Some error occured while loading the Quick View. Please close the Quick View and try reloading the page.
In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a bloody escalation of a conflict that had begun eight years earlier. What drove Vladimir Putin to launch Europe’s largest land war since World War II?
Lucian Kim—an on-the-ground reporter in the region for decades—offers a gripping, definitive account of Russia’s path to war, from Ukraine’s 2004 Orange Revolution and the 2014 Maidan uprising right up to the full-scale invasion. He examines the Kremlin’s motives, tracing Putin’s transformation from a seemingly pragmatic leader into an embittered tyrant who saw it as his historical mission to reconquer Ukraine. Kim places the war in the broader context of the Soviet Union’s collapse, arguing that it represents a clash between those who reject the Soviet past—like Volodymyr Zelensky and Alexei Navalny—and those who still identify with it. He debunks the Kremlin narrative that the West instigated the conflict, and he instead identifies the root causes of the war in the legacy of Russian imperialism and Putin’s dictatorial rule. At the same time, Kim is critical of the West’s empty promises to Ukraine, which made the country vulnerable to a revanchist Russia.
Putin’s Revenge features insight from Kim’s first-hand reporting on key moments, such as Russia’s occupation of Crimea and the beginning of the Russian-backed insurgency in eastern Ukraine. This book tells the story of the lead-up to the invasion with revelatory detail and fresh analysis, shedding new light on a conflict that has roiled the post–Cold War order.
— Fiona Hill, The Brookings Institution
Lucian Kim has written a definitive account of the tragic chapters leading up to Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He draws on his deep grasp of this history, punctuated by personal stories from his decades of reporting on Ukraine and Russia, to tell a complex story in a highly readable way. Putin’s Revenge is a must-read for scholars, government officials, students and general audiences.
— Michael McFaul, author of Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder
Putin's Revenge is a sober and in-depth analysis of the fight between autocracy and democracy in the post-Soviet world. In this vivid recounting of recent history and firsthand experience, Kim captures our attention until the very last page.
— Iuliia Mendel, author of The Fight of Our Lives: My Time with Zelenskyy, Ukraine's Battle for Democracy, and What It Means for the World
Perceptive, analytical, highly readable, and enlivened by the author’s personal recollections as a long-time correspondent working across Russia and Ukraine, this book captures the drama of Russia’s precipitous slide into war and tyranny. A must-read.
— Sergey Radchenko, author of To Run the World: The Kremlin's Cold War Bid for Global Power
In an engaging narrative that weaves together historical backdrop with firsthand experience, the journalist Lucian Kim takes us inside the Russo-Ukrainian war, giving us a deep understanding of Putin and the nature of his regime.
— James Goldgeier, American University
Lucian Kim’s Putin’s Revenge offers a compelling explanation of how Vladimir Putin evolved from a pragmatic leader who courted Ukrainian audiences in 2004 into the authoritarian figure who launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022...a valuable resource for multiple audiences.
An exciting complement to the emerging literature of Russia's war against Ukraine...offer[ing] unique insights from the perspective of a journalist, many new facts, a nuanced description of the core events and interesting and deep analysis...for students, academics, politicians, or ordinary citizens.
Acknowledgments
Note on Spellings
Cast of Characters
Maps
Introduction
1. Putin in Kyiv
2. Warning Shots
3. Moscow Uprising
4. Massacre on the Maidan
5. The Gifts of the Magi
6. Zombie Revolution
7. Yankee, Come Back!
8. Make Russia Great Again
9. The Education of Volodymyr Zelensky
10. Grandpa in the Bunker
11. Killer in the Kremlin
Notes
Index