Nov 20- Luke Harding- Invasion

The Long Read as published in The Guardian Nov 18, 2022

Who is Luke Harding…

Luke Harding has been The Guardian's foreign correspondent since September 2003, and was in Moscow until he was expelled in 2011. Among his re-known books:

• The Liar: Fall of Jonathan Aitken, Penguin Books (1997), co-written with David Leigh and David Pallister.

• WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy, Guardian Books (1 February 2011), ISBN 978-0-85265-239-8, co-written with David Leigh.

• Mafia State: How One Reporter Became An Enemy Of The Brutal New Russiaa, Random House (NY, 22 September 2011), ISBN 978-0-85265-247-3.

• The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World's Most Wanted Man, Vintage Books (NY, 7 February 2014), ISBN 978-0804173520.

• A Very Expensive Poison: the Definitive Story of the Murder of Litvinenko (March 2016) Guardian Faber, ISBN 978-1783350933.

• Collusion: Secret Meetings, Dirty Money, and How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win. Vintage. 2017. ISBN 978-0525562511.

• Shadow State: Murder, Mayhem and Russia's Remaking of the West. Guardian Faber. 2020. ISBN 978-1783352050.

His book Invasion was published by Guardian Faber in November 2022.

Invasion is Luke Harding's compelling chronicle of the war that changed everything. For this breathtaking work of reportage he spent months reporting on the ground during the build up to the conflict and afterward; his book tells of the initial days of shock and panic, the grim reality of this ongoing war, and the unheard human stories behind the headlines. Invasion also offers insightful portraits of the the war's two great personalities. One, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is an actor-turned-president who rallied support on a global stage. The other, Vladimir Putin, is a dictator who dwells in a strange and unreachable realm. Harding examines the ideological, religious and personal reasons behind Putin's decision to invade. And he confronts a crucial question: which side will prevail in this terrible war?

With the ripple effects of the largest armed conflict in Europe since 1945 already being felt beyond Ukraine and Russia's borders, it is more vital than ever to understand how the situation on the front line will have profound effects for us all. Written in Luke Harding's starkly transfixing style, Invasion makes for essential reading.