Unflinching and unforgiving, Free Fall is a gripping account of a young soldier's experiences in a brutal and bloody war.Nicolai Lilin, author of the international bestseller Siberian Education, was conscripted and trained as a sniper in an unorthodox Russian special forces regiment called the Saboteurs. Operating outside traditional military codes, this elite band fought their way through the inhospitable terrain of Chechnya, encountering mercenary fighters and anti-personnel mines, hand-to-hand combat and extreme torture.

A riveting true story about growing up in a criminal underworld.By age six Nicolai Lilin had been given his first knife. By age twelve he had been convicted of attempted murder.Lilin was a member of the Siberian Urkas—a tight-knit fraternity with strict codes of honour. In this community crime was a given; the only question was whether the criminal was honest or dishonest. Transgressions brought severe retribution. Weapons were treated almost as religious icons.Extreme, sometimes disturbing, Siberian Education is an insider’s account of a unique and hidden world.‘Terrifying, fascinating, horrific and violent… an eye-opening and gripping account.’—Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Young Stalin‘A fascinating and very readable account of life in the Siberian criminal underground.’RUST Y. YOUNG, AUTHOR OF MARCHING POWDER