The Good Russian

Jana Bakunina, who is originally from Yekaterinburg but who has lived in London for the last 20 years, was shocked and appalled when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. She travelled to Yekaterinburg in the autumn of 2023 to see how ordinary Russians viewed the war. This was the genesis of her book, The Good Russian: In Search of a Nation's Soul (published by Little, Brown - November 2025), which reflects her conversations with family, friends and others and her own considered thoughts on the predicament facing them. 

The book is honest, powerful and compelling and brings us face-to-face with ordinary Russians: it brilliantly communicates how impossibly difficult life is for ordinary Russians in the conditions that currently prevail in Russia. Jana’s book has been described by Luke Harding as “A fine and brave book” and by Mishal Husain as “An important and necessary book...a work of honesty and humanity”.

In her talk to us, Jana Bakunina tells us about her visit to Yekaterinburg and her impressions of what day-to-day life is like for people living there, and she explores some of the main themes addressed in her book.