Corruption on an immense scale and the unscrupulous use of law enforcement have left indelible marks on post-Soviet Russia. Federico Varese reveals the scars of these grim decades through an unusual lens: its criminal history.

Varese weaves together the tales of four criminals, each emblematic of a different decade and social group within the country. We encounter a traditional mobster, an oligarch, an incarcerated drug-dealer who obtained horrifying videos depicting torture behind bars, and the mastermind behind the world’s most potent computer virus. In delving into their lives, we witness the transformation of Russia from the late Soviet period, through the tumultuous years of Boris Yeltsin’s presidency, to the authoritarian era of Vladimir Putin. This new era, Varese shows, represents the pinnacle of a violent transition to democracy built on widespread theft, suppression of dissent, and the unholy alliance between crime and politics. The West chose to overlook these unfolding abuses, unwaveringly supporting first Yeltsin and then Putin. Now we have awakened to the grim reality, but the realization has come too late.

Russia in Four Criminals is an innovative and compelling account of one of the most tragic developments of modern history.