Part historical treatise, part autobiographical narrative, and part literary review, Kyiv: Una fortezza sopra l'abisso is a profound exploration of Ukraine and its capital. Through a multifaceted lens that intertwines history, literature, culture, and personal memories, Elena Kostioukovitch guides readers through Kyiv—her hometown—revealing a city shaped by conflict yet defined by resilience.

The book traces Kyiv’s turbulent history, from the Mongol invasions to the devastation of the Russian Revolution, and now the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war. Despite centuries of hardship, Kyiv endures, upheld by the strength and perseverance of its people.

Kyiv: A Fortress Above the Abyss offers a captivating journey through the city’s history, folklore, and literary heritage. Structured into three trilogies—Kyiv’s Places, its Lights, and its Voices—it invites readers to uncover the essence of this extraordinary city, immersing themselves in its indomitable spirit.

Elena Kostioukovitch's Nella mente di Vladimir Putin, published in Italy in 2022, unveils an untold cultural history of post-Soviet Russia, tracing the birth and spread of a dangerous ideology, embodied by Vladimir Putin, which lead to the invasion of Ukraine. Known as the "Russian Universe," this doctrine envisions an ideal state reuniting all "genetically superior" Russian peoples—a theory propagated by scholars like Anatolij Fomenko and Aleksandr Dugin, celebrated domestically but contested internationally. To uncover the irrational aspects of Putin’s character and his ties to a “magical absolutism,” Kostioukovitch delves into historiographical inventions, forgeries, and regime conspiracies, in a book populated by characters who feel like they belong in fiction, yet are reshaping Europe’s history today. The book has since been translated into German, Hungarian, Latvian, and Polish.