Same River, Twice: Putin's War on Women [Paperback]

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2026 MINNA CANTH AWARD LONGLISTED FOR THE 2025 MOORE PRIZE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS WRITING

Blending the call to action ofWe Should All Be Feministswiththe journalistic rigor of Masha Gessen,“an exquisite feminist critique of Russia’s oppressive tactics" (Kirkus Reviews) revealing how modern Russia’s history of weaponizing sexual violence plays a crucial role in its current geopolitical strategy

“It’s one of those books that can truly change a reader's life. . . . A powerful, unforgettable read.”—Andrey Kurkov, award-winning author ofGrey BeesandThe Silver Bone

“Thoughtful, instructive and deeply harrowing.” —Luke Harding,The Guardian

On March 22, 2023, the Swedish Academy organized a conference on threats to democracy and freedom of expression featuring a slate of distinguished speakers including Arundhati Roy, Timothy Snyder, and Sofi Oksanen. Oksanen’s address—entitled “Putin's War on Women”— would go on to spark such interest that the acclaimed Finnish writer felt compelled to return to it as the basis for a larger, more in-depth look at Putin’s threat to women. The result isSame River, Twice, a devastating book-length essay on Russian imperialism that incisively builds on the themes and arguments first presented in her powerful speech.

During the Soviet occupation of Estonia, Oksanen's great-aunt was arrested and brutally interrogated overnight. Left permanently traumatized by the experience, she would never speak again. Using her family story as a starting point, Oksanen launches an investigation into the systematic war crimes that the Russian government has, for nearly a century, committed with impunity. From the Russian military's entry into Berlin in 1945 to its modern invasion of Ukraine, Russia has continually employed violó*