In the alternative 2023 Russia is torn in parts by a civilian war. European countries try to cope with millions of refugees from the collapsed Russian state.

The protagonist of the fi rst part of the novel is Andrey Menyaev, once a bestselling writer with two film adaptations and a leader of Moscow’s state propaganda apparatus. Today, Menyaev is a refugee, seeking residency in Scandinavia. Ironically, this leading figure of Moscow’s media beau monde —

cynical and clever — now fully depends on those he has always despised and mocked: good-hearted idealists. He is introduced to an Icelandic activist, a liberal intellectual, and a member of a covert organization helping refugees with immigration procedures. Will Harpa, his “beautiful Icelander,” as Menyaev calls her, succeed in defending their marriage before the experienced migration officials?

The main character of the second part is Danya Svechin, a talented digital artist who created deepfakes under Menyaev’s supervision in Moscow. Fortunately, Svechin holds Estonian citizenship, and after the revolt in Moscow, he settles in a low-profile area in Estonia, far from the Russian refugee ghettos. There, alarming news reaches him: former colleagues from the Moscow propaganda factory

have been brutally murdered by a lone terrorist or a terrorist group. Svechin receives protection from the authorities in a new hideout under a false identity. His only connection to the past is Nika, a childhood friend and single mother who writes to him about life in the refugee ghettos. Nika tells Svechin about a group of illegal migrants resisting a local gang that terrorized her family, even though this might compromise their status in Estonia. The police detained the gangsters but deported the Russians back to their home country. Inspired by Nika’s story, Svechin creates a comic book that becomes an international sensation. Eventually, he decides to meet Nika in person — and falls victim to the mysterious terrorist avenger.

Mira Iskalieva, from the fi nal part of the novel, is one of the deported refugees and a heroine in Svechin’s comic book. Her story follows her deportation to Moscow, where she is forced into sex slavery by local gunmen. Mira manages to escape and, with a group of teenagers, makes another desperate attempt to cross the Russian border.

Darkly humorous and frighteningly true to life, Zarubin’s novel is more than a social satire or a warning. He deftly manipulates readers, translating the novel’s events into a mirror of current political and social realities. Zarubin shocks with his prophetic insights and paints a vivid, broad picture of Russian-European relations.