The book by Sorbonne professor Sophie Askinoff is dedicated to a little-studied topic: the life and activities of the French colony of Moscow on the eve and during the Patriotic War of 1812. Who were these people by origin, what occupations did they devote themselves to in the Russian capital, how did they end up in it? How did they meet the war between France and Russia, what were their relations with the Russian government and the French occupation authorities, how did they survive and did everyone manage to survive the “thunderstorm of 1812”? The answers to these and many other questions are given by the book “The Moscow French in 1812”, the release of which is timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. The book is published simultaneously in France and Russia.