Invasion

December 5, 2022
Guardian foreign correspondent Harding (Shadow State) delivers a comprehensive and riveting account of Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Opening the story at a cosmopolitan dinner party in Kyiv on the night before the invasion, he notes that many world leaders and even well-informed Ukrainians thought Putin’s threats were a bluff. Harding also explains the historical inconsistencies in Putin’s argument that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people,” descended from the medieval princedom of Kyivan Rus, and shows how the Russian military’s actions—including the bombing of a theater in Mariupol, which killed 600 civilians, and the “prolific pattern of murder and predation” carried out in the cities of Bucha and Hostomel—belie Putin’s stated goals. Familiar episodes, including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s rise to power and the story of Ukrainian border guards telling a Russian warship to “go fuck yourself”—are given new depth. Elsewhere, Harding’s interview subjects pinpoint the absurdity and cruelty of the conflict: “It’s Kyivan Rus,” says one soldier. “Kyiv is the mother of cities, not Moscow.” Enriched by Harding’s deep knowledge of the region and impressive access, this is a valuable report on an ongoing geopolitical crisis.