The Hidden War: A Russian Journalist's Account of the Soviet War in Afghanistan

“Alternately fascinating and horrific... A fascinating look at the life and death of Soviet soldiers.” — Bill Wallace, San Francisco Chronicle Until his death in 2000, Artyom Borovik was considered one of the preeminent journalists in Russia. With The Hidden War he provided the world its first glimpse inside the Soviet military machine, capturing the soldiers’ terror, helplessness, and despair at waging war in a foreign land against an unseen enemy for unclear purposes. When first published, Borovik’s groundbreaking revelations exposed the weaknesses beneath the Soviet Union’s aura of military might, creating an enormous controversy both in Russia and around the world. A vital and fascinating portrait of the Soviet empire at the twilight of its power, this is a book that still resonates today. “Borovik has a fine eye for the telling, authentic detail... Perhaps the best account, at least in English, that we’ve got about the conflict in Afghanistan.” — Rick Atkinson, The Washington Post “I have read no other account of the war in Afghanistan equal to this... this is literature.” — Graham Greene “(Borovik) helped undermine the rationale for the war, made the withdrawal irreversible, and contributed to the imperial malaise that made any other such venture — say, to hold Eastern Europe by force — unthinkable.” — Bill Keller, The New York Times Book Review