The Long Hangover: Putin's New Russia and the Ghosts of the Past


Though this book predates The Invasion of Ukraine, it does lay out a compelling argument for why it happened. It explains the post-soviet viewpoint of the Russian society, and how Putin, in his quest for complete control, has allowed this to become solidified. It also explains the events that led up to the annexation of Crimea, and the aftermath that affected the people who lived there. It certainly does not exonerate the behaviour of the Russian establishment in its conquest of Ukraine, but it does explain the frustrations of Russian speakers in the eastern part of Ukraine. Unfortunately, I do not think a book of this nature could be written today. The Ukrainians, after 2014, were coalescing in a national identity. The full scale invasion of their country, has in their minds proven that they were correct in assuming the worst of their neighbour. So a western offer trying to explain the Russian point of view in Ukraine would not be welcome. And he would be even less welcome in Russia because his reporting would be considered to be propaganda, and he himself would probably be shot as a spy. I think it's a great book to understand why the invasion happened, and I fully recommend it. Leverton Review 5/5

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