Accomplices: Why Russia's Elite Chose War

 When the West imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia in response to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many expected that Russia's political and business elite—unwilling to give up their Western lifestyles and international ties—would pressure the Kremlin to end the war.
As we now know, that did not happen. On the contrary, many officials with ostensibly liberal views became pillars of the regime, designing policies to stabilize the economy and adapt it to the demands of wartime. Only a handful resigned or left the country. Almost no one publicly opposed the invasion. Why?
Drawing on dozens of candid conversations with senior Russian government officials and business leaders, Alexandra Prokopenko explores how the values and worldview of Russia's elite evolved over time, and how the boundaries of what they considered acceptable gradually expanded. Although they retained the outward trappings of power, the ruling elite lost its political agency after the war began, becoming, in effect, an instrument of the state rather than an independent force.
Combining personal stories, historical flashbacks that trace the Kremlin's relationship with its ruling class, and sociological analysis, the book reconstructs the mechanisms through which this transformation took place. Its central focus is the first three years of the war, during which Russia's elite learned to work, live, and think according to a new political reality.

Alexandra Prokopenko. Accomplices: Why Russia's Elite Chose War. — Echo Books / StraightForward, 2025.
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