The Siege of Brest 1941: A Legend of Red Army Resistance on the Eastern Front
Rotislav Aliev was born in Moscow and studied at Novosibirsk State University where his special subject was the Second World War. He later became a journalist and he embarked on a programme of extensive research into the history of the defense of the Brest Fortress in 1941. He concentrated in particular on the German side of the story and carried on a voluminous correspondence with relatives of the German soldiers who took part in the assault His original research work resulted in a new history of the siege which is more complete, and more balanced, than that found in previous accounts. His book was published in Russia in 2008.