This book investigates the intersection of political power, judicial independence, and economic reform in post-Soviet Russia through the lens of the Yukos Affair. Richard Sakwa, a professor of Russian and European politics, utilizes the conflict between Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Vladimir Putin to analyze the structural weaknesses of the Russian state. He argues that the case serves as a critical indicator of the country's transition from a nascent democracy to a centralized, state-capitalist system.

Experts recognize this work as a rigorous academic study of the political economy of modern Russia. Readers frequently note the dense, analytical nature of the prose, which provides a balanced perspective on a highly polarized historical event.