seSsion 1: Putin’s Rise to Power

9:05-10:25



How did Putin take a democratic country and turn it into a dictatorship with a cult of personality? This session will cover how Russia went from being a "friend" of the free world to a "designated enemy." It will focus on Putin's consolidation of power and how Russia lost its way, including an overview of the 1999 apartment bombings in Moscow, the Chechen War, the destruction of independent media, and the destruction of independent business. Finally, the session's speakers will discuss the free world's lack of action while this transition to authoritarianism occurred.