About the Book: The Dark Side of the Earth explores how the Soviet Union’s greatest triumph—sending Yuri Gagarin to space—occurred just decades before the USSR’s dramatic collapse. Drawing on exclusive, remarkably candid testimony from political leaders, independence activists, Western diplomats, cultural icons, scientists, and even Gorbachev himself, Mikhail Zygar uncovers the hidden forces that shaped the end of the Soviet empire. This powerful narrative connects past and present, revealing how the USSR’s downfall set the stage for modern Russia’s resurgence and ongoing struggle over truth and freedom.