Power Strike

He made a career out of the military and rose to high positions, but some say he got too close to politics. Did Rokhlin prepare the coup d’etat? Did he really overthrow Yeltsin, and as a result was assassinated?

What was the path to power like for some as extraordinary as Galina Starovoitova, and why was her life cut short?

Nikolay Kruchina, Boris Pugo, Marshal Akhromeyev. Was it really suicide, or was it all a cover-up?

A powerful and domineering figure, Alexander Lebed was almost a fairy tale hero, but his methods were see as controversial by some. What really lead to his downfall?

Some regard him as a shrewd businessman, others a fraudulent oligarch; some see him as a romantic, and others an abuser. One thing is agreed upon though - that mystery surrounds the death of Boris Berezovsky.

Held responsible for nailing the final nail in the coffin of the USSR by many, Pavlov is a polarizing figure to say the least. Did he merely die of alcohol poisoning?