What Russians Think by Olga Childs

What Russians Think by Olga Childs

The book tells the story of modern-day Russia on a world stage, as seen from the

Russian perspective. A vocal activist of the Russian diaspora in London, the author sets

out the historic background to the Russian prevailing worldview, and explains the

Russian sentiment on issues of public interest, including: Putin, Democracy, sex and

relationships, Gay rights, Ukraine and Crimea, U.S. sanctions, the 2016 Presidential elections, et cetera.

Stories of Boris Berezovsky, Boris Nemtsov, the novichok poisonings, and the current

situation around Alexey Navalny, who has once been among the author's personal

friends, are set up and explained as they are viewed by the majority in Russia.

The author goes into detail concerning history, origins and chaotic nature of the Russian

sanctions in the United States, using the stories of certain specific sanctioned

individuals, and the effects the sanctions are having on the country and its elites. She

debunks certain myths of Russiagate, explaining, for example, the error in translation

of Putin's statement at the Putin-Trump summit in Helsinki press-conference, as well as

setting why the common Western understanding of how Russian interference in the 2016

election may have worked, is implausible.

As a recurring storytelling device, the author uses her family's history in the Soviet

Union, her privileged childhood, her memories of the USSR's collapse, and later the

story of her own adventures in Russia and its politics.