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b'On this episode of Russia Rising, we\\u2019ll take a closer look at the man who has ruled over the world\\u2019s largest country for nearly two decades: Vladimir Putin was a poor kid from a tough neighbourhood who became a Russian KGB agent, a billionaire and the country\\u2019s longest-serving leader since Stalin. Along the way, he\\u2019s also been accused of committing a laundry list of atrocities. To truly understand what motivates Putin \\u2014 why he does what he does \\u2014 we need to know where he came from.\\n\\nTo that end, we\\u2019ll speak with Arkady Ostrovsky, the Russian editor for the Economist magazine and Steven Lee Myers, a Putin Biographer and veteran journalist with the New York Times.\\n\\nWe\\u2019ll explore Putin\\u2019s rapid rise to power in an interview with Jeremy Kinsman, Canada\\u2019s former ambassador to Russia.\\n\\nWe\'ll also attempt to answer the question "what is Putin\'s motivation?" by speaking with a former KGB agent named Alexander Vassiliev. Vassiliev who was recruited by the KGB in the 1980s and attended the same spy training school at around the same time as Putin.\\n\\nIf you enjoy Russia Rising, please take a minute to rate it on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts, tell us what you think and share the show with your friends.\\n\\nContact:\\n\\nTwitter: @JeffSempleGN\\n\\nE-mail: RussiaRising@Curiouscast.ca\\n\\nGuests:\\n\\nArkady Ostrovsky,\\xa0Russian editor for the Economist magazine, Author of \\u2018The Invention of Russia\\u2019\\n\\n@ArkadyOstrovsky\\n\\nSteven Lee Myers, New York Times Correspondent, Author of \\u2018The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin\\u2019\\n\\n@stevenleemyers\\n\\nJeremy Kinsman, Former Canadian Ambassador to the Russian Federation\\n\\nAlexander Vassiliev, Former KGB Agent, Co-author of \\u2018Spies: The Rise and Fall of the KGB in America\\u2019\\xa0\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'