Audiobooks by Serhii Plokhy

Killing the Pope: John Paul II and the Last Battle of the Cold War

"Brought to you by Penguin. On a warm, sunny afternoon in May 1981, more than 10,000 pilgrims from all over the world gather on St. Peter’s Square for the start of Pope John Paul’s general audience. Out of nowhere, a gunshot is heard. John Paul collapses. A gunman is apprehended. After the attempted assassination, John Paul II said that ‘one hand pulled the trigger, another guided the bullet’. But in this electrifying account of one of the most iconic events of the Cold War, historian Serhii Plokhy invites us to ask: what if there were far more than just two hands present that day? Drawing on new archival research, Plokhy accompanies the assassin as he travels across Europe in preparation for his strike, following the threads of the story into the corridors of the Kremlin and the Vatican, and through the inner circles of Turkish ultra-nationalists, KGB functionaries, Sicilian mafiosi and Catholic cardinals. Both riveting and illuminating, Killing the Pope goes right to the heart of the Cold War in its final decade – an era of extreme paranoia, in which our own age of disinformation was slowly being born – and sheds new light on one of its most troubling and enduring mysteries. © Serhii Plokhy 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026"

Serhii Plokhy (Author), TBD (Narrator)

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[Portuguese] - Chernobyl em guerra: A luta dos ucranianos para evitar um novo desastre nuclear

"Em Chernobyl em guerra: a luta dos ucranianos para evitar um novo desastre, o renomado historiador Serhii Plokhy revela uma nova face da tragédia que mudou para sempre a relação da humanidade com a energia e com o poder. Em fevereiro de 2022, quando as tropas russas invadiram a Ucrânia, o mundo voltou a ouvir o nome Chernobyl. O que parecia apenas uma lembrança distante do desastre de 1986 tornou-se novamente palco de tensão, medo e resistência. Durante mais de um mês, engenheiros e técnicos ucranianos foram mantidos como reféns dentro da usina, trabalhando sob extrema pressão para evitar uma nova explosão nuclear, enquanto o exército inimigo ocupava as instalações, e as linhas de comunicação eram cortadas. A partir de depoimentos diretos, documentos inéditos e análise minuciosa, Plokhy narra com precisão histórica e sensibilidade humana os 35 dias em que o destino da Europa voltou a depender da estabilidade de um reator. Entre o heroísmo silencioso e o risco absoluto, esta história mostra o que acontece quando a guerra invade o coração da tecnologia, e quando a verdade, a ciência e a coragem se tornam as únicas defesas possíveis. Com sua escrita envolvente e rigor intelectual, Serhii Plokhy constrói um relato poderoso sobre o impacto da guerra na era nuclear, convidando o leitor a refletir sobre as fragilidades do mundo moderno e sobre a coragem necessária para enfrentar o medo invisível. Mais do que um relato histórico, este livro é um testemunho de humanidade em tempos de colapso e um alerta urgente sobre o preço da irresponsabilidade e do silêncio."

Serhii Plokhy (Author), N.N. (digitally narrated) (Narrator)

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[Swedish] - Tjernobyl roulett: En krigsberättelse

"Den 24 februari 2022, när ett nytt arbetslag hade gått på sitt skift, besattes kärnkraftverket i Tjernobyl av en invaderande rysk trupp. Utan insikt om Rysslands storskaliga invasion av Ukraina och med endast en skakig telefonförbindelse till huvudkontoret var det förmannens sak att hantera situationen. Med moralisk styrka stod han upp mot det ryska befälet och under en utdragen månad skyddade den ukrainska personalen kärnkraftverket mot de okunniga trupper som befann sig på platsen. Endast deras engagemang och beslutsamhet besparade världen en ny Tjernobylolycka. Tjernobyl roulett bygger på de intervjuer som gjordes med medlemmar i arbetslaget när Tjernobylverket väl befriats, liksom på studier av regionen kring kärnkraftverket och de reella faror som uppstår på platser som dessa i krigstider. Förutom att lyfta risker och hur vi kan hantera dem skildrar Serhii Plokhy hur det är möjligt att handla rätt även i till synes hopplösa lägen. Serhii Plokhy är författare och forskare med inriktning på östeuropeisk historia, och har skrivit ett flertal uppmärksammade och prisbelönta böcker. Han innehar Mykhailo Hrushevsky-professuren i ukrainsk historia vid Harvard, där han också är chef för Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute."

Serhii Plokhy (Author), Per Runhammar (Narrator)

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The Nuclear Age: An Epic Race for Arms, Power and Survival

"Brought to you by Penguin. From the bestselling author of Chernobyl comes a sweeping history of the geopolitics behind the nuclear arms race, from the first atomic bomb to today On 16 July 1945, the Nuclear Age began with the explosion of the first atomic bomb and the words of J. Robert Oppenheimer: 'Now I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds.' While the threat of mutually assured destruction kept a lid on a simmering and tense geopolitical landscape, events like the Chernobyl disaster and near-misses like the Cuban Missile Crisis showed that total destruction was only ever one malfunction, mistake, or miscommunication away. Now, as governments re-arm their nuclear arsenals, treaties designed to limit the acquisition and use of nuclear weapons fall away, and nuclear weapons come increasingly within reach of non-state actors, we are on the brink of a renaissance of the nuclear industry. In The Nuclear Age, acclaimed historian Serhii Plokhy paints an intricate picture of a world governed by fear. From the first artificial splitting of the atom in 1917 and the race to create the first atomic bomb in World War II, through the fraught arms race of the Cold War, to the imperialism, neo-colonial motivation and wars being waged today, the threat posed by nuclear weapons is as pertinent as ever. As he examines the motivations of key players, Plokhy confronts the crucial question of our age: what can we learn from the first nuclear arms race that can help us to stop the new one? 'Few historians write with Serhii Plokhy’s authority, clarity or global vision... Essential reading, and a marvellous book' Peter Frankopan © Serhii Plokhy 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025"

Serhii Plokhy (Author), Leighton Pugh (Narrator)

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Chernobyl Roulette: A War Story

"Brought to you by Penguin. What if Chernobyl was just the beginning? The acclaimed winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize returns to Chernobyl to tell the gripping story of thirty-five days of war On 24 February 2022, the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, armoured vehicles approached the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine. It was the most direct way for them to reach the capital - and an extraordinarily reckless plan after the disaster that had taken place there three decades earlier. Russian occupation of the plant had begun. It would last thirty-five days. Closely reported and narrated from multiple perspectives, this is the story of the Ukrainians who were held hostage and worked shifts for weeks instead of days to spare the world a new nuclear accident. We meet Valentyn Heiko, the foreman who had also been there for the clean-up of the Chernobyl accident in 1986 and turned sixty during the occupation; plant workers who found a way to celebrate International Women’s Day despite all odds; Russian officers who had no knowledge of nuclear reactors; and four stalkers who were caught in the middle and stood in for the overworked cook. Gripping and unforgettable, Chernobyl Roulette sounds the alarm about the dangers of nuclear sites in an unprecedented time, when plant workers are left to fight on their own while the world holds its breath. In a book that reads like a thriller, Serhii Plokhy tells a remarkable story about human nature, uncertainty and courage. 'A necessary book – and I can think of no writer better qualified to write it' Cal Flyn © Serhii Plokhy 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024"

Serhii Plokhy (Author), Leighton Pugh (Narrator)

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The Russo-Ukrainian War: From the bestselling author of Chernobyl

"Brought to you by Penguin. 'The world's foremost historian of Ukraine. . . the chronicler of a country on the front lines of a seismic European war' Financial Times On 24 February 2022, Russia stunned the world by launching an invasion of Ukraine. In the midst of checking on the family and friends who were now on the front lines of Europe's largest conflict since the outbreak of the Second World War, acclaimed Ukrainian-American historian Serhii Plokhy inevitably found himself attempting to understand the deeper causes of the invasion, analysing its course and contemplating the wider outcomes. The Russo-Ukrainian War is the comprehensive history of a conflict that has burned since 2014, and that, with Russia's attempt to seize Kyiv, exploded a geo-political order that had been cemented since the end of the Cold War. With an eye for the gripping detail on the ground, both in the halls of power and down in the trenches, as well as a keen sense of the grander sweep of history, Plokhy traces the origins and the evolution of the conflict, from the collapse of the Russian empire to the rise and fall of the USSR and on to the development in Ukraine of a democratic politics. Based on decades of research and his unique insight into the region, he argues that Ukraine's defiance of Russia, and the West's demonstration of unity and strength, has presented a profound challenge to Putin's Great Power ambition, and further polarized the world along a new axis. A riveting, enlightening account, this is present-minded history at its best. ©2023 Serhii Plokhy (P)2023 Penguin Audio"

Serhii Plokhy (Author), Leighton Pugh (Narrator)

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The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine

"A New York Times Bestseller The definitive history of Ukraine from antiquity to today. “An admirable new history.... In his elegant and careful exposition of Ukraine’s past, Mr. Plokhy has also provided some signposts to the future.” ―Economist As Ukraine is embroiled in an ongoing struggle with Russia to preserve its territorial integrity and political independence, celebrated historian Serhii Plokhy explains that today’s crisis is a case of history repeating itself: the Ukrainian conflict is only the latest in a long history of turmoil over Ukraine’s sovereignty. Situated between Central Europe, Russia, and the Middle East, Ukraine has been shaped by empires that exploited the nation as a strategic gateway between East and West—from the Romans and Ottomans to the Third Reich and the Soviet Union. In The Gates of Europe, Plokhy examines Ukraine’s search for its identity through the lives of major Ukrainian historical figures, from its heroes to its conquerors. As Ukraine once again finds itself at the center of global attention, Plokhy brings its history to vivid life as he connects the nation’s past with its present and future."

Serhii Plokhy (Author), Ralph Lister (Narrator)

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Atoms and Ashes: From Bikini Atoll to Fukushima

"Brought to you by Penguin. In 2011, a 43-foot-high tsunami crashed into a nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan. In the following days, explosions would rip buildings apart, three reactors would go into nuclear meltdown, and the surrounding area would be swamped in radioactive water. It is now considered one of the costliest nuclear disasters ever. But Fukushima was not the first, and it was not the worst. . . In Atoms and Ashes, acclaimed historian Serhii Plokhy tells the tale of the six nuclear disasters that shook the world: Bikini Atoll, Kyshtym, Windscale, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima. Based on wide-ranging research and witness testimony, Plokhy traces the arc of each crisis, exploring in depth the confused decision-making on the ground and the panicked responses of governments to contain the crises and often cover up the scale of the catastrophe. As the world increasingly looks to renewable and alternative sources of energy, Plokhy lucidly argues that the atomic risk must be understood in explicit terms, but also that these calamities reveal a fundamental truth about our relationship with nuclear technology: that the thirst for power and energy has always trumped safety and the cost for future generations. © Serhii Plokhy 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022"

Serhii Plokhy (Author), Leighton Pugh (Narrator)

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Nuclear Folly: A New History of the Cuban Missile Crisis

"Brought to you by Penguin. The definitive new history of the Cuban Missile Crisis from the author of Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy, winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize For more than four weeks in the autumn of 1962 the world teetered. The consequences of a misplaced step during the Cuban Missile Crisis could not have been more grave. Ash and cinder, famine and fallout; nuclear war between the two most-powerful nations on Earth. In Nuclear Folly, award-winning historian Serhii Plokhy tells the riveting story of those weeks, tracing the tortuous decision-making and calculated brinkmanship of John F. Kennedy, Nikita Khrushchev and Fidel Castro, and of their advisors and commanders on the ground. More often than not, Plokhy argues, the Americans and Soviets simply misread each other, operating under mutual distrust, second-guesses and false information. Despite all of this, nuclear disaster was avoided thanks to one very human reason: fear. Drawing on an impressive array of primary sources, including recently declassified KGB files, Plokhy masterfully illustrates the drama of those tense days. Authoritative, fast-paced and unforgettable, this is the definitive new account of the Cold War's most perilous moment. © Serhii Plokhy 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021"

Serhii Plokhy (Author), Roger Davis (Narrator)

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Forgotten Bastards of the Eastern Front: An Untold Story of World War II

"Brought to you by Penguin. In November 1943, with the outcome of the Second World War hanging in the balance, the Allies needed a new plan. The Americans' audacious suggestion to the Soviets was to open a second air front, with the US Air Force establishing bases in Soviet-controlled territory. Despite Stalin's obvious reservations about the presence of foreign troops in Russia, he was persuaded, and in early 1944 and Operation Baseball and then Frantic were initiated as B-17 Superfortresses were flown from bases in Italy to the Poltova region in today's Ukraine. Award-winning historian Serhii Plokhy tells the gripping, little-known story of this encounter between American and Soviet soldiers and how their collaboration quickly fell apart, mirroring the transition from the Grand Alliance to the Cold War. Soviet secret policemen watched over the Americans, shadowing their every move. A catastrophic air raid by the Germans revealed the limitations of Soviet air defences. As their initial enthusiasm turned into disappointment, the American soldiers started calling themselves the Forgotten Bastards of Ukraine. Ultimately, no common purpose could overcome their cultural and political differences. Drawing on newly opened Russian archives as well as CIA records, Forgotten Bastards of the Eastern Front offers a riveting bottom-up history one of the Second World War's most unlikely alliances."

Serhii Plokhy (Author), Leighton Pugh (Narrator)

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Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy

"Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize 'An insightful and important book, that often reads like a good thriller, and that exposes the danger of mixing powerful technology with irresponsible politics' - Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens 'As moving as it is painstakingly researched. . . a cracking read' - Viv Groskop, Observer The gripping story of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, from an acclaimed historian and writer On the morning of 26 April 1986 Europe witnessed the worst nuclear disaster in history: the explosion of a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Soviet Ukraine. The outburst put the world on the brink of nuclear annihilation. In the end, less than five percent of the reactor's fuel escaped, but that was enough to contaminate over half of Europe with radioactive fallout. In Chernobyl, Serhii Plokhy recreates these events in all of their drama, telling the stories of the firefighters, scientists, engineers, workers, soldiers, and policemen who found themselves caught in a nuclear Armageddon and succeeded in doing the seemingly impossible: extinguishing the nuclear inferno and putting the reactor to sleep. While it is clear that the immediate cause of the accident was a turbine test gone wrong, Plokhy shows how the deeper roots of Chernobyl lay in the nature of the Soviet political system and the flaws of its nuclear industry. A little more than five years later, the Soviet Union would fall apart, destroyed from within by its unsustainable communist ideology and the dysfunctional managerial and economic systems laid bare in the wake of the disaster. A poignant, fast paced account of the drama of heroes, perpetrators, and victims, Chernobyl is the definitive history of the world's worst nuclear disaster."

Serhii Plokhy (Author), Leighton Pugh (Narrator)

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Lost Kingdom: The Quest for Empire and the Making of the Russian Nation

"From a preeminent scholar of Eastern Europe and New York Times bestselling author, the essential history of Russian imperialism. “A singularly fascinating account of Russian nationalism through the ages.” —Financial Times In 2014, Russia annexed the Crimea and attempted to seize a portion of Ukraine—only the latest iteration of a centuries-long effort to expand Russian boundaries and create a pan-Russian nation. In Lost Kingdom, award-winning historian Serhii Plokhy argues that we can only understand the confluence of Russian imperialism and nationalism today by delving into the nation’s history. Spanning over 500 years, from the end of the Mongol rule to the present day, Plokhy shows how leaders from Ivan the Terrible to Joseph Stalin to Vladimir Putin exploited existing forms of identity, warfare, and territorial expansion to achieve imperial supremacy. An authoritative and masterful account of Russian nationalism, Lost Kingdom chronicles the story behind Russia’s belligerent empire-building quest."

Serhii Plokhy (Author), Peter Ganim (Narrator)

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Audiobooks by Serhii Plokhy

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