Елена Костюченко

I listed to the audio book, which I do not recommend. It was very difficult to keep names and places straight and to tell who was speaking during a dialogue. I think reading it would have been easier, at least for me.

This book is a collection of reportings by Elena Kostyuchenko, a young Russian journalist for Novaya Gazeta. The stories take place over many years all across Russia and other former Soviet countries. There are stories about everyday people in remote villages and their struggles with alcoholism and suicide in post-Soviet Russia. There are stories of ethnic cleansing, of mental institutions, of murdered journalists. There is a lot of war reporting, including the current war in Ukraine. It is horrific. If you are not sure if Russia and Putin are as bad as all that, read this book.… (més)

I almost didn't read this book because of the title, but I'm glad I did. Elena Kostyuchenko fearlessly and precisely documents what life in Russia has become under Putin. The hopelessness, the casual cruelties, the graft, and the utter desolation of backwash communities where people are living in conditions akin to medieval times. It brought to mind a real life Hunger Games, with Putin and his cronies living in the Capital and everyone else vassals in the districts.
This book is not in any sense an apology for Russian behavior, but it does give context to the complete grip of Putin and his cronies. Reading this book brings home the fact that Russia must lose this war, not just for Ukrainians and the sake of the world, but also for Russians.
It's always important to know one's enemy, and this book helps those who cherish a democratic world to do just that.… (més)