List of Abbreviations

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgements

Introduction: Russia’s invasion and Ukraine’s resistance

1.   Entangled histories and identity debates

2.   Regime divergence

3.   Historical memory, language, and citizenship

4.   Ukraine, Russia, and the West

5.   Euromaidan, Crimea annexation, and the war in Donbas

6.   The road to full-scale invasion

Conclusion

References

Notes

“If you only have time to read one book on the origins of contemporary conflict between Russia and Ukraine, this is the book to read! The perfect team of Popova and Shevel together bring unique depth of understanding of both countries to explain this tragic story of divergence between Ukraine and Russia. It will become a definitive account of this history by which all future studies will be judged.”
Michael McFaul, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution; Professor of Political Science, Director, and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University; and former US Ambassador to the Russian Federation

“There is a flood of books on the Russo-Ukrainian war written by overnight experts. This book is different. For anyone who wants to understand the origins of the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II this book is a must-read.”
Serhii Plokhy, author of The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History

“Shevel and Popova are as unflinching as they are comprehensive and nuanced in their indictment of Russia’s imperialist war against Ukraine. Essential reading for anybody who wants to understand the most important geopolitical event of our age.”
Ian Garner, author of Z Generation: Into the Heart of Russia's Fascist Youth