The descent into madness under Putin

In this powerful episode of 'The Story,' foreign correspondent Mark Bennett recounts his 25-year experience living in Russia, offering a harrowing firsthand account of how the country descended into a state of propaganda-fueled madness under Vladimir Putin. From his early days in Moscow during the chaotic Yeltsin era—marked by poverty and democratic experimentation—to the rise of Putin’s authoritarian rule, Bennett illustrates how state media systematically dismantled truth, glorified war, and cultivated a cult of personality around the leader. He describes how ordinary Russians, including his own mother-in-law, were hypnotized by relentless state messaging that demonized the West, fabricated atrocities in Ukraine, and redefined national identity around a mythic Russian destiny. The episode reveals the psychological toll of living under such a regime, where dissent is punished with imprisonment, and even basic human empathy erodes. Bennett argues that Putin’s isolation during the pandemic, surrounded only by hardliners, accelerated his detachment from reality, turning him into a figure whose worldview is no longer grounded in fact but in paranoid delusion. Yet, he also reflects on the tragic complexity of ordinary Russians—some brainwashed, others quietly resisting—raising urgent questions about complicity, memory, and the possibility of redemption. The episode serves as both a cautionary tale and a call to understand the mechanisms of mass manipulation. Key takeaways include: state propaganda is not just about lying—it’s about reshaping reality; isolation from outside information breeds delusion; and the normalization of authoritarianism begins with small, incremental erosions of truth. Bennett’s personal journey—from a hopeful foreigner to a disillusioned exile—underscores the fragility of democracy and the terrifying ease with which societies can be steered toward madness. Despite the bleak picture, he holds onto a sliver of hope in the quiet resistance of those who still question the narrative.