' Extraordinary.' Philippe Sands ' We are touched by the courage and dignity of
Andrew Harding' s characters - qualities that the author must surely possess in equal
measure.' - Andrey Kurkov ' A story of extraordinary heroism by ordinary people. -
James Meek ' This gripping account is the Russian invasion of Ukraine in microcosm.'
- Lindsey Hilsum 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
destination: 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
