Summary of Ben Mezrich's Once Upon a Time in Russia

Everest Media

Description

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.
Sample Book Insights:
#1 The men in this room had accumulated insane riches during the past decade, and they had used this wealth to imbed themselves into the ruling mechanisms of Russia’s government, economy, and culture.
#2 The room was silent as the billionaire addressed the room. He told the assembled businessmen that from now on, they were only businessmen. He had become something else. Every moment of the meeting had been choreographed.
#3 The Oligarchs had been warned: You can keep your billions, but stay out of my way. Vladimir Putin, the man at the front of the room now trading niceties with the nearest of his guests, had sent them a clear, explicit message.
#4 Boris Abramovich Berezovsky, age 48, was a Russian businessman who had the ability to appear to be moving even when he was standing still. He was a businessman and an ambition-fueled bullet train that was constantly rushing from one meeting to the next.

Sujets

• Rich & Famous

Informations

• Publié par: Everest Media LLC
• Date de parution: 10 avril 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669383048
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Insights on Ben Mezrich's Once Upon a Time in Russia
Contents Insights from Chapter 1 Insights from Chapter 2 Insights from Chapter 3
Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The men in this room had accumulated insane riches during the past decade, and they had used this wealth to imbed themselves into the ruling mechanisms of Russia’s government, economy, and culture.

#2

The room was silent as the billionaire addressed the room. He told the assembled businessmen that from now on, they were only businessmen. He had become something else. Every moment of the meeting had been choreographed.

#3

The Oligarchs had been warned: You can keep your billions, but stay out of my way. Vladimir Putin, the man at the front of the room now trading niceties with the nearest of his guests, had sent them a clear, explicit message.

#4

Boris Abramovich Berezovsky, age 48, was a Russian businessman who had the ability to appear to be moving even when he was standing still. He was a businessman and an ambition-fueled bullet train that was constantly rushing from one meeting to the next.

#5

Impatience was another symptom of the seismic shift that had occurred in Berezovsky’s life. He was well aware that every lost minute could be a lost opportunity.

#6

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, owning a Lada became the symbol of the new, free Russia. To get a Lada, you not only needed money, but also knowledge of the right person to bribe.

#7

Berezovsky’s first venture was arbitraging car prices between the free-falling Russian economy and the stagnant German market. He made money by taking a large number of cars on consignment, then selling them through his various dealerships. He didn’t spend much time thinking about his past, but he was still proud of the simplicity of his first real venture.

#8

The Russian business world was adapting to the new, free market environment by dedicating resources to defend themselves against assassination. The most dangerous elements were simply an unfortunate cost of this new, free market.

#9

The bodyguard was killed in the crash, and Berezovsky had to identify the body. He realized that the man no longer had a head. He collapsed to his knees and began to cry.

#10

The explosion was the mildest of the three bombings that had occurred in Moscow over the past few days. It had been a fairly sophisticated explosive device hidden in a parked car, and Litvinenko was sure that it was a business-related attack.

#11

Litvinenko had become an expert on the way business was conducted in his home country, and he had seen that civilized was not the word he would use to describe what he had seen. The FSB was a shadow of its precursor.

#12

The concept of krysha, or roof, is uniquely Russian. It is a term that is used in the world of organized crime to describe the person or organization that protects them in case things go wrong. In the realm of business, the concept of krysha is no different.

#13

Litvinenko had no idea who Boris Berezovsky had pissed off to get himself on someone’s shit list, but he was certain that the crime scene was the result of a business disagreement. Someone was testing the strength of Berezovsky’s roof.

#14

The Big Man was moving fast, steam coming off his thick, bare shoulders in violent plumes as his pawlike feet left wet prints on the hardwood floor. He was surprisingly agile for a man his size.

#15

After the assassination attempt, Berezovsky was invited to join the Presidential Club. He wanted to change his life, and so he began branching out into new businesses that would give him power as well as cash.

#16

The two Oligarchs, Gusinsky and Berezovsky, seemed to be cut from the same cloth, but their rivalry was obvious.