Putins Exiles, Paul Starobin
Putins Exiles, Paul Starobin
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Putin's Exiles
Their Fight for a Better Russia

Author: Paul Starobin

Narrator: David Aranovich

Unabridged: 3 hr 23 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/30/2024


Synopsis

The future of Russia lies outside the country.

Since Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, some one million Russians have fled the country and gone into exile. Motivated by opposition to the war, by guilt for their country’s deeds, by personal hatred for the Czar-like Putin, and by a vision of a better Russia, shorn of autocracy, the exiles have mounted an organized resistance to Putin’s rule.

The resistance includes followers of the imprisoned Putin opponent Alexi Navalny, dissident Russian Orthodox priests, and journalists feeding Russians back home the kind of coverage that Kremlin-controlled media censors. Most aggressively, some exiles are actively aiding the Ukrainian fight against Russia’s armed forces in hopes of hastening Russia’s defeat and Putin’s demise.

Paul Starobin, a veteran analyst of Russia, travels to places like Armenia and Georgia to meet with exiles and has conversations with prominent figures throughout Europe and America, as he takes measure of this rebellion—and its potential to fix a nation plagued by revanchist imperial dreams.

Putin’s Exiles is an indispensable work for anyone trying to understand Russia today—to go beyond Putin's propaganda and the tightly controlled narrative inside the country, and look outside its borders to the diaspora of Russian exiles, who are imagining and fighting for the future of their country.

About The Author

Paul Starobin, a former Moscow bureau chief for Businessweek and former contributing editor of The Atlantic, has been writing about Russia and Russians for more than a quarter century. He is the author of three books, including After America: Narratives for the Next Global Age, and Madness Rules the Hour: Charleston, 1860 and the Mania for War. He has written for numerous publications, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Marsha

This is a quick book surveying Russians who abandoned their country once Putin began his "special military operation" against Ukraine. Granted, many of those who fled were thinking more of their personal comfort, but it was uplifting to read about those who where more principled. Even more uplifting......more

Goodreads review by Michael

A high-level and current look at the Russian diaspora, specifically focusing on individual anecdotes after the 2022 Ukrainian invasion. From educated technical professionals, Orthodox clergy, young male draft-dodgers, and the occasional oligarch, it seems like a whole variety of people skipped town......more

Goodreads review by Sylvia

"Putin's Exiles: Their Fight for a Better Russia" by Paul Starobin is a compelling exploration of the individuals who have chosen to stand against the Russian government and the challenges they face in their pursuit of a better Russia. The book stands out for its insightful portrayal of the exiles a......more

Goodreads review by Maura

In the 12 months following Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, approximately one million Russians fled their country and went into exile abroad. Percentage-wise, the number of people who left represent only a small portion of Russia’s population. But symbolically, journalist Paul Starobin ar......more