“Russia and Ukraine: Entangled Histories, Diverging States,” a lecture by Oxana Shevel

“Russia and Ukraine: Entangled Histories, Diverging States” is an examination of the root causes of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The book explains how since 1991 Russia and Ukraine diverged politically, ending up on a collision course. Russia slid back into authoritarianism and imperialism, while Ukraine consolidated a competitive political system and pro-European identity. As Ukraine built a democratic nation-state, Russia refused to accept it and came to see it as an “anti-Russia” project.