Swimming the Volga: A U.S. Army Officer's Experiences in Pre-Putin Russia

Swimming the Volga is a personal eyewitness account of day-to-day life in a provincial Russian city during a remarkable period in world history just before the dissolution of the Soviet Union and before the names Putin and Russia became inseparable.

After seventy years of tyranny and oppression under a series of iron-fisted regimes, Russia turned away from its failed social and political experiment. It took its first steps toward adopting a democratic and free-market system under perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness).

During Zwack's regular visits to Kalinin, he witnessed firsthand ordinary people's lives turned upside down by forces they had little or no control over. In the Wild West of the 'new' Russia, a few enterprising Russians quickly figured out how to make vast amounts of money-usually illegally. A nascent mafia mastered the art of bringing necessary and desirable goods to market and extracting 'protection' money from new businesses. Most Russians, however, watched their life savings disappear in two massive devaluations of the ruble in the 1990s.

Written in the days just before the names Putin and Russia became inseparable, Brigadier General Peter B. Zwack (Ret)'s Swimming the Volga is a unique time capsule of a remarkable period in world history. The final chapter of the Cold War ended with the hijacking of Russia's future by rapacious financiers, pyramid schemes, and a new criminal element setting the stage for Putin's arrival, and with it, a more assertive and revanchist Russia. Along the way, the cast of memorable characters in the story reveals their very human dreams, ambitions, fears, missteps, cynicism, resilience, and disillusionment.

What will make Swimming the Volga stand out in the marketplace is the author, who lived and experienced Russian culture firsthand. His many accomplished years of high-ranking military authority, extensive knowledge and grasp of the language and culture, and brilliance as an educator, speaker, and writer. Former Attaché to the Russian Federation, Zwack is a current Global Fellow at The Kennan Institute for Advanced Russia Studies at The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. No one is more qualified to write and speak on this subject than him.

Author: Brigadier General Peter B. Zwack
Publisher: Zwack Eurasia Consultancy LLC
Published: 11/01/2021
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.68lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.55d
ISBN: 9781734006018

About the Author
Zwack, Brigadier General Peter B.: - "Russia and Eurasia / Researcher - Speaker - WriterFrom 2012 - 2014, BG Zwack served as the United States Senior Defense Official and Attaché to the Russian Federation. By interacting with Russians at multiple levels since 1989, including defense, security, academia, policy, veterans, and private citizens, BG Zwack developed a unique hands-on perspective on Russia and Eurasian security affairs during a turbulent period that included the recent strife in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine.Brigadier General Peter B. Zwack enlisted in the US Army in 1980 and received his commission via Officer Candidate School (OCS). He subsequently served 34 years as a Military Intelligence and Eurasian Foreign Area Officer serving in diverse and challenging duty locations including West Germany, South Korea, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Russia.Inducted into the OCS Hall of Fame in 2015, BG Zwack is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Defense Superior Service Medal, the Bronze Star, and many other awards and citations including the Afghan Service Medal and NATO/Kosovo Medal. He was also honored as the Joint Chiefs of Staff Action Officer of the Year for 1999. He proudly wears the Ranger Tab and Airborne Wings.Former Senior Russia-Eurasia Research Fellow at National Defense University (Institute for National Strategic Studies) at the National Defense University.Senior Global Fellow The Kennan Institute, the premier U.S. center for advanced research on Russia and Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.BG Zwack regularly consults and lectures within the defense department, private industry, think tanks, and academic institutions on contemporary Russian and Eurasian security issues, and leadership lessons.BG Zwack speaks Russian, German, Italian, and some French."Brown, Kathi Ann: - Kathi Ann Brown (Milestones Historical Consultants, LLC) has been a consultant to industry, government, and association clients since 1987. A specialist in corporate and association history, Brown is the author or co-author of more than twenty books, including The Spirit to Serve: Marriott's Way with Marriott International, Inc. Chairman and CEO J. W. Bill Marriott, Jr. (HarperCollins, 1997). A follow-up memoir with Bill Marriott was published in 2012: Without Reservations: How a Family Root Beer Stand Grew into a Global Hotel Company. Other clients include Brig. General (Ret.) Peter B. Zwack (Afghanistan Kabul Kurier, 2021), NCARB, Motorola, Comcast, Northern Trust Bank, Smithsonian, U.S. Steel, Shell Oil, and the Library of Congress. A graduate of Bryn Mawr College (A.B.) and George Mason University (M.A.), Brown is a longtime member of the Society of American Archivists and the American Society of Journalists and Authors. She founded Milestones Historical Consultants, LLC in 1987. Website: Milestonespast.comBeavers, Terri: - "2015 - PresentBook Design written by the Former Attaché to Moscow and Brigadier General Peter B. Zwack {Ret.}. Developed and manage his website - PeterBZwack.net.2019 - 2020Illustration & Book Design children's books: Laffe - Friends Don't Bully FriendsLaffe - Kindness Begins with You2011 - 2013Assisted Harvard academic neurosurgeon Eben Alexander, author of Proof of Heaven, with all aspects of his rise from creating his web presence, SEO, organizing data, arranging speaking engagements, giving encouragement, making introductions until it became a New York Times #1 Best Seller. 1986 - 2006Terri Beavers Designs. Graphic design. Licensed my designer label to fine china tabletop manufacturers that manufactured, nationally advertised, and distributed my products worldwide. Clients include: Bernardaud Limoges (Grenadiers by Bernardaud, a holiday pattern, was a best seller in the tabletop industry for over 33 years.), Fitz and Floyd, the Zrike Company, Lady Clare, Caspari, Abercrombie & Fitch. Website: Marsten-beavers.com."