'A world-class scholar at the height of his powers . . . everything is deftly handled - from the German-Soviet pact to the Yalta Conference, from Babi-Yar to the Katyn massacre - without holding up the sweeping narrative' ORLANDO FIGES, THE TIMES In the course of human history there has probably been no more terrible place than Eastern Europe in 1941-5. Estimates of total Soviet military and civilian deaths in the period now stand at more than 25 million. In Russia's War, Richard Overy re-creates the Soviet Union's apocalyptic struggle against Germany from the point of view both of the troops and of the ordinary civilians. 'A dramatic and exciting tale . . . His set-piece descriptions of such visions of Hell as Stalingrad, the 900-day siege of Leningrad and the crucial battle of Kursk are as fascinating as they are horrifying' ALAN JUDD, SUNDAY TIMES 'Masterly . . . a vivid account' ROBERT SERVICE, INDEPENDENT 'Overy is a first-class military historian . . . He writes concisely and says what he means to say . . . Now, we have an authoritative British account that understands both sides, without illusions' NORMAN STONE, SPECTATOR 'Excellent . . . Overy tackles this huge, complex and multifaceted story with the vital gifts of clarity and brevity' ANTONY BEEVOR, LITERARY REVIEW