Fascinating... One of the most astute political commentators on Putin and modern Russia Financial TimesAn amazing achievement Peter FrankopanCan anyone truly understand RussiaRussia is a country with no natural borders no single ethos no true central identity. At the crossroads of Europe and Asia it is everyones other. And yet it is one of the most powerful nations on earth a master gameplayer on the global stage with a rich history of war and peace poets and revolutionaries. In this essential whistlestop tour of the worlds most complex nation Mark Galeotti takes us behind the myths to the heart of the Russian story from the formation of a nation to its early legends including Ivan the Terrible and Catherine the Great to the rise and fall of the Romanovs the Russian Revolution the Cold War Chernobyl and the end of the Soviet Union plus the rise of a politician named Vladimir Putin and the events leading to the Ukrainian war.