“No one can take away the experience of Yeltsin's freedoms, but Russian democracy will never follow Western models: other authoritarian 'controlled democracies' - Turkey, Taiwan, Mexico - ultimately developed into democracies. But it took decades.”

British historian, television presenter and author

Simon Jonathan Sebag Montefiore is a British historian, television presenter, and writer of history books and novels. He is known for works that bring large historical subjects to a broad readership. His books include Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar, Jerusalem: The Biography, The Romanovs: 1613 to 1918, and The World: A Family History of Humanity. His work often ranges across rulers, empires, and the longer sweep of history.