Book excerpt: Psychoanalytic Reflections on Vladimir Putin: The Cost of Malignant Leadership attempts to explore the core psychodynamics that appear to characterize Vladimir Putin’s presidency. Its contributors examine the nature of the leader-follower relationship, the costs of malignant leadership, and the larger historical context in which Putin’s presidency is unfolding. The sobering threat of nuclear war is considered. Finally, the viability and ethics of distance assessment are discussed. This book will be of great interest to psychoanalysts and to readers seeking to understand the complex dynamics of populist leadership.