Goodbye to Russia: A Personal Reckoning from the Ruins of War

Goodbye to Russia is a powerful book that explores how Vladimir Putin changed Russia and led to the invasion of Ukraine. It is based on the experiences of BBC journalist Sarah Rainsford, who was expelled from Moscow and witnessed the crushing of liberties. The book focuses on the extraordinary characters she has encountered, from Russians who challenged Putin to Ukrainians burying their dead in Bucha. It is a personal reckoning with Russia, where she first lived in the 1990s and saw it emerge from authoritarian rule to embrace new freedoms.

Format: Hardback
Length: 368 pages
Publication date: 15 August 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

The book "Goodbye to Russia" by BBC journalist Sarah Rainsford is a powerful and insightful account of Russia's descent into authoritarianism and war. It was written in 2021 and published in 2022, just before Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The book focuses on the extraordinary characters Sarah has encountered, from Russians like Boris Nemtsov and Alexei Navalny who paid with their lives for challenging Putin, to Ukrainians she found burying their dead in Bucha. It is also her own personal reckoning with Russia, where she first lived in the 1990s and saw it emerge from decades of authoritarian rule to embrace new freedoms, only to quash internal dissent and declare a ruinous war on its neighbour. The book is a culmination of many years of on-the-ground reporting and paints an intimate portrait of the individuals who have been affected by the attacks on freedom that Sarah has witnessed. It is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the current situation in Russia and the wider region.

Weight: 578g
Dimension: 242 x 164 x 32 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781526670366