What I learned living under surveillance and building a business in Putin’s Russia

Bruce Talley is an entrepreneur, author, and global business executive with over $2.1 billion in career sales to Fortune Global 500 companies, institutional investors, and high-net-worth individuals. With decades of experience in American capital markets, major international events, and destination management, Bruce has successfully led transformative projects in complex and often volatile markets, including Russia, Ukraine, and the Caucasus region.

Currently, Bruce spearheads Destination Ukraine, a firm dedicated to providing international investment and business development to support Ukraine's reconstruction. He provides end-to-end solutions for companies entering the market, from location search and property acquisition to securing work and building permits to managing workforce relocation and staffing. His work is vital in fostering economic growth in a nation rebuilding from a decade of Russian aggression.

Bruce’s life is equally compelling. His forthcoming book, “Counting Grasshoppers, an American in Putin's Republic of Worry”, offers an unfiltered account of his decade as a foreign entrepreneur facing Russian corruption, his dealings with security services, and the systemic challenges of the post-Soviet space. Bruce's story includes owning businesses in provincial Russia, while under the constant scrutiny of the FSB- Russia's successor agency to the KGB.