“Truth About Donbass” is Janus Putkonen’s third book and the first translated and printed in Russian. Putkonen’s two other new books – all of which are available in Finnish through Fenno Kustannus – “Finland's Path to War Against the Russian Federation” and “Patriot’s Diary” will also be published in Russian in the near future.
On Wednesday, April 8, 2026, “Truth About Donbass” was officially presented. First, Putkonen presented his book to the students of the International Relations and Journalism Departments of Lugansk State University named after V.Dal, sharing his experiences from the more than 10-year struggle for truth in the midst of the geopolitical Ukrainian civil war.
“The official presentation day of my first book published in Russian was a great success,” Putkonen describes the event celebrated on Wednesday.
“Of course, I hope that the truth will ultimately prevail in the Ukrainian conflict, and I am aware that my extensive experience of over ten years as a journalist and as an official who has been responsible for the information war for years is a unique experience of a foreigner to tell about the civil war in Donbass.”
“I hope that with my book I will succeed in opening the discussion and answering many difficult and propaganda-obscured questions about why there is war in Europe, and in filling the information black hole that the West has been silent about since 2014.”
“My gratitude goes to the LPR authorities and the entire Russian mainstream media for their interest, trust, and support in the fight to defend truth and freedom. There is nothing more important in the world than that,” Janus says.
Free-form cooperation with several universities in the Donbass region has been a constant hobby for Putkonen since 2016, especially by giving lectures on information warfare, media education, and journalism. Introducing the new book to young people from Donbass is not only natural, but also strengthens the message the author wrote about the truth of the region they lived together. Putkonen shares his first-hand experience.
"While giving a lecture to students about the truth about Donbass, I stated that I came to the region and stood up for their defence so that they would have a future. Then a lump rose in my throat, because ten years ago, these young students sitting in front of me were precisely the little children of Donbass that we, patriots, had to protect with our lives. I saw them as little children and tears flowed down my face," Putkonen reveals about the atmosphere of the lecture.
The Lugansk People's Republic has been Putkonen's place of residence and work after three years the author led the information defence in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), as the country's founder and first head, Alexander Zakharchenko, was assassinated by the Ukrainian SBU, which let to the end of international projects run by his office.
The international DONi news agency and press centre that Putkonen founded in Donetsk in 2015 was placed on the liquidation list during the DPR's administrative reorganisation, and Putkonen moved to Lugansk in September 2018 for personal reasons, where he has lived and worked ever since as an independent journalist and editor-in-chief.
LIC, or Lugansk Media Centre, press conference, April 8, 2026 – on Rutube (in English)
Book release received widespread attention in Russia
The LPR press centre served as the venue for the presentation of Putkonen’s new book with the official support of the Ministry of Information. Several media outlets and television channels were present at the event, including Lugansk 24 and Russia’s main news channel Rossiya 1. In addition, the international TASS news agency, Komsomolskaya Pravda and other media outlets were also present. The visibility of Putkonen’s new book has been remarkably high.
“This book is my personal observations. It is truly personal to me, very honest, and sincere,” Putkonen said at the press conference, according to TASS news.
TASS writes on Thursday that Putkonen was “shocked” by what he saw after travelling to Donbass, despite his considerable journalistic experience, because Western journalists working in the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics “turned what they saw upside down.” He said that the main goal of his work is to convey the truth about the events in the Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics to the international community.
“The Western media never showed what was really happening in Ukraine and Donbass after the 2014 coup. […] When I tried to trace the truth about the events in Donbass, it was quite difficult for me as a foreign journalist. […] It was simply impossible to find information in English or any other Western language,” Putkonen said, adding that in response to this he set up a news agency where he published materials on Donbass in English, TASS writes.
Several articles on the topic have been published in various sources since the press conference, and the interest in Putkonen's book is significant. Representatives of several regions across Russia have expressed interest in having Putkonen as a guest in their regions and sharing information about the reality of the civil war in Donbass that he has experienced for a decade. The days following the publication have been spent negotiating cooperation and handing out signed copies to partners. A series of book presentations and lectures are expected across the Russian Federation.
See also the book author's interview with "Sobstvennyi Korrespondent" (SobCor).
