by Maria Popova
First published 2023
In February 2022, Russian rockets strike Ukrainian cities as tanks advance toward Kyiv. President Zelensky refuses Western offers to evacuate. Ukrainians take up arms to defend their homeland. Maria Popova traces how Russia and Ukraine became enemies after three decades as independent neighbors. Since 1991, the two countries traveled opposite paths. Russia returned to authoritarian rule and imperial ambitions. Ukraine built competitive elections and embraced European values. As Ukraine strengthened its democratic institutions and national identity, Russia grew hostile to its neighbor's choices. Putin viewed Ukraine's transformation as an "anti-Russia" project that threatened his vision of a unified "Russian world." Economic pressure and political interference failed to bring Ukraine back under Russian control. Putin chose military force to settle the question. Ukraine fought back, determined to join Europe as a free nation. Popova argues that this clash of incompatible visions, not Western expansion or NATO politics, explains why war erupted between these former "brotherly peoples."
Genres: history, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, russia
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: clash-of-ideologies, enemies-to-lovers
Setting: Kyiv, Ukraine, Russia
Period: 2022
268 pages · Kindle Edition · Polity
Content warnings: war