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Overreach
- The Inside Story of Putin’s War Against Ukraine
- Narrated by: Saul Reichlin
- Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
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Overreach
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Summary
Winner of the Pushkin House Book Prize 2023
*A Telegraph Book of the Year*
A Times Best Book of Summer 2023
*Shortlisted for the Parliamentary Book Awards*
An astonishing investigation into the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war – from the corridors of the Kremlin to the trenches of Mariupol.
The Russo-Ukrainian War is the most serious geopolitical crisis since the Second World War – and yet at the heart of the conflict is a mystery. Vladimir Putin apparently lurched from a calculating, subtle master of opportunity to a reckless gambler, putting his regime – and Russia itself – at risk of destruction. Why?
Drawing on over 25 years’ experience as a correspondent in Moscow, as well as his own family ties to Russia and Ukraine, journalist Owen Matthews takes us through the poisoned historical roots of the conflict, into the Covid bubble where Putin conceived his invasion plans in a fog of paranoia about Western threats, and finally into the inner circle around Ukrainian president and unexpected war hero Volodimir Zelensky.
Using the accounts of current and former insiders from the Kremlin and its propaganda machine, the testimony of captured Russian soldiers and on-the-ground reporting from Russia and Ukraine, Overreach tells the story not only of the war’s causes but how the first six months unfolded.
With its panoramic view, Overreach is an authoritative, unmissable record of a conflict that shocked Europe to its core.
Critic reviews
"Not merely the first full account of the war in Ukraine, but may set the standard for some time to come…a remarkable achievement, with Matthews’s expert eye like an all-seeing drone, buzzing from one side of the conflict to the other." (Telegraph)
"Superb…a true page-turner." (Andrew Roberts, BBC History)
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What listeners say about Overreach
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- book share enthusiast
- 18-01-23
my favourite right now
and factual descriptions always have real weight. I'm looking to see what else he has written
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- Anonymous User
- 30-12-22
Very good
Very good, interesting and useful knowledge. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in the war. Easy listen
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Di Bulmer
- 16-12-22
totally absorbing read
undoubtedly a unique authority on Russia and the kremlin... a sobering read but a necessary one.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-03-23
Well researched and narrated
As someone who has closely followed news of the russo-ukranian war, I still learnt a great deal. Well worth the listen
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- William
- 02-12-22
Informed, perceptive, balanced
One of the best overviews of the conflict in Ukraine and Putin's huge miscalculation. It runs up to September 2022.
The author has long and first-hand experience of Russia. The sources include highly placed politicians, writers and pollsters as well as ordinary citizens in both Russia and Ukraine.
The conclusion of the book reflects the complexity and the difficulties involved.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Barbara Eberhart
- 10-03-23
Mycket välskriven och bra uppläsare
Funkade bra att förstå allt tack vare suverän uppläsare. Boken är intressant även för den som har hängt med i händelserna. Författaren belyser bakgrund och ger sammanhang samt ett personligt perspektiv eftersom han var i Ryssland under en stor del av händelseutvecklingen och har själv sina rötter där.
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-09-23
Need to hear more from opposition
We have to see what else is written by opposition, all together good performance and story,
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-01-23
Excellent overview
Excellent overview of the current situation in Ukraine and the events that led up to the invasion. As someone that has run out of Ben Macintyre books to listen to I found this a very reasonable substitute. I must admit that I never completely warmed to the narrator due to his accent but he certainly wasn’t overly bothersome.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Stephen Finn
- 28-12-22
Enthralling
Full of insights, I'll have to listen to it again.
I think I am beginning to understand. Recommended reading for "world leaders".
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- Hoops
- 11-09-23
Depressing and compulsive account.
I've listened to a number of books recently about Putin / the 'West'/ Russia in an attempt to get some insight and understanding of this unnecessary war. It's striking how the decisions and actions of a few dozen people have dreadful consequences for millions of people. This book will certainly inform you, in great detail, of the haphazard path to this conflict. Politicians, chancers and opportunists on all sides acted for short-term gain and made a series of poorly informed and weak decisions that tipped Putin into believing he could achieve a quick victory. Obviously, nothing of the sort happened and the conflict is heading for?????
Excellent narration that keeps you engaged. The 'story' unfolds steadily and is well laid out before you. The author knows his history and has a solid grasp of contemporary events. He also has a wide range of contacts that highlight and personalise events. It's depressing in the sense that all wars/ conflicts / 'special operations' cause so much unnecessary and pointless death and suffering. Let's hope that our Western politicians don't get war fatigue.
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