This book addresses urgent issues of Ukrainian history and contemporary reality, sharpened to an extreme by the Russian–Ukrainian war. The author explores a wide range of topics in Ukrainian, Russian, and European history that are directly linked to today’s wartime circumstances, tracing the roots of the current confrontation across multiple historical layers — from the Middle Ages and the early modern period to modern and contemporary history.

The study demonstrates that the so-called “historical justification” of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and other post-Soviet states reflects the distorted neo-imperial nature of today’s Russian political project. In a comparative perspective, the book examines the socio-cultural foundations of Putin’s regime, highlighting its similarities to the totalitarian ideologies of the twentieth century, including Nazism and Fascism. Particular attention is given to the challenges, tensions, and transformations of the modern global and multicultural world, especially in the sphere of international relations shaped by the ongoing war.

The book is intended for a broad readership, especially for those interested in Ukrainian history and in understanding the civilizational significance of the current conflict.

Second edition.

Length: 752 pages. Hardcover.