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BEST BOOKS 2023: FINANCIAL TIMES * THE TIMES * SUNDAY TIMES CULTURE * TLS

‘The world’s foremost historian of Ukraine. . . the chronicler of a country on the front lines of a seismic European war’ Financial Times

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 Review

The world's foremost historian of Ukraine. . . the chronicler of a country on the front lines of a seismic European war * Financial Times * An utterly compelling account, deeply personal, persuasively authoritative, surely the must-read book for this challenging moment -- Philippe Sands, author of East West Street The essential book for the Russia-Ukraine war - superb, accessible and erudite - by the world's chief expert. The must-read work -- Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The World: A Family History For those trying to understand the roots of the war in Ukraine, there is no better guide than Serhii Plokhy. It's impossible to make sense of the Russian invasion of 2022 without knowing something of the history - recent and less recent - and the struggle for Ukrainian national identity; this compelling and lucid book illuminates both -- Lindsey Hilsum, author of In Extremis The thread of history is central to understanding Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Serhii Plokhy outlines this in fascinating detail and reminds us of the constant fragility of peace -- David Lammy