The Rise of Putin and the 1999 Apartment Bombs
Dan Snow's History Hit
History Hit
4.7 • 13.7K Ratings
🗓️ 19 March 2026
⏱️ 36 minutes
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Summary
In September 1999, just weeks after 46-year-old Vladimir Putin became Russia’s prime minister, a series of apartment bombings ripped through Russian cities, killing hundreds as they slept and plunging the country into fear. The government blamed Chechen militants—but questions soon emerged. Some journalists and investigators began to suspect Russia’s own security services, the FSB, successor to the KGB. Those who pursued the story, including former agent Alexander Litvinenko, paid a heavy price. To this day, the truth remains fiercely contested. What is clear is the impact: out of the chaos, Putin rose as a leader promising order and revenge—an ascent that would reshape Russia’s future.
Dan is joined by journalist Helena Merriman, who hosts a brand new podcast from BBC Studios called The History Bureau that delves into this story and asks the journalists who were there - what did we miss the first time around? You can listen to The History Bureau on the BBC Sounds app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Matthew Wilson.
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Transcript
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| 0:30.2 | Four huge bombs tear through apartment buildings across Russia. |
| 0:34.4 | Hundreds of people are killed in their sleep. |
| 0:36.9 | It's September 1999, just weeks |
| 0:40.3 | after a little-known 46-year-old became Prime Minister of Russia, a man called Vladimir Putin. |
| 0:47.3 | The country was plunged into panic. Families fled their home. Neighbors patrolled the streets. An entire nation was gripped |
| 0:55.9 | by fear. The government blamed Chechen militants. Many journalists accepted the story. But then the |
| 1:03.7 | whispers began. People started a question Russia's security services, the Federal Security Service, |
| 1:10.2 | the FSB, successor to the KGB, who really planted |
| 1:14.6 | those bombs? |
| 1:15.8 | Reporters and politicians who tried to dig deeper, including one Alexander Litvinenko, |
| 1:22.0 | started to mysteriously die in surprising numbers. |
| 1:26.8 | And to this day, what truly happened remains contested. |
| 1:31.3 | What is clear is the impact it all had. Out of that chaos, Putin emerged as a strong man figure. |
| 1:40.3 | He promised order, security and revenge against those who perpetrated these crimes. |
... |
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