Sign in

Howard Amos

@howardamos.bsky.social
289 followers 242 following 61 posts

Author at @bloomscontinuum.bsky.social | Editor at @carnegieendowment.org | My book 'Russia Starts Here: Real Lives in the Ruins of Empire' is out now! | Order here: linktr.ee/russiastartshere

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Howard Amos
Jennifer Rankin @jenniferrankin.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I am really looking forward to talking to @howardamos.bsky.social about his fascinating and deeply-researched book on Russia. We will be at Waterstones in Brussels on Thursday 10th September. Details here about reserving a free ticket.
021
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
I will be in Brussels on Sept. 10 to talk about my book 'Russia Starts Here' with the @theguardian.com's brilliant @jenniferrankin.bsky.social. Do come along! You can reserve a (free) place by emailing events.brussels@waterstones.com: www.waterstones.com/events/howar...
000
Reposted by Howard Amos
Bloomsbury Continuum @bloomscontinuum.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Russia Starts Here by @howardamos.bsky.social is out in paperback today 🎉 This moving, lyrical travelogue explores Russia's descent into darkness through the lives and stories of the ordinary people of Pskov. Get your copy now.
021
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Paperback publication day for 'Russia Starts Here'! The new cover has a photo of Pskov by the brilliant Nanna Heitmann. Available from all good bookshops: linktr.ee/russiastarts...
000
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Enjoyed going on the Orwellians podcast to to talk to @rolandebrown.bsky.social about Russia Starts Here. You can listen on Apple (podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/h...) or watch on YouTube (youtube.com/watch?v=HXEP...)
podcasts.apple.com
Howard Amos - Russia Starts Here: Real Lives in the Ruins of Empire
Podcast Episode · The Orwellians · June 4 · 1h 15m
001
Reposted by Howard Amos
Golden Hare Books @goldenharebooks.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Looking forward to hearing Joe Luc Barnes & @howardamos.bsky.social in conversation next Wednesday! Tickets via link in our bio.
021
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
It was a pleasure to go on the 'Earlylands in Conversation' podcast with Todd Johnson to talk about my book: podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/e.... Also worth checking out their interesting back catalogue of interviews: www.earlylands.com/earlylands-i...
000
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
I'll be moderating a livestream with the brilliant Farida Rustamova (@faridaily.bsky.social) and Margarita Liutova on Thursday - you can ask any questions you want about Russian politics/economics www.vlast.is/p/live-q-and...
020
Reposted by Howard Amos
New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
NEW: Three new books — Julia Ioffe’s ‘Motherland,’ Lea Ypi’s ‘Indignity’ and Olia Hercules’ ‘Strong Roots’— use family memoir to illuminate the lives of women in 20th-century Eastern Europe, writes @howardamos.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/essays/the-f...
newlinesmag.com
The Family Memoirs Uncovering a Different History of the 20th Century
Julia Ioffe’s ‘Motherland,’ Lea Ypi’s ‘Indignity’ and Olia Hercules’ ‘Strong Roots’ place women at the center of revolutions and their aftermath
054
Reposted by Howard Amos
Dr Dion Georgiou 🇨🇾❤️🇬🇾 @drdiongeorgiou.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Sean Guillory & Rusana Novikova interviewing @howardamos.bsky.social about his book, 'Russia Starts Here: Real Lives in the Ruins of Empire', for @euraknot.bsky.social.
open.spotify.com
Russia Starts Here
021
Reposted by Howard Amos
New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
From the @newlinesmag.bsky.social  archives: When it comes to sportswashing, Russia is an expert. @howardamos.bsky.social  speaks to the Olympian champion snowboarder who quit Moscow for exile.
newlinesmag.com
Falling Out of Love With Sports — And the Russian Regime
A champion snowboarder didn’t want to bite the hand that fed her, but Moscow’s attack on Ukraine strengthened her moral conviction
032
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
A privilege to be interviewed by Sean and Rusana about my book 'Russia Starts Here' for the venerable and brilliant Eurasian Knot podcast (@euraknot.bsky.social): www.patreon.com/posts/russia...
patreon.com
Russia Starts Here | The Eurasian Knot
Get more from The Eurasian Knot on Patreon
022
Reposted by Howard Amos
Bloomsbury Continuum @bloomscontinuum.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Many congratulations to @howardamos - we're absolutely thrilled that his brilliant book Russia Starts Here has been shortlisted for the first Sherborne Prize for Travel Writing! 🥳🎉
032
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
Interesting chat with Aaron for the @bearmarketbrief.bsky.social podcast about my book, 'Russia Starts Here': bearmarketbrief.substack.com/p/russia-abo...
bearmarketbrief.substack.com
Russia Above Ground, Russia Below Ground
A deep dive into dissident spaces that exist under the radar
010
Reposted by Howard Amos
Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · 04/11/2025
In today's Meduza newsletter, I offer you a tease of an episode in the new season of Russia Underground, an excellent podcast from @howardamos.bsky.social and Nina Berezner. meduza.io/en/brief/202...
meduza.io
This was Russia today Monday, November 3, 2025 — Meduza
0204
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Will be quizzed by the ever-forensic @peterleonard1.bsky.social about my book 'Russia Starts Here' at Clifton Literary Festival in Bristol on Nov. 15. Do come along if you're in the area! Tickets here: foccal.com/litfest-even...
foccal.com
Friends of Clifton Centre and Library
We are the "Friends of Clifton Centre and Library". We aim to keep the library as a thriving centre for the whole community. Explore the site and see what we're up to and how you can join!
010
Reposted by Howard Amos
New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
The 19th-century opera “Boris Godunov” has become a focal point for diverse interpretations of power, particularly in light of Russia’s war in Ukraine, reports @howardamos.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social
newlinesmag.com
How a Classic Russian Opera Became a Work of Protest
‘Boris Godunov’ has become a focal point for diverse interpretations of power, particularly in light of the war in Ukraine
063
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
Excited to announce that the podcast I host - Russia Underground - has just released a new mini-series! We speak to those inside Russia who oppose the regime. Can they resist? What compromises must they make? Please have a listen: russiaunderground.live
russiaunderground.live
Russia Underground
A podcast on survival and non-violent resistance
130
Reposted by Howard Amos
New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
NEW: The 19th-century opera “Boris Godunov” has become a focal point for diverse interpretations of power, particularly in light of Russia’s war in Ukraine, reports @howardamos.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social newlinesmag.com/review/how-a...
newlinesmag.com
How a Classic Russian Opera Became a Work of Protest
‘Boris Godunov’ has become a focal point for diverse interpretations of power, particularly in light of the war in Ukraine
021
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
For @newlinesmag.bsky.social, I wrote about Mussorgsky's opera 'Boris Godunov' and how it has been staged in both Russia and the West - and as both pro-Putin and anti-Putin - since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine: newlinesmag.com/review/how-a...
newlinesmag.com
How a Classic Russian Opera Became a Work of Protest
‘Boris Godunov’ has become a focal point for diverse interpretations of power, particularly in light of the war in Ukraine
020
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
I reviewed @andreisoldatov.bsky.social and Irina Borogan's compelling and insightful new book 'Our Dear Friends in Moscow: The Inside Story of a Broken Generation' for the @thetls.bsky.social: www.the-tls.com/politics-by-...
the-tls.com
The price of opposition
Shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the émigré Russian journalist Andrei Soldatov, who was fiercely opposed to the Kremlin’s actions, found himself in tears at an...
031
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Speaking next Monday (6th October) at King's Russia Institute about 'Russia Starts Here'. Tickets are free. Please come along! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/russia-sta...
eventbrite.co.uk
Russia Starts Here: Real Lives in the Ruins of Empire
To understand the darkness capturing Russia, we journey through a landscape of small towns, re-wilding fields and dilapidated churches
041
Reposted by Howard Amos
Bloomsbury Continuum @bloomscontinuum.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Thrilled to see that 'Russia Starts Here' by @howardamos.bsky.social has been longlisted in the debut non-fiction category of The Saltires, Scotland's National Book Awards! 🥳 #booksky #SaltireBookAwards
031
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Big honour that 'Russia Starts Here' has been longlisted for Scotland's National Book Awards 2025
170
Reposted by Howard Amos
Five Books - Expert Book Recommendations @fivebooks.com · 10/09/2025
"This observational acuteness brings out for the reader an understanding of why Russians might be supporting Putin, why they so senselessly support the war in Ukraine." fivebooks.com/best-books/r...
fivebooks.com
The Best Nonfiction Books on Russia: The 2025 Pushkin House Prize
The Pushkin House Book Prize is awarded annually for a nonfiction book that encourages "public understanding and intelligent debate about Russia." Political scientist Gulnaz Sharafutdinova, chair of…
052
Reposted by Howard Amos
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 05/08/2025
Rescuers in Norway resume search for journalist missing in wilderness
theguardian.com
Rescuers in Norway resume search for journalist missing in wilderness
Bad weather hampers search for Alec Luhn after he set out for solo hike in remote Folgefonna national park Rescuers in Norway have resumed the search for an award-winning environmental journalist who has gone missing in bad weather during a solo hike in the remote Folgefonna national park, home to one of the country’s biggest glaciers. Alec Luhn, a US-born reporter who has worked for the New York Times and the Atlantic and was a regular Russia correspondent for the Guardian from 2013 to 2017, was reported missing on Monday after he failed to catch a flight from Bergen. Continue reading...
35113
Reposted by Howard Amos
Meduza in English @meduza.io · 01/08/2025
Derk Sauer, who died in Amsterdam on Thursday at the age of 72, was a figure of rare consequence in the history of post-Soviet journalism. Leonid Bershidsky, the first editor-in-chief of Sauer's storied Vedomosti newspaper, offers this remembrance. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
meduza.io
Find it out, write it down, get it out there. Leonid Bershidsky remembers pioneering journalist Derk Sauer — Meduza
Derk Sauer, who died in Amsterdam on Thursday at the age of 72, was a figure of rare consequence in the history of post-Soviet journalism. A former reporter and editor in the Netherlands, he departed…
0114
Reposted by Howard Amos
Het Parool @parool.nl · 31/07/2025
Pjotr Sauer schrijft een afscheidscolumn voor zijn overleden vader Derk: ‘Ik ga ontelbaar veel dingen aan hem missen’
parool.nl
Pjotr Sauer schrijft een afscheidscolumn voor zijn overleden vader Derk: ‘Ik ga ontelbaar veel dingen aan hem missen’
616643
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
I will be speaking about my book 'Russia Starts Here' with Joshua Yaffa on Thursday evening in Berlin - do come along! www.shakespeareandsons.com/pages/26-6-m...
shakespeareandsons.com
24.07 Meet the Author: Russia Starts Here, with Howard Amos and Joshua
Thursday 24.7, start 18:45, free entry Please join us for a reading and Q&A of  Russia Starts Here: Real Lives in the Ruins of Empire with author Howard Amos in conversation with New Yorker corres...
001
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
"Russia Starts Here reminded me of the surveys of Russian peasants that were written in the late 18th and early 19th centuries... which did so much to change perceptions of ordinary Russians amongst the ruling classes. This book has the potential to do the same for a western audience."
031
Reposted by Howard Amos
Farida Rustamova @faridaily.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
🟥 please welcome the first edition of our new English-language newsletter—your essential guide to Russian politics and economics. this time our main stories are about why Putin picks Trump over Iran and DME airport ownership saga subscribe and spread the word! faridaily.substack.com/p/putin-pick...
faridaily.substack.com
🟥 Putin picks Trump over Iran
Hello and welcome to the first edition of our new English-language newsletter—your essential guide to Russian politics and economics.
0104
Reposted by Howard Amos
Olya Oliker aka Dr. Olga Oliker (she/her) @olyaoliker.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
Thinking of seizing some frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine? This new Q&A from the @crisisgroup.org team lays out the facts, the arguments and the impediments (legal and otherwise) thoughtfully, concretely, and in detail.
crisisgroup.org
A Frozen Conflict: The Dilemmas of Seizing Russia’s Money for Ukraine | International Crisis Group
Several countries froze Russian assets after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but legal and economic hurdles make it hard to confiscate these funds to support Kyiv. In this Q&A, Crisis Group explai...
0116
Reposted by Howard Amos
Shaun Walker @shaunwalker7.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Wrote this on Lana Estemirova’s new book Please Live, about her mother Natalia, the rights activist murdered in Chechnya in 2009, her work and their relationship. It’s a powerful, beautiful read - can’t recommend highly enough. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
theguardian.com
‘She lived without fear’: daughter of Chechen activist publishes book she vowed to pen after mother’s murder
Lana Estemirova promised to tell story of her mother, a renowned human rights activist. This month it is published
04413
Reposted by Howard Amos
Five Books - Expert Book Recommendations @fivebooks.com · 04/06/2025
NEW: "I hope I’ve done them all justice. They’re incredible books." Political scientist ‪@gulnazsharaf.bsky.social‬ talks us through the shortlist of this year's Pushkin House Book Prize, awarded annually for a nonfiction book about Russia: fivebooks.com/best-books/r...
fivebooks.com
The Best Nonfiction Books on Russia: The 2025 Pushkin House Prize
The Pushkin House Book Prize is awarded annually for a nonfiction book that encourages "public understanding and intelligent debate about Russia." Political scientist Gulnaz Sharafutdinova, chair of…
121
Reposted by Howard Amos
The Moscow Times @themoscowtimes.com · 04/06/2025
In this episode of the Russia Underground podcast, the hosts speak to two LGBTQ+ activists in Russia who continue what they are doing despite the risks.
themoscowtimes.com
LGBTQ+ Resistance - The Moscow Times
Podcast | Repressive laws and a wartime crackdown have made Russia’s LGBTQ+ community more invisible than ever.
13012
Reposted by Howard Amos
Meduza in English @meduza.io · 04/06/2025
Award-winning photographer Alexander Gronsky on continuing to live and work in Russia amid political repression and growing militarization. meduza.io/en/feature/2...
meduza.io
‘Images of loneliness’ Russian photographer Alexander Gronsky on what it’s like to document a country closing in on itself — Meduza
Alexander Gronsky is an award-winning photographer who, despite the political repressions and society’s increasing militarization, continues to live and work in Russia. He has two roles in Meduza’s…
1217
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
For BBC Future, I wrote a piece for about the Soviet plan (it never happened) to reverse some of the country's great rivers, diverting them south to Central Asia: www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...
bbc.co.uk
The Soviet plan to reverse Siberia's rivers with 'peaceful nuclear explosions'
In the 1970s, the USSR used nuclear devices to try to send water from Siberia's rivers flowing south, instead of its natural route north.
187
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
I'll be in conversation with Tom Parfitt at Pushkin house on June 5th about my book 'Russia Starts Here'. If you're in London do come along! www.pushkinhouse.org/whats-on/eve...
pushkinhouse.org
Russia Starts Here: Real Lives in the Ruins of Empire. Howard Amos in Conversation with Tom Parfitt
Talk: Russia Starts Here: Real Lives in the Ruins of Empire. Howard Amos in Conversation with Tom Parfitt
010
Reposted by Howard Amos
The Moscow Times @themoscowtimes.com · 28/05/2025
🎙️ Episode 2 of the Russia Underground podcast hears from some of the independent journalists still operating in Russia, evading wartime censorship and trying to avoid jail:
themoscowtimes.com
Journalism Against the Odds - The Moscow Times
Podcast | Russia Underground takes you on a journey to meet the Russians who continue to battle for free speech, artistic freedoms and basic human rights despite Putin’s brutal wartime crackdown.
0179
Reposted by Howard Amos
The Moscow Times @themoscowtimes.com · 22/05/2025
🎙️ Episode 1 of the Russia Underground podcast is an introduction to what it means to be "underground" in modern Russia, and the ways anti-war Russians can — and do — express their opposition. Listen here:
themoscowtimes.com
Life on the Margins - The Moscow Times
Podcast | Russia Underground takes you on a journey to meet the Russians who continue to battle for free speech, artistic freedoms and basic human rights despite Putin’s brutal wartime crackdown.
0163
Reposted by Howard Amos
Bloomsbury Continuum @bloomscontinuum.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
'A remarkable book about a beautiful island.' Happy publication day to the gorgeous paperback edition of Cypria by @christofi.bsky.social! This evocative, lyrical book tells the history of Cyprus from the era of gods and goddesses to the present day.
055
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
I've got two events about 'Russia Starts Here' coming up in London: Wednesday 14th May at Kings for the Great Britain-Russia Society (www.gbrussia.org/russia-start...) and Thursday 5th June at Pushkin House (www.pushkinhouse.org/whats-on/eve...). Both are in person & online. Please join!
gbrussia.org
Russia Starts Here: Real Lives in the Ruins of Empire - Howard Amos
010
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
"A wistful account of the country’s years of dimming hope and gathering darkness"... Surreal to see a review of 'Russia Starts Here' in the TLS alongside reviews of books by authors (Shelia Fitzpatrick & @philippesands.bsky.social) I've admired for many years: www.the-tls.co.uk/history/twen...
the-tls.co.uk
Russia’s forgotten corner
As a university student in 2007, Howard Amos volunteered in a summer camp at an orphanage for children with mental and physical disabilities near the city of Pskov, in the northwest corner of Russia. ...
010
Reposted by Howard Amos
Shaun Walker @shaunwalker7.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Yesterday we published our investigation into torture & death of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna. Now, what I & several Guardian colleagues have been working on for past few months: inside one of Russia's worst torture prisons for Ukrainians www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
theguardian.com
Inside Taganrog: beatings, electrocution and starvation at prison where Ukrainians were tortured
Russia is holding an estimated 16,000 civilians in arbitrary detention at 180 separate facilities. Taganrog was the most notorious.
5211163
Reposted by Howard Amos
The Moscow Times @themoscowtimes.com · 22/04/2025
Born and trained in Tbilisi, Tsereteli rose to prominence in the 1960s, designing resort complexes in Soviet Georgia.
themoscowtimes.com
Zurab Tsereteli, Sculptor of Grand Monuments and Putin Admirer, Dies at 91 - The Moscow Times
Georgian-Russian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, known for his towering and often controversial public monuments, has died at age 91, Russian state media reported Tuesday.
572
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
Very honoured to be shortlisted for the Pushkin House Book Prize for 'Russia Starts Here'! Along with other amazing authors @lucyaash.bsky.social, @radchenko.bsky.social, @benjaminnathans.bsky.social, Donald Rayfield and even Alexei Navalny: www.pushkinhouse.org/projects/boo...
1142
Reposted by Howard Amos
Shaun Walker @shaunwalker7.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
Ahead of my book on the history of Russia's Illegals programme coming out next week, here's a taste in Guardian Longread form. ‘I am not who you think I am’: how a deep-cover KGB spy recruited his own son www.theguardian.com/news/2025/ap...
theguardian.com
‘I am not who you think I am’: how a deep-cover KGB spy recruited his own son
The long read: For the first time, the man the KGB codenamed ‘the Inheritor’ tells his story
06120
Reposted by Howard Amos
Andrew Mueller @andrewmueller.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Latest Daily on Monocle Radio. @terrystiastny.bsky.social and Andrew Thompson on the day's stuff, plus @howardamos.bsky.social on his fine new book "Russia Starts Here". monocle.com/radio/shows/...
monocle.com
Global markets tumble and is Doge coming to the UK?
Guests Terry Stiastny and Andrew Thompson get the view from Wall Street as global markets plummet following Donald Trump’s tariffs and the UK debates shutting…
062
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Anti-drone netting draped over apartment blocks in the Russian town of Shebekino on the Ukrainian border: t.me/lookatme1313...
000
Howard Amos @howardamos.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
You can now listen to my @theguardian.com long read extract from 'Russia Starts Here' in podcast form, read by Harry Lloyd: www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2...
theguardian.com
Holidays in hell: summer camp with Russia’s forgotten children – podcast
At the rural orphanage where I volunteered, the place resembled a Dickensian workhouse. The staff’s main tools were antipsychotics and violence. The experience gave me a window into Putin’s RussiaBy H...
030