In Russia, Kirill Eskov published a retelling of Tolkien's work in 1999 under the title 'The Last Ringbearer'. Eskov's novel is a mirror-image of Tolkien's. It follows a group of elves, led by Gandalf, who wage unremitting war on the peaceful realm of Sauron; eventually Sauron succeeds in defeating them and destroys their treacherous magic, ushering in a new age of progress and prosperity.

'The Last Ringbearer' is not the first or the only inversion of the morality of 'The Lord of the Rings', but it is striking in its readiness to identify with Sauron and his orcs against elves, dwarves and humans. It is hard in 2022 to resist seeing a parallel with Vladimir Putin's vision of Russia assailed by the West and driven to a self-righteous war of survival against a hostile world. On the other side, the people of Ukraine, not deluded by Eskov, label Putin and his troops the orcs they are.