Same River, Twice: Putin's War on Women

Blending the call to action of We Should All Be Feminists with the journalistic rigor of Masha Gessen, “an exquisite feminist critique of Russia’s oppressive tactics" (Kirkus Reviews) revealing how modern Russia’s history of weaponizing sexual violence plays a crucial role in its current geopolitical strategy

“It’s one of those books that can truly change a reader's life. . . . A powerful, unforgettable read.” —Andrey Kurkov, award-winning author of Grey Bees and The Silver Bone

“Thoughtful, instructive and deeply harrowing.” —Luke Harding, The Guardian

On March 22, 2023, the Swedish Academy organized a conference on threats to democracy and freedom of expression featuring a slate of distinguished speakers including Arundhati Roy, Timothy Snyder, and Sofi Oksanen. Oksanen’s address—entitled “Putin's War on Women”— would go on to spark such interest that the acclaimed Finnish writer felt compelled to return to it as the basis for a larger, more in-depth look at Putin’s threat to women. The result is Same River, Twice, a devastating book-length essay that incisively builds on the themes and arguments first presented in her powerful speech.

During the Soviet occupation of Estonia, Oksanen's great-aunt was arrested and brutally interrogated overnight. Left permanently traumatized by the experience, she would never speak again. Using her family story as a starting point, Oksanen launches an investigation into the systematic crimes that the Russian government has, for nearly a century, committed with impunity. From the Russian military's entry into Berlin in 1945 to its modern invasion of Ukraine, Russia has continually employed violence against women when combatting its enemies. Life for women in Putin's Russia is little better; gender equality is in decline, women are silenced by the legal system, and rape is used to humiliate victims, especially women in media.

Through Oksanen's sober analysis a disturbing picture emerges: under Putin, misogyny has become foundational to the state’s power. It underpins the current regime, serves as a means of weaving international alliances, and forms an essential part of Russia’s ongoing genocide in Ukraine, in turn posing a threat to the rights of women and minorities worldwide. As threats to democracy grow stronger across the globe, the powerful and timely Same River, Twice is a warning that cannot not be ignored.

Translated from the Finnish by Owen F. Witesman