When the war in Ukraine started, and the West imposed severe sanctions on Russian business, one of the thoughts behind this strategy was that the Russian elites won’t give up their money and Western ways of life, and will revolt against Putin. This did not happen. Moreover, many ostensibly liberal Russian officials have become the backbone of wartime Russia, keeping the economy running and accepting the new rules of the business. Nobody spoke out. Very few quit and left the country. How could it happen?

Built upon dozens of candid conversations with top Russian officials and richest businessmen held over the last ten years, Alexandra Prokopenko’s book thoroughly describes the evolution of moral reasoning of the Russian elite, and tries to make sense of it. As the upper class progressed through stages of internal transformation, it gradually expanded the boundaries of moral acceptability, aligning its behavior with the expectations of their superiors. Formally retaining attributes of power, the elite lost its agency, becoming essentially just an instrument of governance, not an actor. The book presents this process scrupulously, providing extensive flashbacks into the inside history of Putin’s regime, showing the transformation from personal perspectives and analyzing it sociologically.

The book will cover three tumultuous years of war, showing how the Russian high class has learned to work, live and think in new circumstances. Prokopenko focuses on specific game-changing events, such as the introduction of Western sanctions, Putin declaring mobilization, the annexation of four Ukrainian regions, or Yevgeniy Prigozhin’s failed military coup, showing how her counterparts — the “technocrats”, the “Putin’s close circle”, the “hawks” — processed them. The most recent events show that these people are likely here to stay, and they will continue to influence global politics, so it is necessary to understand how they think and act.

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