Disclaimer. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the subject. These stories are

told from their perspective, and their authenticity should be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

This episode of True Spies was adapted from an investigation published on YouTube by

Alexei Navalny. We've used the translated transcript of Navalny's video to bring you

a heavily abridged adaptation of the investigation. For the full subtitled version from Navalny's

team, click the link in the episode description. Welcome. Welcome. Welcome to True Spies.

Week by week, mission by mission. You'll hear the true stories behind the world's greatest

espionage operations. You'll meet the people who navigate this secret world. What do they

know? What are their skills? And what would you do in their position? This is True Spies.

One. Always say one thing and do another. Two. Two. Corruption is the foundation of trust.

Three. Three. And the most important thing. There is never too much money. These are Putin's

principles. These are the basis of the Russian state. This is True Spies. Episode 43. Putin's

palace. This is a story unlike any that we featured on True Spies, because we genuinely

don't know how it ends. We came up with this investigation when I was in intensive care,

but we immediately agreed that we would release it when I returned home. It's a story that

could have truly global ramifications. Our future is in our hands. Do not be silent.

And it's hard lies one of the world's most powerful men. This man in his craving for

luxury and wealth has gone completely mad. And the activist who's determined to bring

him down. Hi, it's Navalny. On the 20th of August, 2020, Russian politician and anti-corruption

activist Alexei Navalny was poisoned with Novotchok, a Soviet era nerve agent. To many,

Navalny represents the only credible opposition to Russia's government. Forty-four years old,

a lawyer and an anti-corruption activist. He spent over a decade loudly condemning its

...