I was in the middle of reading 'Opposing Forces' (below) when news broke of the death of Alexei Navalny. The shock of the news propelled me down a rabbit hole of Russian history and politics.
Books
Opposing Forces: This book is styled as a conversation between former Polish freedom activist Adam Michnik and Navalny.
Sandworm: Utterly absorbing book about the Kremlin-linked unit responsible for some of the highest-profile cyberwarfare in recent times.
Documentaries
Navalny: An Oscar-winning documentary about the assassination attempt on Navalny's life.
Putin's Palace: I can no longer find the link on YouTube for the full documentary, but this investigation by Navalny's team analyzed claims that Vladmir Putin is the owner of a massive palace on the Black Sea.
Citizen K: Covers the life of controversial Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was imprisoned under Putin for alleged embezzlement, and is now an activist for democracy from abroad.
20 Days in Mariupol: Another Oscar-winning documentary, this time about the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Theatre
Patriots: A wonderful play about the life Boris Berezovsky, who, like Khodorkovsky, was a highly controversial oligarch.
Podcasts
Another Russia: A riveting podcast series about the life and death of anti-Putin politician Boris Nemtsov. Additionally fascinating since one of the hosts is Nemtsov's daughter.