LOW FLAT RATE AUST-WIDE $9.90 DELIVERY INFO

Close Notification

Your cart does not contain any items

Odyssey Moscow

One American's Journey from Russia Optimist to Prisoner of the State

Michael Calvey Daniel Smith

$54.99

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

QTY:

English
The History Press Ltd
27 March 2025
Michael Calvey's story starts with a dawn raid on his Moscow apartment by armed FSB agents, following accusations of embezzlement relating to a commercial deal turned sour. In truth, no crime of any kind had been committed, but his opponents, disgruntled local business rivals, had friends in powerful places. An arrest of a prominent Western business figure like Calvey can only be sanctioned at the very highest levels of government.

He finds himself trapped in a Kafka-esque system, prevented from accessing the evidence to prove his innocence. For two months, he is locked inside Matrosskaya Tishina prison – infamous for holding Soviet-era coup-plotters and, later, oligarchs who dared to cross the Kremlin. His incarceration, reported widely in the international media, sends shockwaves through Russia and the international community. Presidents Trump and Biden both appealed directly to Putin for his release, but Putin characteristically stonewalled in response.

Calvey's imprisonment leaves him with plenty of time to retrace the long path that led him to this place, from his arrival as the USSR collapsed in the early 1990s. A Cold War-kid and Wall Street hot-shot from the American mid-West, he spent almost thirty years living in Moscow, teaching himself the language and forging unmatched business contacts.

Bleak as his prison experience is, he nonetheless finds himself on a path of spiritual enrichment when he is locked in a tiny cell with seven cellmates. This band of hardened individuals, some of them victims of the regime like him, against the odds become his friends. Their collective story straddles sadness, courage, anger, hope, camaraderie and the uniquely Russian sense of humour.

Convicted in 2021, he is given a suspended sentence – a de facto recognition by the State that he has done nothing wrong, without the Kremlin having to make such an embarrassing admission. His detainment and trial becomes a case study in the frequently unfair, arbitrary and absurd Russian criminal justice system.

Now back in the UK, Calvey has drawn on all these experiences to tell his story and share his personal experience of the best and worst of Russia, and to put his experiences into the wider context of its post-Communist history. Odyssey Moscow is not merely the story of one man, but of an era of hope and aspirations that tragically ended with Russia's catastrophic invasion of Ukraine.

AUTHOR: Michael Calvey is a US-born financier who made his fortune in post-Communist Russia before he was unjustly incarcerated. He was a founder and Co-Senior Partner of Baring Vostok, the largest private equity firm in Russia, Kazakhstan and other post-Soviet nations, from 1994 to 2022.

20 colour illustrations
By:   ,
Imprint:   The History Press Ltd
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 234mm,  Width: 156mm, 
ISBN:   9781803997308
ISBN 10:   1803997303
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Michael Calvey was a Founder and Co-Senior Partner of Baring Vostok, a private equity firm recognized for its early investments in numerous highly successful companies. Living in Moscow for almost three decades, he learned the language, married a Russian woman and forged an unmatched network of contacts. Today, he is Chairman of Baring Ventures, which sold all its Russian assets after Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and now focuses on other international markets. He is a US citizen living in Switzerland and the UK.

Reviews for Odyssey Moscow: One American's Journey from Russia Optimist to Prisoner of the State

‘I have known Michael for over twenty-five years, and I never met any other foreigner who appreciates the Russian spirit, perhaps even more than I do! Baring was the smartest, most reputable, and successful investor in Russia. That’s why his arrest and punishment were shocking to me and the entire business elite – it was so unfair and insane. We tried to help Mike as much as we could, but there’s not much you can do in Russia against the KGB. But he held up very well! Mike is a true hero.’ -- Oleg Tinkov, Russian businessman and Putin critic ‘From pioneering investor to financial titan to jail-time in Moscow’s most notorious prison – Mike Calvey has ventured deep inside the Russian enigma. He knows more about post-Communist Russia, good and bad, than any other Westerner on earth. … One of the world’s most astute and successful asset managers, he’s a superb writer too, with an astonishing tale to tell.’ -- Liam Halligan, The Telegraph ‘A riveting tale of betrayal and lawlessness by the Russian Government, told by the most successful US investor in Russia. Calvey narrates an incredible story of creating a thriving business in Russia and with Russians over decades that is laid waste by the Kremlin. His harrowing experience in recent years – an innocent man caught and punished in the Russian criminal justice system – is told with clinical and chilling detail.’ -- Ambassador John Sullivan, US Ambassador to Russia 2020–22


See Also