The Extremist

Available in eBook format from: Apple Books and Google Play.

The Extremist examines modern Russian protests and describes the present regime and civil society’s resistance to dictatorship. The country is filled with protesters in search of a new model for their country.

A young man arrives in Moscow in search of purpose and meaning. He finds work as an engineer and becomes acquainted with a group of activists. He joins their protests, gets arrested by the police, and is sent to a psychiatric hospital.

Rusakow analyzes and compares the protests of 2012 to present day protests and the large-scale arrests in 2019. As a veteran radio correspondent in Russia, the author became personally familiar with different groups of protesters, adding his unique inside knowledge to the story.

The West grew up on Churchill’s definition of Russia as “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” Rusakow’s hero adds to this riddle as he embarks on his path to Moscow by proclaiming: “I have to commit something important”.