Russian autocracy has always been absolute. In the process, he explores numerous themes of relevance to the war in Ukraine. In The story of Russia, he provides a compact but comprehensive account of Russia’s past, concluding with reflections on where Russia is heading.įiges’s elegantly written book takes the reader from Russia’s Viking and Slavic origins in the 7th century and the Kievan Rus era, through the rule of the Mongols, imperial Russia and the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, to the present day. Instead, Figes recommends that political and military analysts cast a much wider net, drawing lessons from Russia’s long history.įiges teaches at Birkbeck College at the University of London and Trinity College at the University of Cambridge and has published extensively on Russian and European history. In Orlando Figes’s view, recent analyses of Russia’s war focus excessively on Putin’s idiosyncrasies, his oligarchic entourage, and events since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. Is the war President Vladimir Putin’s personal crusade to restore Russia to some notion of former Soviet glory, or does it have deeper historical and geopolitical roots? Is a negotiated settlement possible and, if so, would it provide the basis for a lasting peace, or should Ukraine and the West dig their heels in further and prepare for a long haul? As the war in Ukraine grinds on with no end in sight, it is increasingly important to understand what drives Russia.

The story of russia figes review