In the book, the authors claim that Russian president Vladimir Putin and other FSB officers have been involved in organized crime, including covering up drug traffic from Afghanistan.

[5] Former Interior Minister of Russia Anatoly Kulikov promised to bring a libel suit against the book but did not follow it through.

Patrushev and all other leadership of Lubyanka Criminal Group must follow his example.Former Soviet prisoner of conscience Vladimir Bukovsky stated, "Litvinenko eloquently depicts that what was long considered to be the 'shield and sword' of the communist party is in reality a huge criminal mechanism".

Litvinenko is certain that security services were behind the murder of Galina Starovoitova, a prominent figure in Russia's democracy movement, and the death of Anatoly Sobchak, and many, many other things.

"[2] Alan Cowell praised the book as an important source that described the attempted assassination of Boris Berezovsky in Moscow and many other events.