The Man Without a Face. Gessen's principal hypothesis is that the "failed" coup against Gorbachev that led to the rise of Yeltsin actually led to the KGB effectively taking over the country and Putin taking over the KGB. Why Putin? Because nobody knew who he was so nobody had any expectations of him. Unmentioned in the article, however, is the body blow Russia took by losing the Near Abroad, the massive die-off and emigration wave caused by the transition and the brain drain experienced ever since. Russia is a much smaller concern than the USSR and Putin has no way to make it bigger. Crimea is a drain, not a boost, and while the USSR fought skirmishes to maintain its foreign colonies, Russia fights skirmishes to maintain its internal structure. The USSR had 37 tank divisions. Russia has three. Clearly it takes more than tanks... but it takes tanks.