Author Philippe Sands is told to read Russian writer Tolstoy's war with Ukraine
British-French writer Philippe Sands said he was told that reading the work of Russian writer Leo Tolstoy amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine was “unacceptable”.
Sands is a lawyer and the author of the best-selling book Rat and The last colony. In 2016, his memoirs East and West Street: About the Origins of Genocide and Crimes against Humanity Win the Baillie Gifford nonfiction award.
The 64-year-old appeared in a group at the 2025 Hay Festival, which is a part of the 64-year-old. independent The second year. Swedish philanthropist Sigrid Rausing, academic Adam Rutherford and he joined him independentChief International Correspondent Bel Trew.
Sands responded to Rausing’s concerns about “How far should Ukraine go”, Sands said: “I have no objection to this. I have no objection to them targeting Russian bridges.
He continued: “The problem I found in Kiev, elsewhere in Ukraine, I wanted to read Tolstoy's short stories, and I was told I couldn't do it because it was unacceptable.”
Russian novelist Tolstoy died in 1910 and is the author of groundbreaking books. War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1878). The latter is the theme of numerous film adaptations, including a highly acclaimed version starring Greta Garbo in 1935, and a 2012 adaptation of Joe Wright's Keira Knightley.
“This is a problem because [Ukrainians] “On the other hand, some people say, 'No, there are definitely a lot of good Russian writers, and a lot of good Russians…' It's complicated,” Sands said.
He added: “But, definitely go into the Russian side. [Ukraine have] You must defend yourself. ”
(AFP/Getty)
The discussion was based on one news that when the bridge collapsed in various events in Russia, at least seven people were killed and dozens were injured.
The Moscow Railway initially blamed the collapse of the Bryansk region bordering Ukraine on “illegal intervention in transportation”, which may refer to Ukrainian saboteurs, but later deleted its telegram.
Semyon Pegov, a famous Russian military blogger, used the name War Gonzo, calling it “destructive”.
Neither report can be verified independently. Ukraine did not comment immediately.
According to the local governor, a bridge collapsed several hours later when a freight train crossed a bridge in the Kursk region on Sunday (June 1), causing similar derailments.
The Russian investigation committee said on Sunday that the two bridges collapsed after the explosion.
In the third separate incident, a well-known Ukrainian guerrilla group claimed responsibility for the attack on the relay system in the occupied Donetsk province, which brought new Russian railway lines.
Russia has been hit by dozens of sabotage attacks since Moscow launched its offensive against Ukraine in 2022, many of which are targeting its massive railway network. The railways are targeted because they are used to transport troops and weapons in war, Keefe said.
You can follow updates about Ukraine-Russia War independentLive blog.
At another point during the panel discussion, Sands, a law professor at Harvard Law School, said the prestigious university’s “rampant anti-Semitism” coverage was “totally nonsense.”
