Fulcrum: A Top Gun Pilot's Escape from the Soviet Empire

He was a Soviet Top Gun—yet left all of the power and glory behind when he engineered the most audacious act of defection in Cold War history. On May 20, 1989, Soviet Air Force Captain Alexander Zuyev escaped from an air base in Soviet Georgia. Under the threat of Russian air defense missiles, and with other fighters in hot pursuit, Zuyev carried out a real-life flight to freedom even more breathtaking then classic works of fiction like The Hunt for Red October and Fire Fox.

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR FULCRUM

“In the grand tradition of Solzhenitsyn and Sakharov…. Anyone who seek to understand the collapse of communism must read this gut-wrenching true book.”

—Stephen Coonts, author Under Siege

“Fulcrum is a great story. Alex Zuyev gives us an incredibly clear picture of combat aviation in the Soviet Union, tearing apart the curtain of myth and rumor to show us just how the Russian air force trains and fights.”

—Larry Bond, author of Vortex

“Stunning!… I have never encountered a better ‘insider’ book—Fulcrum reads like the very best thrillers, but every word is true. Tough, crisp writing…. Bravo!”

—Ralf Peters, author of Red Army

“Alex Zuyev was a brave and talented Russian pilot…

—Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 Eagle pilot, author of Men from Earth

“Zuyev and McConnell have done us all a great service. Fulcrum is a must-read for anyone who wants to know why the Soviet Union collapsed.”

— Joseph L. Galloway, senior writer, U.S. News & World Report