An illuminating account of the war in Ukraine - its historical roots, its
course, its possible outcomes - from the bestselling, award-winning author of
Chornobyl On 24 February 2022, Russia shocked the world by launching an invasion of
Ukraine. In the midst of checking on loved ones who were now on the front lines
of Europe's largest conflict since the Second World War, acclaimed
Ukrainian-American historian Serhii Plokhy inevitably found himself attempting
to understand the deeper causes of the invasion, analysing its course and
contemplating the wider consequences. The Russo-Ukrainian War is the comprehensive history of a conflict that has
burned since 2014, and that, with Russia's attempt to seize Kyiv, exploded a
geo-political order that had been cemented since the end of the Cold War. With
an eye for the gripping detail on the ground, both in the halls of power and
down in the trenches, as well as a keen sense of the grander sweep of history,
Plokhy traces the origins and the evolution of the conflict, from the collapse
of the Russian empire to the rise and fall of the USSR, and on to the
development in Ukraine of a democratic politics soon loathed by its neighbour in
the east. Plokhy argues that Ukraine's defiance of Russia, and the West's demonstration of
unity and strength, has presented a profound challenge to Putin's Great Power
ambition, and further polarized the world along a new axis. A riveting,
enlightening account, this is present-minded history at its best.
