:32GMT

Podcast