tonight is one of those nights when most of the world's attention has been focussed on what is happening in one city. the g-20 is happening and where president trump sat down with vladimir putin for the first time since russia launched its attack on the u.s. presidential election last year. for the past few years the united states and much of the world has been trying to isolate russia for its aggressive behavior for what it did when it annexed crimea and made it part of russia and what it did to our own elections. today the russian time-out apparently ended with a full bilateral meeting between the

serving u.s. president and president putin. i am very happy to say that we have the perfect person to take us inside that meeting and even better more importantly i think to help us understand what putin has done to his own country and what he is trying to do to the rest of the world and to us. nbc's chief correspondent richard engel most recently has been spending a ton of time in russia as you are about to see. really excited for this report. here now is on assignment with richard engel reporting live from the g-20. good evening from hamburg, germany. it has been a big day here and by all indications presidents

trump and putin hit it off when they met almost immediately they rolled up their sleeves and started making deals, a cease fire for part of syria, an envoy for ukraine, a pledge of political nonintervention, a framework for countering cyber threats. they even agreed according to one u.s. official that this whole business of russia's meddling in the u.s. election is getting in the way and that the two leaders should agree to disagree and move on. make no mistake, this is everything putin could have asked for and more. today's meeting changed the world. it doesn't matter if the agreements hold. the syrian cease fire probably won't. it doesn't matter if the ukraine envoy accomplishes anything. this meeting matters because putin has always wanted to make russia a superpower again, a country that cannot be ignored in the key decisions shaping the world. today president trump gave that

to him. today matters because putin trained to manipulate, corrupt and bully targets into doing his bidding. many saw putin doing just that to an american president. people who know how putin operates don't think for a second that this meeting didn't go exactly as he planned it. there are costs to playing let's make a deal with vladimir putin. we have spent months looking at what putin's russia is like today, a place where business deals can get you killed and where speaking out also can land you dead. we have met analysts and activists who say putin is playing trump. but first there are still protests underway in this city and fires burning tonight as demonstrators clash with police. >> we spent most of our day here on the streets covering the protests and clashes that shut down the center of the city.

they were big. tens of thousands of people from all across europe united by a shared desire to scream their frustration at all that is wrong in the world from environmental degradation to war, greed and poverty and to do it within ear shot of the world leaders they hold responsible. the other thing they had in common -- >> what do you think about president trump? >> personally we in germany just -- i personally think he is sexist, he is racist. he mocks people with his abilities. >> reporter: most of the protesters were peaceful but others self styled anarchists were looking for a fight and they got it. police are sweeping through this entire area spraying water canons, pepper spray and just pushing people out of the way.

the police came in heavy. while we were allowed we were corralled into a media center where we interviewed about a meeting happening in a room in another building. >> steve earlinger has been covering world affairs and diplomies for about 40 years. >> we are saying you can run your society as you like. we don't care. you want to beat up on your dissidents, fine. we are instrsted in what do you want and what do we want. if the idea of trump and putin sitting down and drawing up rules of the world sounds frightening perhaps it is. sounds like putin got a lot of what he wanted.

>> it feels like it out of this meeting. the two guys hit it off and had a lot to talk about and they could have kept talking except they have a concert to get to. so i think -- he said there were no more meetings scheduled. i think it's the beginning of what putin hopes to be a beautiful relationship. >> reporter: donald trump is not the first president to try to build new relations with vladimir putin. here is what our last two presidents said after they met putin for the first time. >> i looked the man in the eye. i found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. we had a very good dialogue. i was able to get a sense of his soul. >> i found him to be very smart and to have a practical --

>> it is clear from his body language that obama didn't manage to build a working language with the man they called very smart. american presidents come and go but putin has outlasted them all. he has perfected the art of controlling every detail to achieve his own goals. all you really see when you look putin in the eye is exactly what he wants you to see. so far he has been winning every round in the long game playing against the u.s. what is that game? foreign policy analysts like to say that trump is playing checkers while putin is playing chess. that, according to the world's most famous chess master, is an insult to the game. >> dictators by definition have to defend integrity. i would say he is playing a poker game. >> he is a poker player. >> he is a gambler.

he also as a kgb guy is a good mind reader. >> is president trump playing with vladimir putin or being played by putin? >> he is playing into putin's hands. all are being played into putin's hands. >> widely believed to be the greatest chess player who ever lived. he is also a vocal critic of putin's regime after years of protests, a failed run for president and multiple threats on his life he left russia and went into exile. we met him in paris where he told us that any meeting between presidents trump and putin is a victory for putin. >> if trump believes in handshake putin believes handshake can be a way to fool his counter part and trump is an ideal counter part. >> do you think putin tried to get trump elected? >> we have evidence he wanted

trump to win. >> why would he want trump to win? >> many, many, many reasons. the simple one is that trump psych logically with his massive ego and rejection of the rules. putin believes he is calling the shots all over the place. >> you think he is absolutely corrupted? >> it's a danger that is being faced by the free world. the man has intentions. >> any other threat that the free world is facing like isis or terrorist groups is incompatible to what putin can do. >> threat to the united states? >> his hand is weak.

putin has a lot of money and knows that playing the game by undermining institutions and by creating chaos. putin seems to have a unique skill when it comes to creating chaos all over the world. he used stealth and misdirection to carve up eastern ukraine and annex crimea and sent russian jets and troops to syria. >> let's remember what is happening. in 2011 president obama said assad must go. putin said assad must stay. now everybody can say that putin won this battle. putin has a big advantage because americans wanted the guy out. he is a bad guy, who cares. at the end of the day he works for me and as long as you are with me you would protect. >> the more he can show he is

playing in other people's back yards and getting away with it -- >> it's the -- look at crimea. how dare you to accuse me. i'm a man of peace. no russian troops in crimea. a few months later the brave people that fought how can you let them -- and then one year later it's the already full recollection, bragging about it. and then just so what. >> there is now ample evidence that russia through state actors tried to interfere in the american political process. how would that help him stay in power? >> challenging the free world especially the united states. he can go to syria and kick americans from here to there. he can challenge europe. he violates all the rules. he is still in the game. >> we'll hear more later in the

show. a lot has changed in russia since soviet days but much has stayed the same. the might of the state once at the service of a political party now serves one man in a circle of very powerful and wealthy people around him. >> the russian mafia is the government of russia. it is running a sovereign state with nuclear weapons. >> we have spent months investigating a single case and multiple murders in russia and around the world. the story is ahead. we are live in hamburg. where are we? about to see progressive's new home quote explorer. where you can compare multiple quote options online and choose what's right for you. woah. flo and jamie here to see hqx. flo and jamie request entry. slovakia. triceratops. tapioca. racquetball. staccato. me llamo jamie. pumpernickel. pudding. employee: hey, guys! home quote explorer.

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welcome back to hamburg where a few hours ago president trump and president putin met for the first time. to understand the rise of vladimir putin -- you need to go back to the early 1990s when a turbulent violent transition was underway. in 1989 the berlin wall was torn down tht soviet union began to fall apart. to try to hold the empire together soviet leader announced sweeping reforms. but it was too little too late and one soviet republic after another began to break away from moscow and declare independence. the old communist guard was watching it all in horror.

in a kgb bathhouse in moscow six officials hatched a plan to restore the glory. >> the leaders of the coupes hold on. we don't know the where about thes or the condition tonight. >> he refused to step down. the leader of the russian federation showed surprising medal climbing on top of a tank to deliver a fiery speech. the hard liners failed. gorbachev wasn't toppled. by christmas 1991 he resigned and just like that the soviet union was no more. the russian federation took its place with boris yeltsin as its president. he discovered it was harder than

standing down a coups. corruption was rampant. the country was in strubl and so was yeltsin. he came to depend on a former kgb agent, a man by the name of vladimir putin. by the summer of 1999 boris yeltsin fired his prime minister and announced putin in his place. almost immediately bombs tore through apartment buildings in russia killing hundreds. putin blamed terrorists from the break away republic. evidence began to emerge suggesting otherwise. many believed the whole thing was orchestrated by putin to consolidate his power and boost his popularity. by 1999 boris yeltsin was a shadow of his former self. his administration consumed by corruption that could send yeltsin from the kremlin to a

state prison. he needed a man he could trust so he turned to his prime minister and struck a deal. on new year's yeeve yeltsin resigned naming putin in his place. president putin signed a decree granting boris yeltsin immunity from prosecution. yeltsin struck a bargain. optimism, the hope of a democratic and open russia was replaced with putin's russia. he surrounded himself with loyalists and cracked down. the stage was set for russia to become what critics call a state. next up from hamburg, a story that shows what happens when the power of the state is placed in the hands of criminals. stay with us. david.

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welcome back to hamburg. you heard from people who consider russia to be a criminal state. what does that mean? it means that the power of the state is at the service of one man, vladimir putin. it means that a select group of officials and businessman had become incredibly rich because putin is the law and members of his inner circle can operate with impugnity.

it means sometimes corruption can lead to homicide. >> for bill brouder it comes down to three words. >> greed, money and murder. these people are so obsessed with money that they are ready to kill anyone who gets in the way. >> sounds like a mafia. >> it is a mafia run ag sovereign state with nuclear weapons. >> reporter: he didn't start out as a campaigner for clean government, quite the opposite. the hedgefund manager went to russia more than two decades ago after the fall of the soviet union. >> the fight for now is an economic fight as this country struggles to rebuild. >> the nation's entire economy was being privatized on the cheap. >> the stuff cause being effectively given away for free. all you had to do was show up. >> reporter: when vladimir putin took over he promised to stop the gold rush.

>> he came in at a time of total chaos. 11 guys owning everything in the country and 150 million people he endured. putin said we will get rid of these 22 guys and stop this oligarch thing and clean up russia. >> you believed it? >> i clapped along with everybody else. we thought this is going to be so much better. >> reporter: he cheered and made a fortune as one oligarch after another was jailed, exiled or muscled out until they came for him. >> i arrived at the main moscow airport and four heavily armed officials said follow me. i was deported because i was declared a threat to national security. >> reporter: putin was tightening his group on power getting rid of those he considered dangerous to his regime and making the rest an

offer they could not refuse. work with me and keep your money. that left brouder out in the cold. >> 25 police officers from the moscow police department raid my office in moscow. they are specifically looking for the stamps, seals and certificates. someone was using those stamps, seals and certificates to defraud the russian treasury out of $230 million in tax refunds. >> it worked. it was the largest tax refund in the history of russia. it paid out one day later. >> the tax officials and police officers who he says were in on the heist. they retaliated by going after him charging him with fraud and locking him up in one of the

most notorious prisons. >> they wanted to break him down. they wanted him to withdraw his testimony against police officers and wanted him to sign a false confession. and he turned into this unbelievable man of steel. he refused to buckle. the mild mannered tax lawyer detailed torturous conditions. the treatment harsher. his health fading. according to brouder that wasn't enough. >> chained him to a bed and eight guards beat him to death. >> if he was dying anyway why would they do such an act? why chain the bed? >> that is what they do in russia. >> his crusade now had a martyr. he went to washington. >> members of the committee. >> and asked congress to pass

the act which became law in 2012. >> the bill is passed. the majority leader. >> it placed personal sanctions on the people said to be responsible for the crime. putin took that very personally. >> translator: do you think that no one ever dies in american jails or what? of course they do. so what. do we have to make a story out of each and everyone of these cases? >> yes, we should according to opposition activist. >> strikes at the heart of the system of corruption and hypocrisy that we have in our country for the last 17 years. >> a russian also testified in support of the act. that put him in the kremlin's cross hairs. >> people who are opposed to the government like my colleagues, like me are denounced as

traitors. of course, slander and imprisonment are no longer the biggest fears. >> information about the case kept trickling out of moscow. brouder and his lawyer had a cloak and dagger meeting in a london bar with a man who said he could tell them exactly where some of the stolen money was stashed. >> it was so specific as to say these tax inspectors have avilla on palm island. it was almost unbelievable. >> in dubai. >> not just dubai. he was able to account for another big chunk of the loot which ended up in switzerland. because he was an insider he had the bank statements to prove it. >> did you think he was putting himself at risk? >> we are at risk and kbab who engages in helping this openly is a risk.

>> he rented a house. he went jogging one day and dropped dead. the reported cause of death was a heart attack. now five years later a classified u.s. intelligence report linked to the website proports to show that american spies had high confidence he was murdered on orders from the kremlin. forensic tests found what could be tiny traces of exotic and toxic plant in stomach. the poison is hidden in food and causes death of asphyxiation. >> it was about 5:00 in the morning. i woke up because my heart was racing. i started sweating really badly and feeling suddenly really weak. i started having trouble breathing. >> reporter: when we met him in washington he was still frail. doctors say he was lucky to survive poisoning. what is more remarkable is that this is the second time doctors managed to bring him back from

death's door. >> of course, this was the second time in two years that this happened. it began almost identically the same way. within six hours all of my major organs shut down one after another. >> who do you think was responsible? >> i can only presume that this was done by people with at least connections to the russian special services. >> reporter: the second poisoning happened while he was touring russia screening a new documentary on his friend. the most popular opposition leader since putin came to power was also most prominent supporter of the act. >> the act directed against groups and abusers. >> reporter: and another victim. >> on the night of february 27, 2015 he was walking home from dinner with his girlfriend.

the most popular critic of the putin regime, the man who was call frg sanctions on some of the most powerful people in the country was walking across this bridge. this is after all the center of moscow. there are always plenty of people around and there are cameras on every corner. but according to russian officials that night around 11:30 he was shot in the back at least five times right in front of his girlfriend. none of the cameras captured the moment. he bled to death right here in the shadow of the kremlin. there was one camera that didn't cap chuthe assassination. a city truck happened to block the view. five muslim spreparatests were convicted. either way another powerful russian voice against putin and for the act was silenced.

>> this is the most pro russian law ever passed in any foreign parliament. if you were to ask me the most likely reason for someone trying to kill me twice now in two years i think is that. >> because you supported u.s. sanctions against russia the russian regime wanted you -- >> these are sanctions against crooks. i am russian. my colleagues are russian. >> and if standing up and exposing krungz even as others are being buried for doing just that is the definition of russian patriotism then there still are patriots left in russia. a lawyer who represents magnitski's family. appear to show that stolen money ended up not just in dubai and switzerland but also in new york

city where it was used to buy high end property. i photographed the documents. that was enough for a federal prosecutor to seize the new york prosecutors and launch case against russian owners. the testimony and the documents he provided were kept under seal for his own protection and yet soon enough he had a strange accident. >> he fell down there? >> i woke up in the hospital and the doctors said it was a miracle i was alive. i fell four stories. >> do you think this was just an accident? >> translator: this could not have been an accident. someone planned this. unfortunately, i do not remember the details. >> reporter: he is lucky to be alive.

>> is this what happens to lawyers in this country if they push too far? >> reporter: ma >> translator: many thin happen. when t sta starts covering up anything is possible. >> do you think this is a campaign organized by the kreml kremlin? >> no doubt about it. there seems to be extremely high mortality rate among independent journalists and political opponents of mr. putin in the last 17 years. >> when they hear russian mafia they think of guys with gold teeth and leather jackets. putin is the boss. noo

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the meeting today here between president trump and vladimir putin will naturally raise questions about how each side handles it and what it means for future relations, one thing that did not come up at least as far as we are told is human rights. i want to take a minute to go back to something that we just heard from human rights activist who was poisoned twice. he said, and i quote, that there seems for some reason to be an extremely high mortality rate among independent journalists and political opponents of mr. putin over the last 17 years and there has been. in almost each case there is no conclusive evidence that these people were killed by the russian government. sometimes it isn't even clear if they were murdered or died of

natural causes. the only thing we do know is that putin's enemies have a way of turning up dead and that evidence has a way of being meticulously covered up. we thought we would take a moment to remind ourselves of that. like the investigated journalist who wouldn't stop despite death threats, being poisoned digging into putin's misdeeds shot to death as she was getting on the elevator of her building. or the russian spy who defected and became a valuable source on how russian intelligence services operate poisoned by radio active material slipped into his tea. the fiery leader shot five times in the back right in front of the kremlin. these are just the famous ones. according to research by british journalist in just the last three years more than 40 people,

critics, untrust worthy insiders and those who knew too much about what happens inside the kremlin have been murdered or died in mysterious circumstances. the radiation expert who supposedly stabbed himself. the member of parliament who slipped in the bath. st were critics including several journalists. seven were diplomats. two of them were senior members of the russian anti doping agency which was allegedly involved in a state sponsored doping program. and a general from the intelligence service and a businessman who died in a new york hospital may have been sources for leaks about alleged ti ties. most of the murders are unsolved. many of the deaths are attributed to natural causes. when you put the whole list together it is hard to ignore the pattern.

>> and that's what makes alexa nevaldi so impressive. he had seen time and time again what happens to putin's critics. he was released from prison today after 25 days. that's welcome news for his followers who had been willing to take to the streets when he puts out the call. that's next. your privacy makes you my number 1 place... ...to go number 2. i love you, but sometimes you stink. ♪ new febreze air effects with odorclear technology cleans... ...away odors like never before. because the things you love the most can stink. and try febreze small spaces to clean away odors for up... ...to 30 days. breathe happy with new febreze.

welcome back.

as we said the most prominent leader of the russian was released from prison today. they snuck him past reporters and released him somewhere else. he did what he always does. he went on youtube to tell supporters that together we have broken the wall of censorship that mr. putin has been building for the last 18 years and managed to bring our ideas to millions. he promised to hold new rallies even though they will try to ban them. there are rallies going on. dozens have been arrested. most, if not all of them, were fighting with police in this country. in russia it is a different story. he was sent to prison for the crime of calling for an unauthorized demonstration. the unsanctional rally in moscow lasted only a few minutes.

we were there. this is what happens when you try to demonstrate against vladimir putin in today's russia. these demonstrators have been denouncing putin calling him a criminal. the riot police are pushing them back. they are making it very clear that they are not going to put up with this demonstration for long. they didn't. the demonstration was crushed soon after it began and he wasn't even there. he was arrested right outside his apartment building. yet all across russia's 11 time zones people answered his call and took to the streets. 1,700 of them were detained by police. anti-putin, anti-corruption demonstrations are usually broken up. what is remarkable is that they took place at all. exiled russian dissident and the world's most famous chess master believes that shows that things in russia are finally starting to change. >> it's a brand new trend in

russia when you have young people almost teenagers, those were not poisoned by putin's propaganda machine. they read it on the internet. they follow bloggers. >> reporter: he uses youtube to get his message out and says he wants to run for president next year. the government charged him with financial crimes which he says were trumped up to stop him from running against putin. he has been arrested, beaten and had green liquid thrown at his face which nearly blinded him. he and his supporters fight on. fact is, putin has the backing of a vast majority of russians. they see him as a strong man, the only man who can revive russia's power in a world full of enemies. that is why putin loves making enemies. >> as long as putin stays in power there will be no world peace because putin cannot afford a peace. he needs conflict as the only

atmosphere where he can thrive. >> reporter: it's that never ending conflict with the world that gives putin comfort for a never ending crack down on anyone who speaks out against him. no one speaks out as loudly as pussy ryan. this stunt make this group world famous. it landed two of them in prison. >> say you can't criticize your government. >> whatever lesson the system was trying to keep them they didn't learn it. we asked one member who everyone calls marsha about the group's provocative name. >> i think it is funny. >> reporter: it was a joke on radio broadcasters and people who have to say it. every time they talk about you they have to say pussy riot. you are getting a dig at them? >> kind of. but now i think we have enough

politicians who are okay with pronouncing pussy. >> reporter: she is talking, of course, about president trump. she and her friends watched thousands take to the streets in pink hats. she thinks it should go further. >> do not be afraid. >> do not be afraid? >> i think it's already happening. it's important to just not to stop. >> and just in case anyone missed the message, pussy riot has a new video out and this one is not about putin. ♪ >> no more abortions. >> one of the most surprising things we learned while putting this show together is that russia is getting love in places that will probably surprise you,

too. here's nbc's kelly cobiella. >> reporter: almost half of republican voters, 49% here, consider russia an ally. russian dolls, russia books, russia everywhere here. have you met him? >> i have not, no. >> would you like to? >> absolutely. he's fantastic. >> reporter: what does russia think of us? >> russia considers us to be the main enemy. >> the full and bizarre story after the break. stay with us. once upon a time

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we are live in hamburg at the g20 summit where president trump met today with russian president vladimir putin. one of the things people often ask me when i'm back in the states is what is the big deal about russia? why does it matter if people around the president have personal or business ties with moscow? well, consider this. many russian officials have close relationships with the intelligence services. it can be a pleasant russian official who shares your values who may turn out to be a wanted man, as kelly cobiella found out when she went to the last place on earth where we expected to find a story on russian influence. >> reporter: for decades, russia was seen as the enemy for freedom. in reagan's america they called

it -- >> an evil empire. ♪ >> reporter: in trump's america, land of god, guns vladimir putin. >> have you met him? >> i have not. >> reporter: would you like to? >> absolutely. he's fantastic. >> reporter: a successful lawyer, family man and christian conservative. russian dolls, russia everywhere here. >> reporter: preston, born and raised in the south, believes russia shares his values on same-sex marriage, gun rights and terrorism. >> we're very similar people. in fact, you could take many russians and put them in the room with people from nashville, tennessee, and it kind of looks the same. >> reporter: he does business in russia and has built some very close ties with power players, like the head of the central bank, a former senator and putin

ally. >> reporter: you consider him a friend? >> absolutely. he's a gun enthusiast and a big pr proponent of the right to bear arms. >> reporter: that's why for the first time this year when american gun lovers went to russia to compete in a shooting match, tortion was right there. he's a regular at nra meetings with the president. ♪ other christian conservatives are having the same change of heart, inviting a delegation from the russian orthodox church to the first ever christian persecution summit this spring organized by another putin fan, evangelist franklin graham. they met in to 15. >> i think he's an honest person, a direct person. so he's going to do what's right

for russia. >> reporter: former cia officer daniel hoffman spent five years in moscow and muc of his intelligence career studying h russians operate. >> they devote a tremendous amount of resources to understanding us, what makes our political system work, where the interest groups are located and then in certain situations seeking to influence as well. >> they are looking for information and joint interests so we're not adverse to each other. >> reporter: do you ever suspect at all that there's more to torshin than a great friend and public servant. >> do i suspect that? well, you know, i don't live with him, so i couldn't tell you everything about senator torshin. >> reporter: in fact, he knows that he was a wanted man in spain. spanish judicial sources say they were investigating

allegations that in 2013 torshin was directing a money laundering operation for the russian mob. spanish police tell us they were ready to arrest torshin the second he stepped off a plane. they had teams here at the airport and the prosecutors were on standby around the clock for days. torshin never showed. the commander says the case was closed. >> we hope that he come here but in the end, he don't come here, so -- >> reporter: torshin did not comment on our invitation to comment. >> he's a brilliant man but he's not a mobster. i've never heard a bad word about him. >> reporter: the russians are experts at finding common

groun grounds. there's a guy who has a top level with russia and hanging out with the nra in the united states. is it possible that he just likes guns? >> it is. it's also possible that he may be collecting information about a person, understanding what makes a person tick and then feeding that information back to russian intelligence. >> reporter: both conservatives and russians we spoke to say there's nothing sinister about their new found friendship. in red state america today, a poll taken in may found almost half of republican voters, 49%, consider russia friendly or an ally. is russia actually our ally? >> russia considers us to be the main enemy. this is what the soviet said about us and what the russians would continue to say today. >> the g20 summit has another day to go and well-guarded rooms.

but everyone here knows that the main event is now over. so that does it for us from hamburg tonight. rachel will be back on monday and i'll see you again next friday, live from iraq, where we'll take you to the front lines forth final push to drive isis out of the city of mosul. my dad hung up the phone and told us that jenny was gone. >> a house in flames. the body of a woman inside. >> we have a body. i need a medic. >> but it wasn't the fire that killed her. she was dead before it started. >> accidents will happen. this was no accident. >> who wanted her dead? her boyfriend said he knew. >> there's people after us. >> what does that mean? >> they're trying to get us. >> but police knew better. >> this is a very