'TEN NINE EIGHT SEVEN . . .' On April 12 1961 the Soviet Union begins its countdown. From
the steppes of Kazakhstan the first human - Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin - launches into
space. In that moment another countdown begins. How could it be that a single generation -
just three decades - would separate the USSR's crowning achievement from the collapse of the
Soviet empire? More than a history lesson The Dark Side of the Earth is a testament to the
enduring fight for truth and freedom. In pursuit of the real story renowned Kremlin opponent
Mikhail Zygar ('one of Russia's smartest and best-sourced young journalists' - New York Times )
gathered witness statements of jaw-dropping candour from hundreds of key players: the last
first secretaries and first presidents of the post-Soviet republics the leaders of
independence movements Western politicians and diplomats and Mikhail Gorbachev himself not
to mention dozens of scientists authors film directors aspiring rockstars and ordinary men
and women who for a time became the accidental protagonists of history. The end of the USSR
set the stage for today's vengeful return. But as Gagarin looked down from the stars at his
home world was Russia's fate already written?
