The Kremlin’s “Besogon”: How Nikita Mikhalkov Turned into a Propagandist

Nikita Mikhalkov is surrounded by countless myths and unanswered questions. Is it true that he is a close friend of Putin? Did he really write the most ruthless denunciations and go to the banya with Alexander Bastrykin — or did the director secretly despise Soviet power, something hinted at in his early films? What is the so-called “Mikhalkov tax”? What does Mikhalkov publicly declare on Besogon — and what does he not declare to the tax authorities? These and many other questions are addressed by Alexander Makashenets.