Chechen Blues

The fall of the Soviet Union was a defining event in world history. A swollen, decrepit empire burst apart and rained down despair, nihilism, and deep uncertainty on the Russian people. Overnight Russians were immediately exposed to the trials of secession, lawlessness, and economic depression. The resulting moment of weakness in their country caused multiple nations within the Russian Federation to attempt to break away. Many independence movements sprang up in Russia without any significant opposition. All of that came to an end when, in 1995, Russia regained her footing in the Caucasus to thwart a violent Chechen rebellion. Alexander Prokhanov lays bare the history and events surrounding New Year's Eve in 1995, when Russian troops attacked the Presidential Palace in the rebellious capital city of Grozny. 

In this one of a kind account, Prokhanov depicts the cruelty of unfeeling careerist bureaucrats who sent recruits to certain death, the cynicism of foreign bankers who made their dirty money from human tragedies, and through it all the honor and duty of Russian soldiers who gave their lives for a new Russia. Between the fiery muzzle flashes of their Kalashnikovs and the cold, hard sky of the Caucasus, these pages show the beginnings of a new chapter for Russia, and in many ways, the European world.

Available for the first time to the English reader, Antelope Hill Publishing is proud to present Alexander Prokhanov's Chechen Blues. It is crucial to immortalize this unique first hand account in the printed word, to tell the tale of recent Russian history and the story of men who fought to preserve the integrity of their nation.