Intent to Destroy

Russias brutal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 shocked the world. And yet, to Ukrainians, this attack was painfully familiar, the latest episode in a centuries-long Russian campaign to divide and oppress Ukraine. In Intent to Destroy, political scientist Eugene Finkel uncovers these deep roots of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Ukraine is a key borderland between Russia and the West, and, following the rise of Russian nationalism in the nineteenth century, dominating Ukraine became the cornerstone of Russian policy. Russia has long used genocidal tacticskillings, deportations, starvation, and cultural destructionto successfully crush Ukrainian efforts to chart an independent path. As Finkel shows, todays violence is simply a more extreme version of the Kremlins long-standing policy. But unlike in the past, the people of Ukrainemotivated by the rise of democracy in their nationhave overcome their deep internal divisions. For the first time, they have united in favor of independence from Russia. Whatever the outcome of the present war, Ukraines staunch resistance has permanently altered its relationship to Russia and the West. Intent to Destroy offers the vital context we need to truly understand Europes bloodiest conflict since World War II.