War and Punishment. How Russia Destroyed Ukraine

In his new book, Mikhail Zygar seeks answers to questions that will remain central for Russian society for many decades: how could February 24 have happened in principle and why did the victim of Russian aggression turn out to be Ukraine? Zygar finds an explanation in the historical myths that the Russian authorities have nurtured for centuries. Myths not only about Ukraine but also about Russia itself. Myths that Vladimir Putin has become obsessed with.

In his book, Mikhail Zygar tells how the relations between Ukraine and Russia developed over 350 years. But he does this not through the history of states, parties, or organizations, but through the stories of people. The Hetmans Bohdan Khmelnytsky and Kyrylo Razumovsky, the poets Taras Shevchenko and Vasyl Stus, and the political figures Mykhailo Hrushevskyi and Stepan Bandera. But the main character of the book is Vladimir Zelensky, a former comedian, now the most popular politician in the world, a symbol of Ukrainian resistance to Russian aggression. The fates of the heroes of this book are stories of love, passion, courage, resistance to despotism, and the struggle for their national identity and freedom.

For this book, Mikhail Zygar studied a hundred historical sources and also interviewed key Ukrainian and Russian businessmen and politicians.