A review by readers_block
Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin's Russia by Joshua Yaffa

4.0

A fascinating look at live inside Putin's Russia, as told through the stories of 7 people living there. The author does a miraculously good job of capturing the nuances of living there, toeing the line between survival/success and capitulation to an oppressive regime. He makes no judgment, he merely captures the way it is in a way that I was very impressed by.

We meet the CEO of Russia's top state news outlet, a man trying to run a successful circus in Crimea, etc etc.

We also get some context for the current invasion of Ukraine, which made it a great time to read this.

It got me even more in interested in Soviet/Russian history, so I will definitely be reading more about that.