RUSSERNE KOMMER – THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING
By Tom Swienty
Get up close to one of the most momentous events in world history.
The untold story of the correspondents who survived the fall of the Third Reich.
TOM SWIENTY PICKS up where his bestselling Berlin Is Burning left off with the gripping second volume, The Russians Are Coming, published in 2025.
DENMARK, REGARDED AS a “special case” by Nazi Germany, remained officially neutral, compelling its press to cover the Reich’s propaganda while subtly reporting on its rise and fall. Buk-Swienty weaves this unique story into a meticulously researched, compelling narrative.
SET IN JANUARY 1945, Berlin is crumbling as the Eastern Front collapses and refugees flood the city. The book follows four eyewitnesses – journalists Paul Ernst Stemann and Arild Hvidtfeldt, and diplomats Vincens Steensen-Leth and Frederik Holck Colding – caught in the heart of history’s storm.
DRAWING ON RARE, previously unused eyewitness accounts, Swienty immerses readers in the chaos, fear, and human drama of Berlin’s final months before its surrender on 2 May, 1945. Amid relentless bombings and the Russian invasion, these Danish correspondents experienced the fall of the Third Reich firsthand.
ABOUT THE BOOK
First published by Politiken, Denmark 2025
RIGHTS SOLD
Denmark, Politiken
REVIEWS
An excellent account. […] Swienty is a fascinating, talented storyteller, observer, critic and historian. […] Tom Buk-Swienty has written an excellent book about Berlin. It is really worth reading, just like the first volume, Berlin Is Burning.
– Ekstra Bladet
A monumental work. […] Tom Swienty picks up where he left off in last year’s critically acclaimed Berlin Is Burning. Once again, the award-winning historian orchestrates his narrative in a masterful way. The style is kaleidoscopic, but the overview of the material in The Russians Are Coming is superb.
– Jyllands-Posten
You put the book down feeling shaken in every way.
– Weekendavisen
A very interesting insight into the inner workings of diplomacy.
– Berlingske
Manages to bring the reader very close to the horrors.
– Information
BOOKS
Non-Fiction
