The author examines the deadly battles on the SW Front form July to September 1941. Part of these campaigns was the attempt to defend and hold Kiev against the advancing German Army. The battle for Kiev ended tragically for the Red Army, as thousands of soldiers were surrounded by the Germans. The book includes more than 300 photos, maps and other illustrations.

The first volume in the collected works of Mikhail Gorbachev, architect of perestroika.