Farewell to Russia

A Journey Through the Former USSR

Joe Luc Barnes

A striking portrait—by turns angry, hilarious, and revelatory—of a region the West still misunderstands, and a warning of what happens when empires fall apart but their cultural habits refuse to die.

Snow, concrete, the KGB: that’s the cliché of the Soviet Union. But its collapse in 1991 sparked a story at once complicated and more compelling than any stereotype. Thirty-five years on, Moscow may brim with champagne bars and blacked-out Mercedes—but what became of the other fourteen states that emerged from its ashes?

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Joe Luc Barnes crossed the former USSR to find out, from the gleaming towers of Azerbaijan to the former gulags of Kazakhstan, tech-hungry Estonia to the minarets of Uzbekistan. Along the way, he finds epic mountains, cobblestoned old towns, and storied Silk Road cities—not to mention Georgian wine, Armenian brandy, and vodka in industrial supply.

Traveling thousands of miles by rattling platzkart train, hitchhiking, and riding in the white cars mandated by Turkmenistan’s dictator, he gathers a chorus of voices: nomads in mountain yurts, TikTok-fueled activists, small-town taxi drivers, and many who still look uneasily over their shoulder for the secret police.

These people and voices might have said goodbye to the USSR but can they ever say farewell to Russia? By turns hilarious, angry, and heart-stopping, this is an indispensable political adventure. If you loved The Silk Roads, Nothing to Envy, or The Places in Between, and have a soft spot for Bill Bryson, this is the book for you.

Joe Luc Barnes spent six years living in former Soviet countries from 2014-2020. He has a master’s in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Oxford and now reports as a journalist in English, Russian, and French language media, including the Financial Times; Nikkei; The Diplomat; and the Times of Central Asia. This includes reporting over the past year from Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. He has visited all fifteen former USSR republics since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022. He spends his time between London and Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Buy it now in print:

Buy it now in ebook:

Endorsements & Reviews

Early praise for Farewell to Russia:

"Brilliantly introduces us to faraway countries about which we should know more.” Tim Marshall, author of Prisoners of Geography

"A sparklingly erudite and entertaining odyssey through the shock-waves of the USSR's demise, this book does what good travel writing should: make the world feel more diverse and more wonderful.” Nick Hunt, author of Outlandish: Walking Europe's Unlikely Landscapes

"Barnes has absorbed the dark sense of humour that is part of the legacy of empire, and has a keen eye for the other common features that the USSR has left behind.” Lewis Baston, author of Borderlines: A History of Europe in 29 Borders

"This book is a thought-provoking journey through the lands once ruled by Russia, by an author with an empathetic manner and a sharp eye for the absurd. Barnes teases out the complexities of these diverse countries, stretching from the eastern fringes of Europe to Central Asia’s borders with China, as they navigate their way to nationhood.” Joanna Lillis, author of Silk Mirage; Through the Looking Glass in Uzbekistan

"Insightful. [Barnes] gives space for local voices and opinions, and sacrifices his liver to all sorts of tipples in the process.” Chris Aslan, author of Unravelling the Silk Road