Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin’s Russia

An insightful portrait of life in Putin’s Russia Hardly any country has experienced as many changes as Russia in the last 30 years. How do people deal with it? Joshua Yaffa portrays some of the country’s most notable personalities in this diverse foray through contemporary Russia – from politicians and entrepreneurs to artists and historians. They all have built their identities and careers in the shadow of the Putin system. In the division between their own ambitions and the all-encompassing claims of the state, each of them balances on a narrow ridge of compromise. Yaffa delivers haunting insights into the true nature of modern authoritarianism by showing how citizens direct their lives to the demands of a moody and often repressive state – often of their own free will, but also under threat of violence