Dukaj was inspired by the First and the Second Chechen Wars, the latter of which started while he was writing the novel. Xavras's guerrillas fighting against Soviet forces resemble Chechens battling with the Russian Army. As in the Chechen conflict, neither side is totally right since both commit horrible war crimes to reach their goals. After the September 11 attacks in 2001, a story about terrorists calling themselves "freedom fighters" gained much more meaning, and the book's dialogues on morals, ethics and freedom become deeper than ever.