Kirkus Professional Book Reviewers said: "Graham's new book is an intriguing and informative 'must read' from a woman who is probably the best-informed American on the terrifying realities concerning Vladimir Putin's motivations.
WILMINGTON, NC, October 22, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Bestselling author Elizabeth Graham believes sanctions on Russia are simply worthless. More than that, she believes Russia has two revenue streams to support its war in Ukraine - and the United States is one of them. Her book, 'From Democracy To Democrazy: A Warning To All Americans' presents startling information regarding Putin's attempt to destroy American democracy from within. The eBook version will be available at no charge October 24 and 25, 2025 at Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Elizabeth-Graham/author/B0CMY189NT?.
Graham had a Top-Secret Security Clearance while a senior in high school, and immediately upon graduation began working undercover with the CIA. She later joined the SAIC's Foreign Systems Research Center (FSRC) for 12 years. Eight of these years were spent studying Russia and Russian, and she managed the largest Russian-language military, technical and intelligence data base/library in the U.S. She began to travel to the Soviet Union and then became one of the very few Americans to move to the USSR. She lived under Communism in the Soviet Union, then Russia, and Central Asia long enough to become bi-cultural - she became Russian. Her first-hand knowledge and understanding of life in a communist or dictatorship country is shared with Americans in her book and in her Substack by the same name (egraham.substack.com). In a recent Substack post she wrote in part:
The democratic world has failed Ukraine in its courageous fight for independence from Russia, with the United States playing a notable role in this disappointment. Under Mr. Trump's administration, America has strayed from its democratic ideals. The once-stalwart executive chair in the Oval Office now teeters on the brink of collapse, a fitting symbol of Mr. Trump's wavering allegiance. One moment, he casts votes in support of Russia at the United Nations, seemingly siding with the aggressor in their conflict with Ukraine. Just weeks later, he delivers a speech to the global assembly, proclaiming Ukraine's potential triumph in its quest for democracy. This contradictory stance raises profound questions about America's commitment to its core principles.
NATO countries, which still includes the US, think-tanks like the Rand Corporation, and others who declare themselves Russian "experts" are suggesting peace agreements which clearly demonstrates a lack of knowledge regarding how Putin operates and why.
The sanctions – as a means of deterrent – have failed miserably yet are still considered the toughest measures nations can take, short of war. Russia has skirted around these penalties and laughed at their authority. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is a military alliance of post-Soviet states which includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. It was originally created in 2002 for collective defense, but more recently has supported Russia in actively delivering the very commodities and merchandise sanctioned by the US and Europe. For example, Kyrgyzstan is the affiliate link to purchase automobiles and then transport them to Russia.
"Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the US, UK and the EU along with other countries including Australia, Canada, and Japan have imposed more than 16,500 sanctions on Russia. (Wikipedia) The main sanctioned target has been Russia's money. Foreign currency reserves worth $350B and about 70% of the assets of Russian banks were frozen. Gold, diamonds, and technology used for making weapons are also on the list. The G7 countries (the world's seven largest economies) have imposed a maximum price of $60 a barrel on Russian crude oil, to try and reduce its earnings." (BBC, "Sanctions on Russia and have they affected its economy?" 23 February 2024).
And while the Western world freezes Russian banks and Russian financial assets, black cash from Russians have purchased Trump-labeled properties. Craig Unger has written: 'Indeed, the way the Russians invested in Trump-branded real estate revealed all the tell-tale signs of money laundering. The fact that properties could be bought via all-cash purchases and owned by anonymous limited liability companies that masked the beneficial ownership made Trump-branded real estate ideal for laundering vast amounts of money, which is precisely why they were so appealing. In fact, a 2018 Buzzfeed investigation found that across his developments, Trump and his partners sold at least $1.5 billion worth of condos to shell companies, cash buyers, and others who raised red flags for money laundering risk." (Craig Unger's Substack, published on Oct. 6, 2025) So what good does it do to freeze Russian money, when Trump himself is helping the Russians launder their black cash and turn it into viable US dollars - which then returns to Russia to pay their bills and finance the war with Ukraine. Black cash is undeclared income usually from illegal sources used to evade taxes.
In 2006, Putin bombed a school in Beslan (North Ossetia region of Russia) that was captured by Chechen rebels demanding their country's independence from Russia. One hundred and eighty-six Russian children were killed. Andrey Nikolayevich Illarionov, a senior economic and policy advisor to Mr. Putin declared he could not emotionally deal with the consequences and the number of children killed. He moved to the U.S. and assumed a job as a senior researcher at The Cato Institution, a libertarian think tank in Washington, DC. In an interview with Newsnation Illarionov stated: "I have heard so much through all these years about the oligarchs, about how it is important to put sanctions on them. If you would like to make life miserable for these people, it's OK. But if you think those sanctions would make changes in the decision-making process of Mr. Putin, it's wrong. It's a mistake. Russia is NOT a democracy. You can punish 145 million Russian citizens, and it will not change the decision-making process of Putin." (In From Democracy to Democrazy, pages 136-137).
Russia's primary income sources are (1) exports of its vast natural resources and in particular oil and gas. They also have larges sources of minerals, nickel, gold, and iron ore along with agricultural products such as wheat, and (2) their economy also operates with a lucrative black market consisting of nefarious sectors linked to Russian Organized Crime (ROC) - another division of Putin's government. This source of revenue includes drugs, prostitution, money laundering, murder, arson, cyber-attacks, and other specific offenses.
Trump labeled condos have laundered billions of dollars of black cash, and of course Trump gets a fee for these transactions. Illegal drug distribution and sales across the U.S. is perpetually growing. NCDAS (National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics) reports 51.2 % or over half of people 12 years of age or older have used illicit drugs in the United States. Drug overdoses have killed over one million in the U.S. since 1999. (NCDAS Statistics) Russian Organized Crime (ROC) is in every US state and their primary function is drug distribution - earning billions of dollars that go back to Russia - again, to fight the war in Ukraine.
So, if the sanctions are ineffective, then what will work to stop the Russian aggression in Ukraine? Mr. Putin understands one fact: the use of force. Russian troops and drones entered European airspace and waters in October 2025. While these nations strive to protect themselves from US-imposed tariffs and pressures, they also face potential threats of military intervention or invasion by Russia.
One essential question to consider is, "would Mr. Trump buttress Russian invasions of other countries since Russian financial sources have procured large sums of income for himself and his family - OR would he support NATO and our previous allies?"
The full text of the piece is available at https://substack.com/@elizabethgraham.
Graham also announced the upcoming release of a new book, 'Survival: Democracy's Struggle To Survive'. 'Survival' is unlike other political or American government books available today. It is a comparative assessment, an inspiration, and an intriguing collection of Substack messages from some of the best-known and best-selling authors in the last decade covering the terrifying realities of today's political life, U.S. government, global challenges, and critical current affairs. It is an exhaustively explored and thoroughly investigated analysis of the deep, dark, clandestine linkage between Trump and Putin - a relationship which has plagued world politics and dismantled the United States government since 2015. Contributing authors include Craig Unger, Charlie Sykes, Steven Beschloss, David Adelman and Dr. Sanford Mayer. The book will be released later in 2025.
All of this information and much more is available in Graham's book, 'From Democracy To Democrazy: A Warning To All Americans', now available at Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Elizabeth-Graham/author/B0CMY189NT?. The bestselling eBook version will be available at no charge October 24 and 25, 2025 at Amazon. More information is available at her website at https://democrazy2020.org/.
About Elizabeth Graham:
Elizabeth Graham lives in a quiet rural city in northern Arizona. She had 4 children and has 3 grandchildren. Her oldest daughter died July 16, 2016 - three months before the U.S. 2016 election and while living/working in Japan. The Tokyo Police ruled her death a homicide by an unknown substance – possibly a poison - which is the signature lethal method used by Russians. There is more about her death in From Democracy to Democrazy.
Elizabeth was indoctrinated at a young age by her father who was a senior manager working undercover with the CIA. Her college days were in Los Angeles with the desire to become a high school teacher. However, she was destined to study Russia, Russian language, and live a life of Top-Secret clearances and undercover work. This led to senior nonprofit management positions and consulting jobs in strategic places like Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia, all the former Soviet - Central Asian countries, and Ukraine, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and many other locations. In this process of living and working abroad, she became bi-cultural - American to Russian and back – only to find that her birth country was in the process of losing its democracy and becoming a dictatorship.
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