Scott Alexander shares memorable anecdotes from Masha Gessen's Putin biography, highlighting Russian politics, culture, and Putin's character. Longer summary

This post is a collection of memorable passages from Masha Gessen's book 'The Man Without A Face', a biography of Vladimir Putin. Scott Alexander shares several anecdotes that stood out to him, covering topics such as Soviet-era activism, corruption in Russian politics, Putin's personal life, the Russian national anthem's history, challenges faced by opposition candidates, and Gessen's personal encounter with Putin. The passages provide insight into Russian politics, culture, and Putin's character, often with a touch of irony or absurdity. Shorter summary