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A Small, Stubborn Town: Life, death and defiance in Ukraine
The Russians are invading. But the locals have a plan.
It's March 2022 and Russian tanks are roaring across the vast, snow-dusted fields of Ukraine. Their Voznesensk, a town with a small bridge that could change the course of the war.
The heavily-armed Russians are expecting an easy fight - or no fight at all. After all, Voznesensk is a quiet farming town, full of pensioners. But the locals appear to have other ideas.
Svetlana, a grandmother with arthritis, reacts in fury when Russian troops turn her cottage into their blood-soaked headquarters. Valentin, a quick-talking lawyer, joins the town's 'Dads Army' defenders, crouching in a trench with an AK47. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Sergei grabs a Molotov cocktail and lies in wait for Russian tanks as they push towards Dead Water Bridge.
The odds are terrible. But a plan is emerging, and there's a chance it could save not just Voznesensk, but the rest of southern Ukraine. Meanwhile, inside the tanks, an inner battle rages. As Russian officer Igor Rudenko prepares to invade, he has a secret. He is Ukrainian himself.
A gripping work of reportage that tells the story of a pivotal moment in Ukraine's war, this is a real-life thriller about ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances with resilience, humour and ingenuity.
'[Andrew Harding is] one of our most gifted and sensitive journalists' - Jon Snow
It's March 2022 and Russian tanks are roaring across the vast, snow-dusted fields of Ukraine. Their Voznesensk, a town with a small bridge that could change the course of the war.
The heavily-armed Russians are expecting an easy fight - or no fight at all. After all, Voznesensk is a quiet farming town, full of pensioners. But the locals appear to have other ideas.
Svetlana, a grandmother with arthritis, reacts in fury when Russian troops turn her cottage into their blood-soaked headquarters. Valentin, a quick-talking lawyer, joins the town's 'Dads Army' defenders, crouching in a trench with an AK47. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Sergei grabs a Molotov cocktail and lies in wait for Russian tanks as they push towards Dead Water Bridge.
The odds are terrible. But a plan is emerging, and there's a chance it could save not just Voznesensk, but the rest of southern Ukraine. Meanwhile, inside the tanks, an inner battle rages. As Russian officer Igor Rudenko prepares to invade, he has a secret. He is Ukrainian himself.
A gripping work of reportage that tells the story of a pivotal moment in Ukraine's war, this is a real-life thriller about ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances with resilience, humour and ingenuity.
'[Andrew Harding is] one of our most gifted and sensitive journalists' - Jon Snow
140 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 6, 2023
18 people are currently reading
385 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Harding
3 books43 followersI'm the BBC's Africa Correspondent, based in Johannesburg. I'm the author of "These Are Not Gentle People," a true-crime novel set in South Africa and published in South Africa, the UK and the Netherlands. The book has been turned into a BBC Radio 4 series and podcast, "Blood Lands." Alexander McCall Smith described the book as "a masterpiece." Philippe Sands called it "utterly gripping, timely and shocking. "This is In Cold Blood meets Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil. Believe me, Andrew Harding has given us an instant classic," said Justice Malala.
I also wrote the internationally acclaimed non-fiction book, "The Mayor of Mogadishu" - the tale of a nomad, turned street brawler, turned refugee who left his family in London to return to take charge of the war-ravaged ruins of Somalia's capital. It was praised by the New York Times, The Economist, The Washington Post and chosen as one of NPR's books of 2016.
I also wrote the internationally acclaimed non-fiction book, "The Mayor of Mogadishu" - the tale of a nomad, turned street brawler, turned refugee who left his family in London to return to take charge of the war-ravaged ruins of Somalia's capital. It was praised by the New York Times, The Economist, The Washington Post and chosen as one of NPR's books of 2016.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
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January 9, 2024Part of me is like, why isn't everybody singing this book praises, it's such a lovely little book. Another part of me is like, self, you loved this book but failed to write a review, so you are part of the problem. Anyway, if you are a fan of underdog narratives and want a portrait of a small provincial town in the south of Ukraine taking a valiant, against-all-odds stand against the Russian army in the early days of the full-scale invasion, this is the book for you.
A bunch of pot-bellied, tracksuit-wearing, down-on-their-luck guys, aka territorial defense volunteers in the full-scale war, stand over a makeshift trench at the outskirts of their tiny town.
If their town falls, so might the whole south of Ukraine. No pressure or anything.
If the advancing Russian army crosses the bridge in their town fast, it might then cut off the main route from Kyiv to Odesa, which Won't Be Good (an understatement). The book is not about the grand movements of land armies or war strategies though.
It's a very gentle frog's-eye view of a total war, with loving portraits of the people who are overlooked at the best of times: people who had fallen through the cracks of history and welfare networks, living with passports of a country that collapsed more than 30 years ago.
People living hand-to-mouth on scraps. Colorful lawyers who fail their state certification tests intended to weed out corruption. People like that, not stereotypical heroes, not the stuff of legends. The dignity of very ordinary people looking around, shrugging, saying essentially "well, I guess that'll have to be me" and making a stand. People rising to the occasion.
But also, people sinking low, pulled into the grey zone of the past Soviet and current Russian occupation. The book does interesting things with highlighting the muddle of legacies and loyalties, such as Ukrainian citizens in Crimea who opted to switch to the Russian side after the annexation & ended up being sent to kill their compatriots. Mixed families being torn apart because the Russian part of the family buys up the genocidal Russian propaganda wholesale. Stuff like that.
But at the core of it, it's a very gentle and kind book in a panorama of events that are decidedly short on gentleness and kindness, and you got to appreciate that. I sure do.
A bunch of pot-bellied, tracksuit-wearing, down-on-their-luck guys, aka territorial defense volunteers in the full-scale war, stand over a makeshift trench at the outskirts of their tiny town.
If their town falls, so might the whole south of Ukraine. No pressure or anything.
If the advancing Russian army crosses the bridge in their town fast, it might then cut off the main route from Kyiv to Odesa, which Won't Be Good (an understatement). The book is not about the grand movements of land armies or war strategies though.
It's a very gentle frog's-eye view of a total war, with loving portraits of the people who are overlooked at the best of times: people who had fallen through the cracks of history and welfare networks, living with passports of a country that collapsed more than 30 years ago.
People living hand-to-mouth on scraps. Colorful lawyers who fail their state certification tests intended to weed out corruption. People like that, not stereotypical heroes, not the stuff of legends. The dignity of very ordinary people looking around, shrugging, saying essentially "well, I guess that'll have to be me" and making a stand. People rising to the occasion.
But also, people sinking low, pulled into the grey zone of the past Soviet and current Russian occupation. The book does interesting things with highlighting the muddle of legacies and loyalties, such as Ukrainian citizens in Crimea who opted to switch to the Russian side after the annexation & ended up being sent to kill their compatriots. Mixed families being torn apart because the Russian part of the family buys up the genocidal Russian propaganda wholesale. Stuff like that.
But at the core of it, it's a very gentle and kind book in a panorama of events that are decidedly short on gentleness and kindness, and you got to appreciate that. I sure do.
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April 24, 2024This tiny book was a nice surprise. This not a book about Ukrainian history, or complex international context of the war, it’s just a snippet about a big event (Battles of Voznesensk) right at the beginning that was critical for the defense of the whole south of Ukraine. It tells the story of a small, stubborn town, an underdog, who prevailed against all odds; it's about poor working-class people without complex ideologies, who never had to grapple with their identity until others invaded them with guns and tanks, forcing them to pick a side and protect their home.
This is a nonfiction that reads like an action movie. The war is not over, yet I hope this battle proves to be as paramount as it feels now. I am glad these people have their story told for the ages.
This is a nonfiction that reads like an action movie. The war is not over, yet I hope this battle proves to be as paramount as it feels now. I am glad these people have their story told for the ages.
Read
April 10, 2025British journalist Andrew Harding tells the story of the February 2022 Battle of Voznesensk in this short but gripping book. As the Russian army roared into Ukraine, the small, unremarkable town of Voznesensk found itself guarding a key bridge on the road to the great Black Sea port of Odesa and facing the overwhelming might of what was reputed to be the second most powerful army in the world. And they couldn't get either Kyiv or the army on the phone.
It honestly boggles the mind to imagine facing such a situation, still less the decision to stay and defend in the face of such an onslaught. Yet that is precisely what many of the lawyers, farmers, students, garbage men, and undocumented Russian immigrants of Voznesensk choose to do. Harding writes the story like a thriller novel, painstakingly reconstructing events from interviews, footage, stories, and occasionally his own guesses.
At just under 3.5 hours in audiobook format, I'm not just recommending this as a gripping true story of human resilience in the face of unimaginable odds, but also as a nifty study on how terrain affects warfare for people who want to write fantasy battles. Anyway.
It honestly boggles the mind to imagine facing such a situation, still less the decision to stay and defend in the face of such an onslaught. Yet that is precisely what many of the lawyers, farmers, students, garbage men, and undocumented Russian immigrants of Voznesensk choose to do. Harding writes the story like a thriller novel, painstakingly reconstructing events from interviews, footage, stories, and occasionally his own guesses.
At just under 3.5 hours in audiobook format, I'm not just recommending this as a gripping true story of human resilience in the face of unimaginable odds, but also as a nifty study on how terrain affects warfare for people who want to write fantasy battles. Anyway.
June 30, 2023
What an amazing book. I was lucky to receive an early copy of this book. Fascinating, heart breaking and heroic. It really reads like a fictional account - it isn’t - and very much in the style of Kurkov. I have no doubt that this will be a widely read and important book for many years to come. I loved it.
December 24, 2025
This is a great little book following the battle of Voznesensk, one week after Russia's full-scale invasion. Voznesensk is a small town north of Mykolaiv near the end of the Southern Buh river. It is a strategically important town because of its location; Voznesensk is necessary to form a direct route across Southern Ukraine, and its capture must precede a siege of Odesa. It is also the key to occupying Ukraine's second-largest nuclear power plant.
At times, it feels like a play, with the cast of characters listed at the beginning of the book. The people it follows range from the battle-hardened commander of a Ukrainian brigade to a local drunkard who went to fight while drunk. Some characters picked up a gun without experience and went to defend their town. Some were captured and imprisoned in a cellar. Some characters die as soon as they are introduced, showing the tragedy and reality of this war. All were regular people in a regular town thrown into extraordinary circumstances.
Two characters were particularly interesting for the narrative. Svetlana, an old pensioner, is an ethnic Russian woman and a Russian citizen who moved to Voznesensk after the fall of the Soviet Union and defiantly stood up to the occupying forces. The author also follows the story of Igor Rudenko, an ethnic Ukrainian and Ukrainian citizen who joined the Russian military as an officer when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. He was one of the first to be sent into Southern Ukraine, only to be ambushed and captured. These two characters blur the lines of this simply being an ethnic conflict, and the author uses them as foils to paint how this is also a war for truth and values.
The book follows the entirety of the battle, from invasion to Russian retreat. The narrative style of the book makes it really quick and enjoyable to read. With the war being so massive, it is easy to forget these smaller snippets into the lives of regular people who have much to teach us on what to do when thrown into strange circumstances.
At times, it feels like a play, with the cast of characters listed at the beginning of the book. The people it follows range from the battle-hardened commander of a Ukrainian brigade to a local drunkard who went to fight while drunk. Some characters picked up a gun without experience and went to defend their town. Some were captured and imprisoned in a cellar. Some characters die as soon as they are introduced, showing the tragedy and reality of this war. All were regular people in a regular town thrown into extraordinary circumstances.
Two characters were particularly interesting for the narrative. Svetlana, an old pensioner, is an ethnic Russian woman and a Russian citizen who moved to Voznesensk after the fall of the Soviet Union and defiantly stood up to the occupying forces. The author also follows the story of Igor Rudenko, an ethnic Ukrainian and Ukrainian citizen who joined the Russian military as an officer when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. He was one of the first to be sent into Southern Ukraine, only to be ambushed and captured. These two characters blur the lines of this simply being an ethnic conflict, and the author uses them as foils to paint how this is also a war for truth and values.
The book follows the entirety of the battle, from invasion to Russian retreat. The narrative style of the book makes it really quick and enjoyable to read. With the war being so massive, it is easy to forget these smaller snippets into the lives of regular people who have much to teach us on what to do when thrown into strange circumstances.
October 22, 2024
I listened to this on Audible. I first heard of this book on the Ukraine The Latest podcast. I am glad I took the time to listen to it. It was written by a BBC journalist who was covering the front line of the war in Ukraine in those early months of 2022. It centres on the town of Voznesensk in Southern Ukraine. The town was caught up in the early days of the Russian invasion. The Russians thought the Ukrainians would be jubilant at being liberated. The Ukrainians were taken by surprise by the invasion. The Russians living in Ukraine were conflicted, some having compassion for the Russians and some making firm decisions to outright oppose them. But the lovely thing about this book is that it takes the time to get to know people, who they are, how they got to be there and how they felt about the situation.
Svetlana is one of the main characters. A Russian who moved to Ukraine as a child. She still has family in Russia. She is horrified by the invasion and sickened by what she sees. Much of the story is told through her eyes. But there are other characters, like the town's mayor, Svetlana's son, members of the home guard, Ukrainian soldiers, even Russian soldiers to a certain extent. But this book shows the horrors of war and how it affects civilians. We like to think of war as affecting other people, but you can imagine what it would be like to hit your home town by reading this book. You do feel for the Russians a bit because they were lied to. But the real compassion is for the civilians who are caught up in a war not of their choosing. The heart wrenching scene is when a mother is told where to find the body of her son and she is forced to collect the pieces one by one. I wish all leaders would remember this passage the next time they plan for war.
Svetlana is one of the main characters. A Russian who moved to Ukraine as a child. She still has family in Russia. She is horrified by the invasion and sickened by what she sees. Much of the story is told through her eyes. But there are other characters, like the town's mayor, Svetlana's son, members of the home guard, Ukrainian soldiers, even Russian soldiers to a certain extent. But this book shows the horrors of war and how it affects civilians. We like to think of war as affecting other people, but you can imagine what it would be like to hit your home town by reading this book. You do feel for the Russians a bit because they were lied to. But the real compassion is for the civilians who are caught up in a war not of their choosing. The heart wrenching scene is when a mother is told where to find the body of her son and she is forced to collect the pieces one by one. I wish all leaders would remember this passage the next time they plan for war.
February 19, 2025
A transportive and compelling account of Voznesensk’s remarkable resistance to the Russian invasion in 2022. A beautiful story, if sadly so given the news at the moment.
October 5, 2023
A brilliant piece of reportage, moving and fascinating in equal part.
July 27, 2024
Badasses.
If you want to see Svetlana and others: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHpX6...
If you want to see Svetlana and others: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHpX6...
October 15, 2025
A short, snappy, and exciting look into a little Ukranian town at the beginning of the war. With short chapters that zip between various characters and perspectives; like Svetlana, the stubborn old lady refusing to bend in front of young Russian soldiers, Ghost, the reconnaissance expert and soldier who stalks the enemies from the shadows, and Igor, a young Ukranian soldier from Crimea who joined the Russian army after Crimea was taken over.
Following the story of this town as they mount a defence against the invaders is filled with fascinating strategic decisions. Moreover, this book gives a captivating insight into the Russian perspective and how the invasion was viewed as a liberation campaign. Harding keeps this book short but sweet, its an excellent weekend read.
Following the story of this town as they mount a defence against the invaders is filled with fascinating strategic decisions. Moreover, this book gives a captivating insight into the Russian perspective and how the invasion was viewed as a liberation campaign. Harding keeps this book short but sweet, its an excellent weekend read.
December 6, 2023
Reporter Andrew Harding tells the story of the small Ukrainian town Voznesensk during the initial stages of the Russian invasion in March 2022. Looking at different perspectives, we see how grandmas, young alcoholics, Russian soldiers, and Ukrainian defenders all respond.
At its heart, this is a story about power, information and misinformation. How do the "little people" make sense of what's happening when their leaders feed them a very different narrative to their experiences on the ground. This short book gives helpful insights to a war that can feel a little abstract for those of us on the other side of the globe!
At its heart, this is a story about power, information and misinformation. How do the "little people" make sense of what's happening when their leaders feed them a very different narrative to their experiences on the ground. This short book gives helpful insights to a war that can feel a little abstract for those of us on the other side of the globe!
December 9, 2024
A really well written book about an unlikely bastion of a town responsible for keeping encroaching forces from advancing further west in southern Ukraine, shortly after the Russian invasion.
Harding puts the people at the heart of this book, as a good historian should, humanising what often becomes fatality statistics or meaningless coordinates, attaching the reader to Voznesensk’s community and its colourful array of characters.
Harding puts the people at the heart of this book, as a good historian should, humanising what often becomes fatality statistics or meaningless coordinates, attaching the reader to Voznesensk’s community and its colourful array of characters.
October 25, 2024
Listened on audio, great narrator who kept me engaged and breathed life into the stories of the Ukrainian citizens intervirwed. A quick listen well worth the while.
October 21, 2024
A bitesize story of a small town whose resilience potentially stifled a large amount of the Russian offensive. Very inspiring.
July 31, 2024
Thoroughly absorbing from start to finish (took me just 3 day!), with just enough of the characters' complex backgrounds, motives and actions to give you a sense of them without blocking the action. And there is plenty of action.
Additional information for after your read (spoiler alert)
Voznesensk Mayor Yevhenii Velychko was injured in a Russian attack earlier this month (July 2024).
Harding's original report and video is at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe...
There is an excellent BBC 45min dramatisation at this link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001...
Additional information for after your read (spoiler alert)
Voznesensk Mayor Yevhenii Velychko was injured in a Russian attack earlier this month (July 2024).
Harding's original report and video is at:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe...
There is an excellent BBC 45min dramatisation at this link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 2, 2023
Heartbreaking account of war. Not my preferred style of writing.
March 6, 2024
A short but moving account of the resistance of the people of Voznesensk to Putin’s unthinkable invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The town occupies a key strategic location on two rivers between Crimea and Kyiv, and its residents knew that. Ordinary people fought alongside the Ukrainian army’s 180th brigade to stop Russia’s drive to the center of the country and they successfully held the Russians off. Harding’s account, pieced together later through interviews with the town’s defenders, recreates the disorientation of defending against Russian combatants brainwashed to believe they are rescuing the Ukrainian people from the “nazis” who govern them. He manages to condense decades of Russian and Ukrainian history into a manageable narrative that becomes a microcosm of defiance in a war that threatens to drag on, despite the heroism of the Ukrainian people. Even as they resist, they are also “becoming haunted by the notion that this conflict may never end, and by the fear that Russia’s capacity to absorb suffering and its unflinching willingness to continue inflicting it, will eventually enable [Russia] to grind out some kind of victory” (134).
May 9, 2025
A brilliant little book which shows how a town stood up to a formidable enemy and pushed them back. A David and Goliath story. The Ukrainians described in this book could have left or let the Russians take over - they did neither. Along with units from the Ukrainian army they pushed back a larger force of Russians. The book also highlights the issues associated with the remnants of the soviet era and the interlinked nature of Russia and Ukraine, sometimes with close family members on both sides of the conflict. Really useful short book, beautifully written about the Russian Ukrainian conflict.
October 14, 2025
This book provides a very real glimpse into the ordinary person's experience in Ukraine of the invasion by Russia. Written through the eyes of several townsfolk of Voznesensk, the author writes simply and realistically of their experiences and captures well the momentum of events. The response of ordinary folk in protecting their homes is moving. I think what is so powerful about this book is it encourages empathy. You think that could be me in my town- what would I do? It is a sad and inspiring read that is also gripping. Though the topic is distressing, it is a beautifully written book.
January 26, 2024
A short but brilliant book, Harding tells the story of Voznesensk, the small, southern Ukrainian farm that fought off the Russian Army's invasion in March 2022, facing down unbelievable odds, and winning. This is an improbable but true story of incredible courage, heartbreaking loss (Voznesensk's defence wasn't a bloodless one) and sheer bloody-mindedness. Harding's reporting is stirring, sensitive and compulsively fascinating. It's only late January but I might have already read my book of the year.
August 28, 2024
An excellent short read about the early days of Russia's renewed invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. At a local level, it tells the story of the attempts of Voznesensk's inhabitants to halt the Russian army from crossing their small town's strategic bridge. Had they failed, Russia could have broken out further into Ukraine's southwest, possibly even reaching Odessa. A great story of ordinary people caught up in something they had no desire to be caught up in but nevertheless standing tall when it mattered.
September 21, 2024
I can’t possibly improve on the reviews cited in the front of the paperback edition.
Here is British-American foreign affairs advisor and author- Fiona Hill’s. “Fascinating, vivid, often harrowing, and deeply moving. A must-read for anyone trying to grasp both the human dimension and larger dynamics of this brutal contemporary war.”
Like so many in the Uk I have come to know, respect and love a Ukrainian family who have sort refuge here. Andrew Harding’s meticulous journalism makes for a compelling read and deepens understanding.
Here is British-American foreign affairs advisor and author- Fiona Hill’s. “Fascinating, vivid, often harrowing, and deeply moving. A must-read for anyone trying to grasp both the human dimension and larger dynamics of this brutal contemporary war.”
Like so many in the Uk I have come to know, respect and love a Ukrainian family who have sort refuge here. Andrew Harding’s meticulous journalism makes for a compelling read and deepens understanding.
September 30, 2024
Andrew Harding was reporting for the BBC from Ukraine in the early days of the Russian invasion. Over six months he details the stubborn and forceful defence of the town of Voznesensk (to the north of Odesa) by its charismatic mayor, its volunteer army and its everyday citizens, as Russian forces swarm into the country from all directions.
Written in clear and effective prose that has the flavour and immediacy of a fictional narrative, this is a well told snapshot of the chaos and the bravery that could be found in Ukraine in the aftermath of February 2022.
Written in clear and effective prose that has the flavour and immediacy of a fictional narrative, this is a well told snapshot of the chaos and the bravery that could be found in Ukraine in the aftermath of February 2022.
October 29, 2024
Great small report about a small battle in a small town. Regular people who do mistakes which cost them their lives.
This book can not be read on its own, you need much more context to understand what was happening and why people did what they were doing. This book would be a great start for series about war-torn towns with stories from battlefront towns, occupied and deoccupied towns.
This book can not be read on its own, you need much more context to understand what was happening and why people did what they were doing. This book would be a great start for series about war-torn towns with stories from battlefront towns, occupied and deoccupied towns.
December 21, 2023
A brilliant insight into the early days of the war in Ukraine through the story of one incredible town. Very sad and terrifying at times - it doesn't hold too many punches when it comes to the realities of war. However, it is also very uplifting and shows what a strong country Ukraine is. One day soon when the war is over, I look forward to watching the movie based on the events depicted in this book!
April 13, 2024
This book is so unique, it’s an incredible overview of the Voznesensk battle in the early days of the Russian war on Ukraine. Mixing both personal and domestic stories with the military offensive, this is a truly incredible read.
Freedom to Ukraine!
Freedom to Ukraine!
August 19, 2024
A first hand telling of the initial invasion by Russia in 2022 into a small town in Ukraine. It follows several residents and how they were involved and affected.
This book also gives historical indicators to how difficult it is to separate allegiances when families are of mixed racial generations.
This book also gives historical indicators to how difficult it is to separate allegiances when families are of mixed racial generations.
March 5, 2025
I thought this was a great little portrayal of the actual battle for the survival of the little town of Voznesensk one of the first villages invaded by Russia in 2022. It’s not a long story and worth a read.
September 21, 2025
Good read
A quick read but brilliant book. It reads like fiction but it’s a war journalist’s work at its peak. It’s a tale of how a small town resists and beats the Russian advance. Contemporary and historic.
A quick read but brilliant book. It reads like fiction but it’s a war journalist’s work at its peak. It’s a tale of how a small town resists and beats the Russian advance. Contemporary and historic.
August 27, 2023
Excellent.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews