War and Punishment

The Story of Russian Oppression and Ukrainian Resistance

De: Mikhail Zygar

Narrado por: Richard Attlee

'History is made up of myths,' writes the renowned Russian dissident journalist Mikhail Zygar. 'Alas, our myths led us to the fascism of 2022. It is time to expose them.' Drawing from his perilous career investigating the frontiers of the Russian empire, Zygar reveals how 350 years of propaganda, bad historical scholarship, folk tales and fantasy spurred his nation into war with Ukraine.

A noted expert on the Kremlin with unparalleled access to hundreds of players in the current conflict - from politicians to oligarchs, gangsters to comedians (not least Zelensky himself) - Zygar chronicles the power struggles from which today's politics grew, and digs out the essential truths from behind layers of seductive legend. By surveying the strange, complex record of Russo-Ukrainian relations, WAR AND PUNISHMENT reveals exactly how the largest nation on Earth lost its senses. A work of history can't undo the past or transform the present, but sometimes it can shape the future.

Reseñas de la Crítica

A superb account of all that led to Vladimir Putin's brutal and misbegotten invasion . . . Provides an ardent, informed understanding of the present

The pattern of anti-Ukrainian persecution repeats from one era to the next, in Zygar's haunting telling . . . a sorry tale of big brother chauvinism and oppression. He seeks to demolish, myth by myth, the "imperial mindset" that led to the current conflict . . . A fine book (Luke Harding)

Excellent . . . Cleverly weaves the story of independent Ukraine with an amusing look at the career as a comedian and actor of its president, Volodymyr Zelensky . . . Although a committed supporter of Ukrainian independence, Zygar is honest about Ukraine's record in the past three decades. While other recent works sympathetic to the Ukrainian cause elide over the epic corruption there, Zygar is clear that before Zelensky was elected Ukraine was near to being a failed state (Victor Sebestyen)

A sweeping, ambitious and impassioned chronicle... makes for compelling reading with its searing portrayal of the "long road to war". It's a fiery, informed reckoning of past and present relations... A bold prediction from a brave writer.

Zygar demolishes Putin's myths about Ukraine with a fury born out of shame at what is being done in his country's name. It is just possible to dream that, one day, War and Punishment will be taught in Russian schools in place of the Kremlin's deadly lies.

Why is my country fascist - and what is my role in that? For Russia to ever change these are the questions Russians will need to ask. Zygar does it with a searing mix of history and self-reflection.

Zygar has invented a new genre. If Tolstoy's story is a wide river and Proust's is a slow river, Zygar's is a chase.

Passionate and perceptive, one of Russia's best journalists busts the myths underpinning the country's turn towards ultra-nationalism. Read it - and hope that Russians do too.

To account for Russia's descent into the abyss and the most bloody war in Europe since WWII, Zygar invites us to walk an uneasy path of reconsideration of the recent past. His book is not only a guide to that past but also a powerful call to change the present.

PRAISE FOR MIKHAIL ZYGAR

Of the many accounts written about the Russian president, Mikhail Zygar's insider's guide to his court is one of the most compelling

One of those important thinkers who helps us to not lose our memory (Nadya Tolokonnikova, Pussy Riot)

Zygar approaches history like he's interviewing it - listening to what those involved had to say and expertly putting that in context. The result is a riveting unfolding of history as it was being lived

Knowing he could always follow many colleagues and activists into jail, hospital, or into the graveyard, Zygar persists (Christiane Amanpour)

Zygar is one of the heroes of Putin's Russia

The most important political book of 2023

If you've been following my book recommendations for a while, you know that I absolutely adore Mikhail Zygar’s seminal work, All the Kremlin’s Men, which delves into Putin’s rise to power. I loved it so much that I chose it as my personal book of the year 2019.

Now, Mikhail has penned a sort of sequel, primarily focused on Ukraine. “War and Punishment: The Story of Russian Oppression and Ukrainian Resistance” is a masterpiece that blends medieval and modern history with current events, including a biographical exploration of Volodymyr Zelensky's journey into politics.

I believe that War and Punishment is the most important political book published this year, given Zygar’s unparalleled insight into Russian and Kremlin politics.

Fun fact: When Zygar first met and interviewed Zelensky, the latter told him that he had read All the Kremlin’s Men to better understand how Putin thinks. Well, good luck with that! Anyway, this is just how indispensable and unique Zygar's perspective is.

If you've read All the Kremlin’s Men, then this new book is a must-read. If you haven’t, I highly recommend reading both books. You'll learn a lot, and I guarantee you won't be able to put them down until you've finished.

A must read if you want to understand the origins of this war

Excellent book on the history of Ukraine and Russia, from the 1600s until the beginning of the war. Russian imperialistic myths have led to this war, and hopefully this will be the end of the empire.