Award-winning correspondent, historian and fluent Russian-speaker Owen Matthews has lived and worked in Moscow for over 25 years. He has built up an unrivalled network of contacts who have worked in Putin’s administration, security services, armed forces and propaganda machine. He worked first as a staffer for The Moscow Times and then as Newsweek magazine’s Moscow Bureau Chief. He has covered conflicts in Bosnia, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iraq, Georgia and Eastern Ukraine. He currently contributes regularly to Foreign Policy, Spectator, Daily Mail, Telegraph and The Critic.

‘Not merely the first full account of the war in Ukraine, but may set the standard for some time to come … a remarkable achievement, with Matthews’s expert eye like an all-seeing drone, buzzing from one side of the conflict to the other’ 5* Telegraph‘A vivid and revealing first draft of history … The strength of his account lies in his ability to tell the story from many angles, weaving them into a single, fast-paced narrative … fascinating’ Financial Times‘The best current analysis of the countdown to war’ Serhii Plokhy, TLS‘There will be many more books on Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, but Owen Matthews’ extraordinary perspective has produced an interim account of special value.’ Daily Mail‘A wave of hurriedly written books about the Russo-Ukrainian war is about to crash over our bookshops and overburdened shelves, but it is hard not to feel sorry for most of their authors. Owen Matthews has already come out with what is not only one of the fastest, but also likely to be the best, setting a painfully high benchmark for those who follow.’ Times‘The best new book on Russia … a classic as enduring as Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia’ Literary Review‘Superb … a true page-turner’ Andrew Roberts, BBC History

1. 4/5

   Insiktsfullt

   En gediget genomarbetad bok om det som händer i Ukraina skriven av en kunnig och insatt författare. Mycket välskrivet! Läs - detta handlar om hela Västeuropas framtid!

   Jeremy R

   06 oktober 2023
2. 4/5

   Klarsynt översikt

   En BBC-korrespondent som länge varit bosatt i Moskva ger en välbalanserad översikt av de händelser som ledde fram till Ryssland attack på Ukraina. Stark rekommendation.

   Björn E

   07 augusti 2023

Award-winning correspondent, historian and fluent Russian-speaker Owen Matthews has lived and worked in Moscow for over 25 years. He has built up an unrivalled network of contacts who have worked in Putin’s administration, security services, armed forces and propaganda machine. He worked first as a staffer for The Moscow Times and then as Newsweek magazine’s Moscow Bureau Chief. He has covered conflicts in Bosnia, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iraq, Georgia and Eastern Ukraine. He currently contributes regularly to Foreign Policy, Spectator, Daily Mail, Telegraph and The Critic.

‘Not merely the first full account of the war in Ukraine, but may set the standard for some time to come … a remarkable achievement, with Matthews’s expert eye like an all-seeing drone, buzzing from one side of the conflict to the other’ 5* Telegraph‘A vivid and revealing first draft of history … The strength of his account lies in his ability to tell the story from many angles, weaving them into a single, fast-paced narrative … fascinating’ Financial Times‘The best current analysis of the countdown to war’ Serhii Plokhy, TLS‘There will be many more books on Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, but Owen Matthews’ extraordinary perspective has produced an interim account of special value.’ Daily Mail‘A wave of hurriedly written books about the Russo-Ukrainian war is about to crash over our bookshops and overburdened shelves, but it is hard not to feel sorry for most of their authors. Owen Matthews has already come out with what is not only one of the fastest, but also likely to be the best, setting a painfully high benchmark for those who follow.’ Times‘The best new book on Russia … a classic as enduring as Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia’ Literary Review‘Superb … a true page-turner’ Andrew Roberts, BBC History

1. 4/5

   Insiktsfullt

   En gediget genomarbetad bok om det som händer i Ukraina skriven av en kunnig och insatt författare. Mycket välskrivet! Läs - detta handlar om hela Västeuropas framtid!

   Jeremy R

   06 oktober 2023
2. 4/5

   Klarsynt översikt

   En BBC-korrespondent som länge varit bosatt i Moskva ger en välbalanserad översikt av de händelser som ledde fram till Ryssland attack på Ukraina. Stark rekommendation.

   Björn E

   07 augusti 2023

Award-winning correspondent, historian and fluent Russian-speaker Owen Matthews has lived and worked in Moscow for over 25 years. He has built up an unrivalled network of contacts who have worked in Putin’s administration, security services, armed forces and propaganda machine. He worked first as a staffer for The Moscow Times and then as Newsweek magazine’s Moscow Bureau Chief. He has covered conflicts in Bosnia, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iraq, Georgia and Eastern Ukraine. He currently contributes regularly to Foreign Policy, Spectator, Daily Mail, Telegraph and The Critic.

‘Not merely the first full account of the war in Ukraine, but may set the standard for some time to come … a remarkable achievement, with Matthews’s expert eye like an all-seeing drone, buzzing from one side of the conflict to the other’ 5* Telegraph‘A vivid and revealing first draft of history … The strength of his account lies in his ability to tell the story from many angles, weaving them into a single, fast-paced narrative … fascinating’ Financial Times‘The best current analysis of the countdown to war’ Serhii Plokhy, TLS‘There will be many more books on Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, but Owen Matthews’ extraordinary perspective has produced an interim account of special value.’ Daily Mail‘A wave of hurriedly written books about the Russo-Ukrainian war is about to crash over our bookshops and overburdened shelves, but it is hard not to feel sorry for most of their authors. Owen Matthews has already come out with what is not only one of the fastest, but also likely to be the best, setting a painfully high benchmark for those who follow.’ Times‘The best new book on Russia … a classic as enduring as Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia’ Literary Review‘Superb … a true page-turner’ Andrew Roberts, BBC History

1. 4/5

   Insiktsfullt

   En gediget genomarbetad bok om det som händer i Ukraina skriven av en kunnig och insatt författare. Mycket välskrivet! Läs - detta handlar om hela Västeuropas framtid!

   Jeremy R

   06 oktober 2023
2. 4/5

   Klarsynt översikt

   En BBC-korrespondent som länge varit bosatt i Moskva ger en välbalanserad översikt av de händelser som ledde fram till Ryssland attack på Ukraina. Stark rekommendation.

   Björn E

   07 augusti 2023