Two Russian journalists living in exile have won a major French literary prize for their investigative book exposing Vladimir Putin’s rise to power and private life.
Roman Badanin and Mikhail Rubin received the Prix Strasbourg on Tuesday for “The Tsar in Propria Persona: How Vladimir Putin Deceived Us All”, which draws on more than 20 years of investigative reporting.
The newly established award, created by EBRA, France’s largest regional newspaper group, and its parent company Credit Mutuel Alliance Federale, comes with a prize of 20 000 euros. A total of 55 000 euros was distributed across all categories.
Breaking Kremlin taboos
The jury described the work as reading “like a spy novel”, calling it a “fascinating and shocking work about a figure who is himself fascinating and shocking”.
“It is the result of several hundred interviews with witnesses, some of whom later disappeared under tragic circumstances,” the jury said.
The book breaks a Kremlin-imposed taboo about Putin’s private life, contrasting his official image as a defender of traditional values against Western decadence with the reality of extramarital affairs, nepotism and connections to organised crime, according to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
Living under pressure
Badanin founded Proekt, an investigative media outlet, in 2018. Both he and Rubin, his deputy at Proekt, now live in the United States after coming under pressure in Russia.
The journalists said they wrote the book to help foreigners understand the reality of Putin and the system he has built.
“There is no need to invent anything about Putin. Instead, learn how things really are. That is horrifying enough,” Badanin told AFP.
“Only a genuine understanding of the facts can help us make sound assessments, respond effectively, and plan for the future of relations between nations.”
French publication ahead
The book’s Russian edition was published last year. The French edition is due to be published next month.
The Prix Strasbourg was launched in 2026. Other winners include Haitian author Thelyson Orelien and French journalist Marion Dubreuil.
Putin is currently in his 26th year in power in Russia.
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