Since February 24, 2022, when the invasion of Ukraine began, the world has been wondering where Vladimir Putin is going. News of the start of the offensive took many by surprise, yet it had been threatened and prepared for weeks.
Now many see the analogies with the past, for example the second Chechen war, in which the Russian president experimented with weapons and strategies. Even the censorship of the media and the repression of the opposition are nothing new for this man who has led Russia, as president or prime minister, since 1999.
Here are five articles from Internazionale that trace the history of these 23 years of Putin’s regime, its origins and its evolution from the secret services to the Kremlin, passing through the war in Chechnya.