Caption
President Donald Trump delivers a speech about the economy at Rockland Community College Fieldhouse in Suffern, New York, on May 22, 2026. (Getty Images)
__Hudson Institute and the Kleptocracy Initiative would like to give special thanks to Valery Balayan, director of the film, for permission to screen Who Is Mr. Putin? at Hudson on April 27, 2016.__
Hudson Institute’s Kleptocracy Initiative hosted the first U.S. screening and English-language premiere of the film Who Is Mr. Putin? Based on investigations by independent journalists Anastasia Kirilenko and Vladimir Ivanidze, the film documents the origins of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s private wealth and subsequent rise to power.
The film has been lauded by experts for demonstrating how Putin's ascension to the Russian presidency is explained by an alliance built in the early 1990s between himself, certain friends from Leningrad's KGB, and mafia groups. Who Is Mr. Putin? was released in December 2015 and has already been viewed by more than 2 million Russian-speakers worldwide.
The screening was followed by a short panel discussion, moderated by Hudson Senior Fellow David Satter, featuring Anastasia Kirilenko, Karen Dawisha, and Ilya Zaslavskiy.
Related Events
15
June 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
How to Transform the Japan Self-Defense Force for Twenty-First-Century Deterrence
Featured Speakers:
David Byrd
Bryan Clark
Moderator:
Masashi Murano
15
June 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
How to Transform the Japan Self-Defense Force for Twenty-First-Century Deterrence
Join report authors Bryan Clark and David Byrd, in conversation with Masashi Murano, for a discussion of the report's principal findings and their implications for how Japan should design and resource its future defense force.
Featured Speakers:
David Byrd
Bryan Clark
Moderator:
Masashi Murano
15
June 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The Code as Witness: COVID Origins, Scientific Accountability, and Preventing the Next Pandemic
Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Steven Quay
Senator Roger Marshall
David Asher
15
June 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The Code as Witness: COVID Origins, Scientific Accountability, and Preventing the Next Pandemic
Join Hudson as David Asher sits down with Dr. Quay for a fireside chat. Senator Roger Marshall, who has been a leading voice for stronger oversight of high-risk biological research, will open the program by framing the stakes for Congress, national security, and public health.
Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Steven Quay
Senator Roger Marshall
David Asher
18
June 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Deterring Russia and China: Securing America’s Nuclear Future
Featured Speakers:
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Brandon Williams
18
June 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Deterring Russia and China: Securing America’s Nuclear Future
Join Senior Fellow and Keystone Defense Initiative Director Dr. Rebeccah Heinrichs and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration Brandon Williams for a discussion on the administration's priorities in strengthening the US nuclear enterprise.
Featured Speakers:
Rebeccah L. Heinrichs
Brandon Williams
18
June 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Advancing American Interests through Trade, Investment, and Commercial Diplomacy: A Conversation with Under Secretary of Commerce William Kimmitt
Featured Speakers:
David Feith
William Kimmitt
Joel Scanlon
18
June 2026
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Advancing American Interests through Trade, Investment, and Commercial Diplomacy: A Conversation with Under Secretary of Commerce William Kimmitt
Join Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade William Kimmitt for a discussion with Senior Fellow David Feith on how the Trump administration’s trade and investment strategy is reshaping economic partnerships with allies across areas like industrial policy, digital services, and strategic competition.
Featured Speakers:
David Feith
William Kimmitt
Joel Scanlon
Related Research
Caption
Pro-democracy activists line up outside the West Kowloon court as they hold a banner that reads, “Release all political prisoners,” on March 1, 2021, in Hong Kong, China. (Getty Images)
Caption
A Beijing demonstrator blocks the path of a tank convoy along the Avenue of Eternal Peace near Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989. (Getty Images)
Caption
People gather in front of the Chinese consulate general to protest the unjust conviction of media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai on February 14, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images)