Going to Zossen, or the Capitulation of Vasily Mikhailovich

by A.V. Pankov

'A timely revelation.' BookLife
'Gripping.' Kirkus Reviews
'Will embrace even readers who held little prior familiarity with and interest in Soviet affairs.' Midwest Book Reviews

The year is 1993. In a collapsing post-Soviet town, a former serviceman, Vasily Mikhailovich, accepts work as the director of a remote juvenile prison colony. Determined to bring order and empathy to a brutal system, he starts a programme of rehabilitation for the young boys. But he is soon thwarted by the corruption around him. As he watches the people nearby prosper through deceit and cruelty, he is forced to make a choice: to uphold his principles and risk everything, or surrender them to protect his family.

Based on real accounts of educational colonies during the Russian free-market transition, Going to Zossen is an exploration of the bargains ordinary people make under oppressive systems – a necessary read in today’s political climate. Ideal for fans of Claire Keegan's Small Things Like These and Colson Whitehead's The Nickel Boys.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

220 pages, Paperback

Published February 3, 2026

About the author

A.V. Pankov was born in Omsk, Russia. Experiences of growing up in post-Soviet Russia before emigrating to Europe, at the age of nine, have provided inspiration for his work. He has reported for a number of news titles such as The Irish Times and The Sun, and his literary work has appeared in Mulberry Literary, The Taborian and Blue Earth Review, among others. He currently lives in Dublin.

Reviews

[Cristín Blennerhassett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written exploration of corrupted youth and persevering humanity in the face of adversity in post-Soviet Russia. This is my favourite kind of book - a perfect meld of well researched historical fiction and gripping, heart felt literary fiction. I was lucky to get an ARC ahead of publication and I couldn’t put this one down!

[Aoife Cassidy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The year is 1993 in this novel, but the unrelenting bleakness of the setting is more reminiscent of the early 20th century or even late 19th Century, and so it’s only when there are jarring modern references (for example, to Bill Clinton) that the reader is reminded this is set in a modern, post-Soviet era.

I was drawn to requesting this novel on NetGalley primarily because I’ve read few books set in this time in Russia, in the immediate collapse of the Soviet Union, and having read its promising Kirkus review.

Our protagonist Vasily is given a choice by his superiors between unemployment or moving thousands of miles across country to run a juvenile penitentiary, and so he chooses the latter. While there he becomes increasingly concerned for the wellbeing of the young boys in his care, in particular one young boy, who is referred to as Kinder by his peers for his German heritage.

With diminishing resources (actually zero resources), and a staff whose salaries are not forthcoming from a broke and chaotic State, Vasily resorts to desperate means in his private life to stay afloat.

Pankov (who interestingly grew up in Ireland to Russian parents and is a freelance writer) has created a dark and atmospheric novel that spotlights a relatively unknown and unwritten about period in Soviet history (at least to this reader of fiction).

There’s an undertone of menace and desperation to the story, and there’s a strange structure to it with alternating chapters written from the perspective of one of Kinder’s peers, that made it a little foggy and obtuse at times, but it’s well executed overall and quite cinematic with its quietly dramatic ending. 3/5 ⭐️

*Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Going to Zossen is published this month (February 2026).

[Laura Lambe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put this book down - a beautifully written work of historical fiction with strong characters and a fascinating look at life in post-Soviet Russia.

[Rachel Shaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

My full review:

https://www.creationmag.org/blog-3-1/...

[Natalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to come.