Gulnaz Sharafutdinova's new book focuses on a first order question for any reader who wants to understand Russia or, more generally, modern autocracies: why Putin's popularity was so high in 2014-2018 despite dismal economic performance? The Red Mirror traces the origins of Putin's narrative, explains its appeal to Russian public, and explores the nuts and bolts of the media machine Putin uses to deliver the narrative in the most effective way.
Gulnaz Sharafutdinova is Reader in Russian Politics at King's College London. She is the author of Political Consequences of Crony Capitalism Inside Russia (Notre Dame University Press) and co-editor of Soviet Society in the Era of Late Socialism, 1964-1985 (Lexington Press).