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

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 missed. For a full list of show notes, see timharford.com .

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Explosives or Sugar? The Deadly Art of Distraction in Putin’s Russia - with Helena Merriman is an episode from Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford by Pushkin Industries.

This episode is 42:24 long.

This episode was published on Mar 6, 2026.

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