- The article, “Vladimir Putin’s Dark Rise to Power” by veteran war correspondent Scott Anderson, quotes a former KGB official on the record and at length implicating Russia’s shadow leader in a string of Moscow apartment bombings that killed hundreds in 1999 and were officially blamed on Chechen terrorists. The wave of fear created by the attacks played a critical role in launching Putin to power.
Background on the controversey:
- In September 2009 GQ’s US issue included a story by Scott Anderson about his interviews with Mikhail Trepashkin on his investigations of the 1999 Russian apartment bombings. David Folkenflik reported for NPR on September 4 that Conde Nast management ordered executives and editors that the US issue was not be distributed in Russia, nor to shown to “Russian government officials, journalists or advertisers”. The story was not to be on GQ’s website, not to be published in Conde Nast’s foreign magazines, and not to be publicized. Anderson was asked not to syndicate the story “to any publications that appear in Russia”. Folkenflik implied harm might come to Conde Naste or its staff. The article is “None Dare Call it Conspiracy” in the US magazine, although an earlier internal email from a Conde Nast lawyer referred to it as “Vladimir Putin’s Dark Rise to Power”. It was in the “backstory” section. In 24 hours bloggers published the Russian translation and original English text on the Web. (via)
