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Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

Explosives or Sugar? The Deadly Art of Distraction in Putin’s Russia - with Helena Merriman

3/6/202642 min

In 1999, a series of bombs explode in Russian apartments, killing hundreds and spreading panic. No one knows who is behind it. But when one device is spotted before it detonates, troubling questions emerge. Was it really a bomb? Why is the country's security service changing its story? And why are the people who probe too closely turning up dead? Tim Harford is joined by Helena Merriman, host of new BBC podcast The History Bureau - Putin and the Apartment Bombs, which charts the mysterious events surrounding the rise of Vladimir Putin, and asks why the real story sometimes gets...

Clips

The Phone Call That Changed Everything
Live TV Showdown: Ryazan vs FSB
From Terror Plot To ‘Training’
Volgodonsk Announced Three Days Early
Litvinenko: Conclusion Points Upward
Putin’s Meteoric Image Makeover
The Clampdown Begins
A Template For Controlling Truth
What We Know—and Don’t
The Story Isn’t Shiny Enough

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Speaker 00:00

    This is an iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.

  2. Tim Harford· Host0:03

    Have you ever heard about a book that sounds really interesting, but you just don't have time to read the whole thing? That's where Blinkist comes in. Blinkist takes popular nonfiction books and breaks them down into 15-minute reads or listens so you can learn something new while you're walking, commuting, or making coffee. It's not about productivity hacks. It's really just about feeding your curiosity and learning more about the world. They've got thousands of titles on psychology, history, science, and business. Right now, Blinkist has a special offer for our listeners. Go to blinkist.com slash tales, start your free trial, and get an additional 30% off your subscription. That's blinkist.com slash tales.

  3. Speaker 20:44

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  4. Speaker 31:24

    This is Jim.

  5. Speaker 21:26

    Hello.

  6. Speaker 31:26

    Jim started advertising with iHeartRadio way back in April. And now

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