An Evening with Mikhail Zygar and Aaron Rosen

***Please note: This event will take place at the Books & Books in Coral Gables at 265 Aragon Ave. Tickets are FREE and books will be available for purchase at the event. Can't make the event?

A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF 2023
From “one of Russia’s smartest and best-sourced young journalists” (The New York Times)—the first work by a Russian author to reveal his country’s history of oppressing Ukraine, providing an unprecedented overview of the war for Ukrainian independence that affects us all.
As soon as the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, prominent independent Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar circulated a Facebook petition signed first by hundreds of his cultural and journalistic contacts and then by thousands of others. That act led to a new law in Russia criminalizing criticism of the war, and Zygar fled Russia. In his time as a journalist, Zygar has interviewed President Zelensky and had access to many of the major players—from politicians to oligarchs. As an expert on Putin’s moods and behavior, he has spent years studying the Kremlin’s plan regarding Ukraine, and here, in clear, chronological order he explains how we got here.
In 1996 to 2004, Ukraine became an independent post-Soviet country where everyone was connected to the former empire at all levels, financially, culturally, psychologically. However, the elite anticipated that the empire would be back and punish them. From 2004 to 2018, there were many states inside one state, each with its own rulers/oligarchs and its own interests—some of them directly connected with Russia. In 2018, a new generation of Ukrainians arrive, and having grown in an independent country, they do not consider themselves to be part of Russia—and that was the moment when the war began, as Putin could not tolerate losing Ukraine forever.
Authoritative, timely, and vitally important, this is an unique overview of the war that continues to threaten the future of the entire world as we know it.

Mikhail Zygar worked for Newsweek Russia and the business daily Kommersant, covering the conflicts in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Serbia, and Kosovo before becoming founding editor in chief of Russia’s only independent news TV channel, Dozhd, which provided an alternative to Kremlin-controlled federal TV channels and gave a platform to opposition voices. He won the International Press Freedom Award in 2014. He is the author of All the Kremlin’s Men, a #1 bestseller in Russia that has been translated into over twenty languages and was called one of “nine books that can help you understand Russia right now” by Time magazine, and The Empire Must Die, a Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Year.

Aaron Rosen serves as President of the World Affairs Council of Miami and Director, U.S. and Global Sales at Rescue Metal Framing. Prior to returning home to South Florida, Aaron researched international technology policy and Russian affairs with the Alfa Fellowship Program in Moscow. He previously worked as a Washington, D.C.-based specialist in U.S. foreign policy for MUFG Bank, formerly the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, and completed a graduate fellowship with the European Parliament in Brussels. Aaron earned a dual masters concentrated on U.S. foreign policy and international history from the George Washington University and the London School of Economics, and holds a bachelors in international relations and comparative politics from the University of Central Florida.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Books & Books, 265 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables, United States