'A scan of Russia's soul'

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This Cursed Beautiful Land, by Evan Gershkovich.
In 2023, during a meeting with a source, Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was abducted by Russia’s FSB security services and accused of espionage.
While wrongfully imprisoned for 16 months in Moscow’s infamous Lefortovo prison, he formed close relationships with his cellmates, gaining intimate access to the lives of those silenced by the Russian government.
“As in Dostoyevsky’s era,” The Economist wrote, “this moving prison sketch is a scan of Russia’s soul.” Buy This Cursed Beautiful Land from your local bookstore.

document fetched 2026-10-01 03:03 · canonical https://semafor.com/article/09/30/2026/a-scan-of-russias-soul