Elvira Bary (Russian: ÃÂûÃÂòøÃÂð ÃÂðûõÃÂÃÂõòýð ÃÂðÃÂÃÂúøýð; born November 9, 1975) is a Russian-American author and YouTube creator. She is best known for her historical fiction, including The Russian Treasures seriesâÂÂRussian Treasures, The White Ghostsâ Empire, and The Prince of the Soviets. She also produces video essays on Russian history, politics, and culture.
Bary was born in Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod), then part of the Soviet Union, to a family of engineers employed at GAZ (the Gorky Automobile Plant). Her first publication appeared in a local newspaper when she was 15.
She studied at Nizhny Novgorod State University and graduated with a degree in law in 1997. Before publishing her first novel, she worked as a paralegal at the Nizhny Novgorod Bar and later as a corporate lawyer, while contributing freelance articles to local newspapers.
In 2002, Bary moved to California, where she currently resides.
BaryâÂÂs first novels were published in Moscow by Eksmo in 2001. She continued publishing in Russian until 2022 when RussiaâÂÂs full-scale invasion of Ukraine and her anti-war stance made publication in Russia impracticable. She subsequently shifted to writing in English.
Her work has been translated into English and Polish.
In 2006, Bary launched an educational portal for Russian-speaking writers, Spravochnik Pisatelya (The WriterâÂÂs Guide), which became one of the largest Russian-language resources of its kind. She has taught creative writing through online and in-person lectures and workshops and has authored instructional books on writing fiction and nonfiction.
In 2025, Bary started a YouTube channel focused on Russian politics, culture, history, and the war in Ukraine. Within a year, the channel surpassed 100,000 subscribers.
Bary lives in Irvine, California, with her husband and son. Her interests include restoring antique furniture, painting, and creating AI-generated short films.