In the early 2000s, Peter Pomerantsev (the son of Russian political exiles) came to Moscow to work in the fast-growing television industry. He was perfectly placed to witness the transformation of the New Russia on its journey from communist collapse to a new form of dictatorship.

"Black is white and white is black." Like the subject of an absurdist short story by Gogol, businesswoman Yana Yakovleva finds herself accused of drug trafficking and is falsely imprisoned: an innocent victim of political wrangling near the top of the Kremlin.


Written by Peter Pomerantsev

Read by Justin Salinger

Abridged by Robin Brooks

Produced by Kirsteen Cameron

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2015. Show less