"[A] gripping narrative of war, politics, and diplomacy."-New York Times Book Review The war in Chechnya left us with some of the most harrowing images in recent times: a modern European city bombed to ruins while its citizens cowered in bunkers; mass graves; mothers combing the hills for their missing sons. The product of investigative and on-the-scene reporting by two established journalists, Carlotta Gall and Thomas de Waal's captivating book recounts the story of the Chechens' violent struggle for independence, and the Kremlin politics that precipitated it. Exploring Chechnya's complex and bloody history, the work is also a portrait of Russia's failed attempt to make the transition to a democratic society.

"An excellent ground-level account." -Wall Street Journal "A harrowing glimpse into the destabilization caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the troubled road to independence and democracy faced by its non-Russian members."-Kirkus Reviews "An exceptional feat of war correspondence. It is hard to imagine that it will be surpassed as the definitive account of the conflict. There seem to be few important moments of the war that the two reporters did not witness...They have spun a gripping narrative of war, politics, and diplomacy."-New York Times Book Review

Carlotta Gall is a reporter with the Moscow Times. Thomas de Waal has reported on Russia and the Caucasus since 1993 for the Moscow Times, The Times of London, The Economist, and the BBC World Service. He is currently Senior Associate, Caucasus at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. His publications include, most recently, The Caucasus: An Introduction.