Abstract Since 2014, and especially following the 2022 escalation, the Russo-Ukrainian war has been the subject of considerable scholarly attention. The recent publication of three important books provides a good opportunity to engage with the crucial debates surrounding the war. Sasse analyzes the background to the 2022 invasion, focusing on the domestic and international developments that led to Putin's decision. Plokhy offers an account of the war's origins and its course from a broad historical perspective. Popova and Shevel explain how since 1991 Russia and Ukraine have diverged politically and geopolitically, ending up on a collision course. In this review essay, I use these books as a starting point to rethink the key puzzles of this war such as the conflict's origins, the sources of Ukraine's wartime resilience, and the war's global impact.
Dima Kortukov (Thu,) studied this question.