James Rodgers: The Return of Russia: From Yeltsin to Putin, the Story of a Vengeful Kremlin - Part of Summer Derby Book Festival 2026

Description

This event will be filmed and made available as a digital recording after the Festival. Available for purchase here.

An incisive and engaging account of post-Soviet Russia- showing how and why the country has come into confrontation with the West

The escalation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 triggered the most violent conflict seen on European soil for decades. Millions of people have been displaced, and thousands killed. As the conflict continues, many in the West are seeking to understand why Putin has followed his ambitions to such extreme ends.

James Rodgers examines the development of Russia’s relationship with the West from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 to the present day. Rodgers argues that, while Putin has long distrusted the West, Western policies have made the situation much worse. He shows that Putin’s political career, with its transformations from supportive ally to implacable critic of the West, has been the defining influence on Russia’s place in the contemporary world.

Following the invasion of Ukraine, the West needs to develop a new understanding of Russia’s views and possible actions—rather than simply ignoring them, as has been the case since the end of the Cold War.

“An extremely valuable and comprehensive treatment of trends in post-Soviet Russian politics and society, and how these have impacted Russia’s place in the world.”—Precious Chatterje-Doody, co-author of Russia, Disinformation, and the Liberal Order

“The Return of Russia is an exciting account of the descent into authoritarian threats to dissidents and neighbouring countries told by a fine correspondent who was there at the time.”—Robert Service, author of Kremlin Winter: Russia and the Second Coming of Vladimir Putin