The New Tsar. The rise & reign of Vladimir Putin.

[Colin C No.3]

This is a book I was bought before the invasion of Ukraine by Putin written by Lee Myers.

There is an early event in Putin’s life (born 1952) in the still WW2 bombed & shell shattered ruins of Leningrad, where he & his friends would chase rats up & down the stairs & landings of their derelict homes with sticks.

One day allegedly, Putin aged 5-6 chased a rat with his stick until he had the rat cornered. The rat, having nowhere else to go, turned around & launched itself at him causing Vlad to turn & crouch in fright as he realised he stood alone with just his stick to ‘protect him’.

Has the Ukraine become the ‘rat’ of his childhood?

Now that would be a tale for Ukrainian’s to tell their grandchildren.

[Mike_F]

Or is he the rat? A greedy, verminous intruder being chased back out of the Ukraine but becoming increasingly likely to lash out with as strong a strike as he can muster...

[BillyStubbsTears]

Putin is quoted as saying that encounter with the rat taught him a lasting lesson on what to do when cornered.