Russia's Way to War with Ukraine : Invasion amidst the ashes of Empires

“We don’t yet know where the current battle is headed. But Puri’s ‘first cut’ will help us greatly in fathoming how we got here.” – Patrick Porter, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham *** When Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, many in the West were left stunned at his act of brutal imperialism. To those who had been paying attention, however, the warning signs of the bloodshed and slaughter to come had been there for years. Tracing the relationship between the two countries from the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 to Putin’s invasion in 2022, what emerges from this gripping and accessible book is a portrait of a nation caught in a geopolitical tug of war between Russia and the West. While Russia is identified as the sole aggressor, we see how Western bodies such as the EU and NATO unrealistically raised Ukraine’s expectations of membership before dashing them, leaving Ukraine without formal allies and fatally exposed to Russian aggression. As a former international observer, Samir Puri was present for several of the major events covered in this book. He uses this experience to ask honestly: how did we get here? Why does Vladimir Putin view Ukraine as the natural property of Russia? Did the West handle its dealings with these countries prudently? Or did it inflame the tensions left amidst the ruins of the Soviet Union? Were there any missed opportunities to avert the war? And how might this conflict end? Title Page 2 Contents 3 Map 5 Introduction 6 Chapter 1: Ashes of Empires – A reflection on living with the past 15 Chapter 2: Independence at Last – A reflection on state-building 46 Chapter 3: Putin Sees Orange – A reflection on revolution 72 Chapter 4: NATO’s Fateful Offer – A reflection on harsh geopolitical truths 100 Chapter 5: Yanukovych, Viktor and Loser – A reflection on corruption 129 Chapter 6: The Intelligence Officer’s War – A reflection on deception 159 Chapter 7: Home Fronts and Front Lines – A reflection on phoney wars 189 Chapter 8: Zelensky’s Destiny – A reflection on heroes and antiheroes 218 Chapter 9: War of Conquest – A reflection on destruction 250 Chapter 10: Road to Ruin – A reflection on hope 280 Acknowledgements 303 Index 304 Copyright 319 Russia's Road to War with Ukraine is a concise entry-level account of the path to the conflict that now dominates our headlines. It offers an objective and lively narrative, peppered with eye-witness accounts, of the key moments of drama leading to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.