Ukraine

An accessible and expansive introduction to Ukraine that addresses the country's relations with the West and Russia, as well as the forces that have shaped contemporary politics and military conflict in this increasingly important area of Europe. Conventional wisdom dictates that Russia's war on Ukraine is rooted in the linguistic differences and divided political loyalties that have long fractured the country. In reality, Vladimir Putin's attack on Ukraine is reflective of global discord, stemming from differing views on state power, civil society, and democracy. Ukraine's sudden prominence in world politics demands an explanation. Why has Ukraine become a battlefield in this global contest between authoritarianism and democracy? How have Ukrainians developed a massive volunteer movement helping sustain the state and the army? How did the comedian Volodymyr Zelensky grow into a charismatic wartime leader? The Ukraine the reader will discover is a real country struggling in the face of great challenges while giving the world a hope for a better future. In this fully updated third edition of Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to Know®, Serhy Yekelchyk provides indispensable background on Ukraine's long, fraught relationship with Russia that led to the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The book addresses the reasons why Russia denies Ukraine's status as a nation with its own history, language, and sovereign identity, as well as the complex factors behind the corruption and political divisions within Ukraine. Yekelchyk also covers the 2013-14 Ukrainian revolution; the subsequent annexation of the Crimea by Russia; Ukraine's relations with the West, particularly during the 2016 and 2020 US presidential elections; the presidency of Volodymyr Zelensky; and the strategic dynamics of the current Russo-Ukrainian war between Russia and Ukraine. This volume is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the forces that have shaped contemporary politics in this increasingly important area of Europe.

Serhy Yekelchyk is Professor of History and Slavic Studies at the University of Victoria. He has published widely on modern Ukrainian history and Russian-Ukrainian relations.