The Russian Affair: The True Story of the Couple who Uncovered the Greatest Sporting Scandal
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- Create Date：2022-02-12 06:55:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：David Walsh
- ISBN：1471158152
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Summary
It was the story that shocked the world: Russian athletics was revealed to be corrupt from top to bottom， with institutionalised doping used to help the nation's athletes win medals they did not truly deserve。 But the full story of the couple who blew the whistle has never been told - until now。
When Russian anti-doping official Vitaly Stepanov met the young 800m athlete Yuliya Rusanova， for him it was love at first sight。 Within two months， they were married。 But there was a problem – in fact， there were lots of problems。 She admitted she was doping and that everyone else was doping， and she let him know that she came from a dark place …
It could all have brought a very swift end to a very hasty marriage， but gradually the Stepanovs began to realise that whatever you did， the system in Russia was stacked against you。 In the end， the only ones they could rely upon were each other。 Fully aware of the risks they were taking， they decided to turn the tables on those who had manipulated them and cheated the sporting world。
The result of their investigative work sent shockwaves around the planet and led to Russia’s athletes being banned from world sport， while the Stepanovs themselves had to go into hiding。 The Russian Affair is a gripping true-life drama that at times feels like a spy novel and at others like an epic love story。 But， at the centre of it all， is a quietly determined couple who knew that if they stood together they could shine a light on a corrupt system and bring it crashing to the ground。
When Russian anti-doping official Vitaly Stepanov met the young 800m athlete Yuliya Rusanova， for him it was love at first sight。 Within two months， they were married。 But there was a problem – in fact， there were lots of problems。 She admitted she was doping and that everyone else was doping， and she let him know that she came from a dark place …
It could all have brought a very swift end to a very hasty marriage， but gradually the Stepanovs began to realise that whatever you did， the system in Russia was stacked against you。 In the end， the only ones they could rely upon were each other。 Fully aware of the risks they were taking， they decided to turn the tables on those who had manipulated them and cheated the sporting world。
The result of their investigative work sent shockwaves around the planet and led to Russia’s athletes being banned from world sport， while the Stepanovs themselves had to go into hiding。 The Russian Affair is a gripping true-life drama that at times feels like a spy novel and at others like an epic love story。 But， at the centre of it all， is a quietly determined couple who knew that if they stood together they could shine a light on a corrupt system and bring it crashing to the ground。
Reviews
Paul Burton
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David Walsh writes a very well researched and enjoyable book that tells a very disappointing and bleak story。 The story is very well told， to the point that you have genuine empathy for some of the central characters that did what they did and you wonder， would I have done differently？
Michael Webster
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A cracking insight。 As an avid sports fan， I was aware of the Russian doping scandal but I had no idea how deep it ran， and how systematic it was。 The Stepanovs are ridiculous humans - Vitaly in particular is relentless in his pursuit of justice despite all the risks， it’s truly inspiring。
Mike
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A good story but the writing was such that I wondered if it had been translated。 Very strange wordings at times。
Pol Ó Muireadhaigh
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Just finished reading The Russian Affair （Aka From Russia With Drugs） by David Walsh。 The Story of Yulia and Vitali Stepanov。 She a promising 800m athelete who was doped to the gills he an idealistic anti-doping official in a system that was designed to hide doping not stamp it out。 Together they blew the whistle on the State Sponsored routine doping of Russian Atheletes。 Its an absolutely fascinating love story。 Five stars
Shane Mulcahy
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A fascinating read。 Like Walsh's other books， this is well worth the read。 A fascinating read。 Like Walsh's other books， this is well worth the read。 。。。more
Paul McCormack
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Expected more based on the high standards of the author。 Slightly tedious in places
Cian Aherne
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Hard to find fault in it， incredible story well told
Michael Pedley
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A great insight into corruption， cheating and the necessary drive to bring it down！
Gavin
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Whilst David Walsh is the on the cover this reads very much like the autobiography of Vitaly Stepanov whose perspective is dominant throughout。 His passion for running and taking on the widespread and systematic use of doping in Russia comes though strongly and the amount of detail is truly eye opening and at times gripping。To do this Vitaly gathers intimate information from his wife， Yuliya Rusanova， about the doping programme in Russia to send to colleagues in the USA。 He then pressures his wi Whilst David Walsh is the on the cover this reads very much like the autobiography of Vitaly Stepanov whose perspective is dominant throughout。 His passion for running and taking on the widespread and systematic use of doping in Russia comes though strongly and the amount of detail is truly eye opening and at times gripping。To do this Vitaly gathers intimate information from his wife， Yuliya Rusanova， about the doping programme in Russia to send to colleagues in the USA。 He then pressures his wife into recording her former coach and fellow athletes after stealing her prize money （which he said he gave back）。 The much commented upon ‘love story’ is one really based upon exploitation and is uncomfortable to read at times。Yuliya is the hero of the book but her perspective is oddly less present。 We read more about the experience of running from Vitaly than Yuliya， who writes about his running times and training。 But who cares about his running times？ It would have been far more interesting to read a bit more about how it was for Yuliya to be trapped in a doping system and then cornered by a husband determined to make a name for himself。None of this detracts from the powerful insight into the world of doping in athletics but as a focus upon the 'love story' it was quite a struggle to get through。 。。。more
Diarmuid O'Donovan
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Brilliant book， as always david walsh's grasp of the topic shines through but a much different book than I had expected 。。。 reads much more like a thriller in places and a love story than a dry analytical drug whistleblower expose 。。 top marks Brilliant book， as always david walsh's grasp of the topic shines through but a much different book than I had expected 。。。 reads much more like a thriller in places and a love story than a dry analytical drug whistleblower expose 。。 top marks 。。。more
Hiccopolit
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3。5
Joe Lahart
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Great story， I listened to it on audible and Michael Fenner narrated it， he was excellent and brought all the dark humour and characters to life in a way that I probably would have missed by just reading。
Patrick Dinneen
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An interesting story but much of it was spent on the couples background， upbringing & developing of their relationship。 I know this is relevant but less of that and more focus on the doping would have been better。
Jean Weso
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I've really enjoyed reading a couple of David Walsh's books about doping in cycling， so I had high expectations reading his book about the state sponsored doping in Russian athleticism。 Unfortunately， the book did not fulfil my expectations。 I found it too long， and that there were too many details that did very little to help the story along。 I've really enjoyed reading a couple of David Walsh's books about doping in cycling， so I had high expectations reading his book about the state sponsored doping in Russian athleticism。 Unfortunately， the book did not fulfil my expectations。 I found it too long， and that there were too many details that did very little to help the story along。 。。。more
Josh
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This book tells the story of the strange relationship between a Russian anti-doping officer and an 800m runner who dopes and how they become the main whistleblowers that led to the uncovering of systematic doping in Russian sport and subsequently Russia's current ban from sport。 It took a while to get through this book as it started off slow by going into detail of Yuliya and Vitaly's childhoods and was fairly repetitive - Vitaly finds out information about doping in Russia， tells WADA， they don This book tells the story of the strange relationship between a Russian anti-doping officer and an 800m runner who dopes and how they become the main whistleblowers that led to the uncovering of systematic doping in Russian sport and subsequently Russia's current ban from sport。 It took a while to get through this book as it started off slow by going into detail of Yuliya and Vitaly's childhoods and was fairly repetitive - Vitaly finds out information about doping in Russia， tells WADA， they don't do anything。 The first half still contained some interesting information but could have been condensed by quite a bit。 Fortunately， the second half of the book got much better as the focus shifted more towards Yuliya's athletics career and then how they secretly recorded other athletes and coaches talking about doping。 The book was a real eye-opener as to how corrupt Russian sport was/is， although at times it was hard not to laugh at some of the ways in which they got around doping - e。g。 sending actors to drug tests rather than the athletes。 It also made me think a bit more sympathetically about some of the athletes who doped - for some of them a career in sport was the only way out of bad parts of Russia and they were essentially manipulated at a young age by coaches， it was either dope or don't compete。 First half of the book 2/5， second half 4/5 so overall 3/5。 。。。more
John Morris
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Going with 3 stars but not sure if i am rating it lower than i should based on the fact that I struggled to have any empathy with the two “whistleblowers” but thats another matter。
Balthazaar
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3。5 stars。 Fascinating insight into athletics， doping， the cost to athletes and families and whistleblowers。 Plus a real Russian love story at its heart。 A very unusual read。
Briana Kelly
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Summary: Story of the Russian whistleblowers （Vitaly Stepanov and Yuliya Rusanova） from the sports doping scandal。 Background story of the 2017 Netflix documentary Icarus。Likes: Shocking， well read on Audible， felt like a thriller， hard to believe the story is trueDislikes: Drawn out love story of the 2 whistleblowers， would have preferred a primary focus on the doping scandal itselfRecommend For: Sports lovers， particular any interest in doping scandals。 I would recommend the Netflix documentar Summary: Story of the Russian whistleblowers （Vitaly Stepanov and Yuliya Rusanova） from the sports doping scandal。 Background story of the 2017 Netflix documentary Icarus。Likes: Shocking， well read on Audible， felt like a thriller， hard to believe the story is trueDislikes: Drawn out love story of the 2 whistleblowers， would have preferred a primary focus on the doping scandal itselfRecommend For: Sports lovers， particular any interest in doping scandals。 I would recommend the Netflix documentary Icarus higher than the background of the story which this book brings。 。。。more
Mdaly
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Incredible story about the Russian couple， Vitaly and Yuliya Stepanov， who blew the lid on the systematic and endemic doping of Russian sport。 I found the story engrossing enough and thought that the author， David Walsh， overdid some of the passages， turning their story almost into fiction。 In the beginning too much information about their relationship is given over to Vitaly's perception， I'm sure it adds dramatic tension but we only get Yuliya's version towards the end of the book。 I would hav Incredible story about the Russian couple， Vitaly and Yuliya Stepanov， who blew the lid on the systematic and endemic doping of Russian sport。 I found the story engrossing enough and thought that the author， David Walsh， overdid some of the passages， turning their story almost into fiction。 In the beginning too much information about their relationship is given over to Vitaly's perception， I'm sure it adds dramatic tension but we only get Yuliya's version towards the end of the book。 I would have like a summary at the end about the consequences for all the characters involved。 There was too much detail in the Notes at the back of the book。Well worth a read for anyone interested in sports or Russian affairs。 。。。more
Abbi Mcdonald
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Really interesting book， very eye opening。 Tells the story very well。
Pete
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Fascinating revelations， and well told。 But a bit long in the telling。 Would have liked more solid details on how the couple are coping now in the US。 A bit light on details on some of the associated fall out from the blowing open of the doping， in the epilogue。 A few more stories are in there I’d imagine。。。。
Shatterlings
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There’s an interesting story here but the telling of it is a bit dull， a first person account from Vitaly would have been appreciated。 I liked the honesty of the strange relationship of Vitaly and Yuliya
Peter A Cosgrove
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An excellently written book by a superb sports journalist and one of the best audible readers I have come across。
Alex Wilson
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This was a fantastic insight into the collapse of Russia’s sporting reputation amid serious， deep seated doping scandals that continued for many years。 Sitting alongside that is a true love story between an anti-doping agent and a doper。
Susan
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This is a fabulously interesting book about the Russian couple who provided evidence - painstakingly gathered over many years which revealed Russia's manipulation of drug tests and state sponsored pharma sport。 Their story is incredible for so many reasons - most of all for the couple's sheer bravery in coming forward and leaving Russia behind them。 David Walsh is a great investigative journalist of our times and felt he treated this subject - much of it about the couple's own relationship very This is a fabulously interesting book about the Russian couple who provided evidence - painstakingly gathered over many years which revealed Russia's manipulation of drug tests and state sponsored pharma sport。 Their story is incredible for so many reasons - most of all for the couple's sheer bravery in coming forward and leaving Russia behind them。 David Walsh is a great investigative journalist of our times and felt he treated this subject - much of it about the couple's own relationship very sensitively。 。。。more
Christopher Kelsall
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The Russian Affair， according to author David Walsh， is a love story。 It is; however， The Russian Affair love story is set to the backdrop of the world’s greatest ever scandal in sport; uninhibited doping and corruption that rots Russian sport to the core。The scandal is bigger than BALCO， the Nike Oregon Project， bigger than Ma’s Army of China， or Lance Armstrong and yes， even bigger than the East German state-sponsored doping machine。Yulia Rusanova was a burgeoning 800-metre runner。 Vitaly Step The Russian Affair， according to author David Walsh， is a love story。 It is; however， The Russian Affair love story is set to the backdrop of the world’s greatest ever scandal in sport; uninhibited doping and corruption that rots Russian sport to the core。The scandal is bigger than BALCO， the Nike Oregon Project， bigger than Ma’s Army of China， or Lance Armstrong and yes， even bigger than the East German state-sponsored doping machine。Yulia Rusanova was a burgeoning 800-metre runner。 Vitaly Stepanov worked for the Russian Anti-Doping Agency。 During their first date， she calls him an idiot and tells him that she is part of the state-run doping system。Interestingly， she is direct， and frank and warns him that she has a dark past。 He is stoic and calm and comes from a middle-class home if such a thing exists in Russia。 Sometimes opposites attract。 It took a while for the relationship to work， and along the way， the reader is taken to places that are shocking as well as heart-wrenching。Surprisingly， shortly after that first date， they marry。 She continued to refer to him as an idiot， and they nearly divorce a half-dozen times。 They even signed the papers once but did not show up for the second appointment to make the divorce official。Read on: https://athleticsillustrated。com/book。。。 。。。more
Phil Aldis
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Not keen on David Walsh as a person （read The Race to the Truth by Emma O' Reilly to get some idea of him）。 However， you can't argue that he has had a significant impact on the campaign against doping in sport。 This book reveals how endemic it was in Russia during London 2012 and Sochi - truly disturbing。 Not keen on David Walsh as a person （read The Race to the Truth by Emma O' Reilly to get some idea of him）。 However， you can't argue that he has had a significant impact on the campaign against doping in sport。 This book reveals how endemic it was in Russia during London 2012 and Sochi - truly disturbing。 。。。more
Caro Harper
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Fascinating， and written in a very breezy style so you can rip through it reading it。
John Ryan
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