Ivan the Terrible has long become an iconic character in Russian history, and the oprichnina he established is one of its most mysterious pages. It is the subject of fierce debate among professional and amateur historians in search of the purpose, meaning and results of the tsar’s intricate turns of policy. But at the same time, the direct performers, with whose hands Ivan IV created the history of his reign, often remain in the shadows, while they are traditionally endowed with demonic cruelty and bloodthirstiness.

The book by Igor Kurukin and Andrei Bulychev, written on the basis of documents, talks about “initial people” and ordinary oprichniki, everyday life and customs of the oprichnina court and the service of the oprichnina army. Readers will be able to imagine the appearance and feel the atmosphere of the oprichnina residences, where torture and prayer vigils, feasts and fun of the oprichnina “brotherhood” took place, learn about the meaning of the ominous symbols - the broom and the dog's head and the true background of the bloody pogroms and executions.