Why read Overreach?

Book cover of Overreach: The Inside Story of Putin's War Against Ukraine

Book description

*A Telegraph Book of the Year*

*Shortlisted for the Parliamentary Book Awards*

An astonishing investigation into the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war - from the corridors of the Kremlin to the trenches of Mariupol.

The Russo-Ukrainian War is the most serious geopolitical crisis since the Second World…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Overreach as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Shane O'Rourke

Author

Owen Matthews is a journalist with unrivalled knowledge of the Russian political establishment.

A native Russian and English speaker, he spent many years working for the Moscow Times. He presents a fascinating account of the inner working of the Russian elite, not only of Putin, but of those in a position to influence him.

He charts the process, step by step, how Putin came to take his disastrous decision to launch the war against Ukraine, which in a matter of weeks has undone 30 years of development and progress in Russia. Disconcertingly but convincingly, he concludes that the Russian elites…

From Shane's list on The best books explaining Russia’s War against Ukraine.

Mark G. Pomar

Author

Drawing on over 25 years as a foreign correspondent in Russia, Owen Matthews takes us through the roots of the most serious geopolitical crisis since World War II.

He cites interviews with former Kremlin insiders, testimony of captured Russian soldiers, and his own on-the-ground reporting. Matthew’s account of the war is the best I have read and it has helped me to understand not only the origins of the invasion but the consequences of this brutal war.

From Mark's list on The best history books that helped me understand critical world events from a new angle and in a deeper way.