On 24 February 2022,Russia stunned the world by launching an invasion of Ukraine. In the midst of checking on the family and friends who were now on the front lines of Europe's largest conflict since the outbreak of 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 outcomes.
The Russo-Ukrainian War is the comprehensive history of a war 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.
Based on decades of research and his unique insight into the region,he 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.
Publisher: Penguin Books LtdISBN: 9781802061789Number of pages: 416Weight: 303 gDimensions: 198 x 129 x 23 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'How did we get here Serhii Plokhy,a professor of Ukrainian history at Harvard University,looks for an answer to Putin's irrational war in this important and magisterial account...He is excellent on the dangers of perverse history.'- The Times and Sunday Times Best Books for Summer
'The foremost historian of Ukraine turns his attention to contemporary events. He argues that Russia's invasion is an act of old-fashioned imperialism. Plokhy uses his historical perspective to provide an original erudite and very readable account of the roots of the war and its course so far.'- Gideon Rachman
'An utterly compelling account,deeply personal,persuasively authoritative,surely the must-read book for this challenging moment.'- Philippe Sands,author of East West Street
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