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junglezee's review against another edition
5.0
What a dark and awful story this is, Arkady Babchenko's tale of war in Chechnya as a Russian soldier. I wanted to read this to gather some sense of what it's like to be a person enlisted to the Russian army. Lots of their fighters are conscripted and have no choice. What's it like once you make it into the forces, does the bullying of the government end? Bullying because the government says, "Hey, you're going to fight in a war now, you have no choice."
The answer is no, the bullying doesn't stop seemingly at any level. From the moment Arkady is conscripted into the First Chechen War, to the time his service ends near the end of the Second Chechen War, his superiors are abusive, their superiors are abusive, everyone beats everyone and steals from each other, and there's enduring discomfort and hunger, even at positions along the warfront that demand almost 24/7 level of attention and engagement with the enemy.
What to say of war that hasn't been written thousands of times, by better writers than I? I'll leave my thoughts of war out since, frankly, I hate war. This book by Arkady, though, is exactly what I was after. I wanted to know more about what it's like for Russian fighters, their army and side are so hidden and quiet compared to what we hear from Ukrainians. It's almost exactly what I thought. They're numbers, they're tossed into a meat grinder, and no Russian life is held to an important regard against the comforts of their elite and the elite's sense of patriotism.
It's hard for anyone that isn't subscribed to Russian media to justify their presence in the Ukraine; that's the present day. It's also really hard for anyone to justify their presence in Chechnya, and yet they went to both, leading to humanitarian crises and rivers of blood. The author of this book was in school to become a lawyer; his writing is polished and enjoyable, I found this book to be fantastic. Arkady didn't wallow in particular moments or emotions, but told a story that unfurls elegantly.
Great read, great book.
The answer is no, the bullying doesn't stop seemingly at any level. From the moment Arkady is conscripted into the First Chechen War, to the time his service ends near the end of the Second Chechen War, his superiors are abusive, their superiors are abusive, everyone beats everyone and steals from each other, and there's enduring discomfort and hunger, even at positions along the warfront that demand almost 24/7 level of attention and engagement with the enemy.
What to say of war that hasn't been written thousands of times, by better writers than I? I'll leave my thoughts of war out since, frankly, I hate war. This book by Arkady, though, is exactly what I was after. I wanted to know more about what it's like for Russian fighters, their army and side are so hidden and quiet compared to what we hear from Ukrainians. It's almost exactly what I thought. They're numbers, they're tossed into a meat grinder, and no Russian life is held to an important regard against the comforts of their elite and the elite's sense of patriotism.
It's hard for anyone that isn't subscribed to Russian media to justify their presence in the Ukraine; that's the present day. It's also really hard for anyone to justify their presence in Chechnya, and yet they went to both, leading to humanitarian crises and rivers of blood. The author of this book was in school to become a lawyer; his writing is polished and enjoyable, I found this book to be fantastic. Arkady didn't wallow in particular moments or emotions, but told a story that unfurls elegantly.
Great read, great book.
sleepyboi2988's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely spell binding. An extremely eye opening view into the modern Russian military forces as seen by Babchenko. Very hard to read at times, but he writes with such passion and conviction that you feel it would be a disservice to stop. Very, very good book, the author also has a great talent for writing.
auspea's review against another edition
5.0
Brutally savage battlefield account from a Russian soldier’s perspective. While Russian and American military cultures are vastly different, some universal truths of war come through. The adaptability of soldiers and the shocking chaos of combat are as universal as the psychological trauma that war inflicts. One of the best War Memoirs I’ve read in a long time.
unusedphd's review against another edition
4.0
An amazing and brutal story of a Russian soldier's experience during the Chechan war. His story really pulled me in but made me question how anyone survives life in the Russian army.
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