Frontline Ukraine

Richard Sakwa is Professor of Russian and European Politics and Head of the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kent. He is author of Putin and the Oligarch: The Khodorkovsky-Yukos Affair (I.B.Tauris); The Crisis of Russian Democracy; Putin: Russia's Choice and Russian Politics and Society.

'Frontline Ukraine is a formidably powerful, well argued and thoroughly sourced attempt to correct world opinion on the Ukrainian conflict. Even those who cannot accept Professor Sakwa's underlying case - that the Ukrainian disaster has been brought about more by Western post-Cold War triumphalism than by President Putin's supposed 'imperialism' - will find invaluable data and perceptions in this brilliant and hard-hitting book.' - Neal Ascherson 'The great merit of Richard Sakwa's book is its willingness to challenge the prevailing wisdoms about the Ukraine crisis and to explain how its origins lie in the West's failure to create an equitable political and security order in Europe after the collapse of communism. It is essential reading to understand the causes and complexities of the Ukraine crisis.' - Angus Roxburgh; 'an accurate, overdue and - as far as it is possible - unbiased analysis that enables the reader to get a deeper view of both the root and proximate causes of the Ukraine crisis...excellent.' - Benedikt Harzl, Review of Central and Eastern European Law; 'Sakwa's approach is comprehensive, balanced, historically surefooted, pragmatic, and demonstrates an insight into events sorely lacking in Western discourse...It's not often a book reaches out and slaps you in the face and forces you to reconsider your entire position on a fundamental level. Frontline Ukraine is that kind of book. It cuts through the talking head static and makes a convincing case for a new view...Frontline Ukraine is brilliant, insightful, extensive, detailed...It cannot be stressed enough what an incredibly important read this is for Westerners commenting on Russia.' - Chris Murray, Defence Report; 'Sakwa's book is a salutary challenge to the very basis of Australian foreign policy: the principle that Washington is always right...The great value of Sakwa's book is that it confronts the notion that only the United States and its allies have legitimate foreign policy interests and that any idea emanating from outside the US alliance system must be 'potentially divisive and dangerous' - Nick Hordern, Australian Book Review, 'a very good book...the most balanced study that I've seen' - Noam Chomsky

• Note on Transliteration and TranslationPrefaceMapsCountdown to ConfrontationTwo EuropesUkraine ContestedThe February RevolutionThe Crimean GambitWhen History Comes CallingThe Novorossiya RebellionWorlds in CollisionFrontline PoliticsThe Future of UkraineList of AbbreviationsNotesSelect BiographyIndex