"From the death of Leonid Brezhnev in 1982 Russia lived through monumental changes: economic transformation, where Alfred Kokh was in charge of privatization and Igor Svinarenko covered the scandal as a journalist; Kokh went to Chechnya as a diplomat to negotiate peace while Svinarenko was there to cover the war, placing his life at risk; Kokh was hired to take over NTV television station owned by Gasprom Media, while Svinarenko obtained the Soros Foundation Award for Reporter of the Year. The authors topics include sex and Russia's faltering demographics, religion, marriage, crime, government, and politics - almost every subject that comes up among friends. They give an inside story of Russia, a backstage tour of oligarch turf battles - in politics and commerce - and a look into the hearts of two people who are passionate about their country and its future."--Global Books in Print.