NEW in The History Bureau - Putin and the Apartment Bombs In September 1999, just weeks after a 46-year-old Vladimir Putin became Prime Minister, four bombs blew up four apartment buildings across Russia, killing hundreds of people while they slept. The attacks plunged the country into panic. Families fled their homes. Residents patrolled their blocks around the clock. An entire nation paralyzed by fear. But who did it? It's a mystery that has fuelled some chilling theories. The government blamed Chechen militants. Many reporters agreed. But then the whispers started. Was something even more sinister going on? Over 25 years later, journalists who covered the bombings still can't agree on who planted the explosives or why. Presenter Helena Merriman returns to the story with the reporters who were there on the ground. What did they get right first time around? And, in the chaos and confusion of unfolding events, what did they miss? The History Bureau revisits the defining stories of our times with the reporters who first covered them.
What this show covers
RussiaPutinapartment bombingsFSBinvestigationwhistleblowertrial1999 bombingspolitical powermedia and powerNTVRussian politicsRyazanAlexander LitvinenkoBoris Berezovsky
What listeners will find here
A whistleblower follows the apartment bombings into Russia’s darkest corners
This episode centers on Mikhail Trepashkin, a former KGB and FSB investigator who risks everything while probing the 1999 apartment bombings. Helena Merriman speaks with journalist Scott Anderson about a man whose search for answers leads toward mismatched sketches, dead allies, and mounting danger.
A courtroom verdict meets a darker question about how Putin’s power hardened
This episode follows the trial of two suspected apartment bombers while reopening doubts about whether the case truly ends there. As lawyer Mikhael Trepashkin is jailed before presenting key evidence, Helena Merriman connects the verdict to the Kremlin’s use of crisis in Putin’s early rise.
A primetime showdown over Ryazan puts Russian TV—and NTV—on the line
This episode centers on NTV’s attempt to air a confrontation over the Ryazan sacks of powder just days before Russia’s presidential election. Helena Merriman speaks with journalist Yevgeny Kiselyov about the risks of putting that dispute on primetime television.
From London exile to lethal fallout in the apartment bombings saga
This episode follows the London chapter of the 1999 apartment bombings story, where critics of the FSB’s account seek safety abroad and still end up dead. Helena Merriman examines Boris Berezovsky and Alexander Litvinenko’s challenge to the official narrative, with insight from UK journalists who tracked the case.
After 25 years, reporters revisit who was behind Russia’s 1999 apartment bombings
This episode revisits the 1999 apartment bombings in Russia and asks the central question that still shadows Vladimir Putin’s rise: who carried them out? Helena Merriman brings back reporters who covered the story at the time to reflect on what they got right, what they missed, and how they now weigh the competing explanations.
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