Intent to Destroy

“Solid history, a retracing of the relationship between Russia and Ukraine from medieval times through the present day…[Finkel is] a good storyteller, mixing large sweeps with close-up detail and a few emblematic anecdotes…the book makes a powerful, important case that should be required reading for Americans.”

“A book that does good service in deepening our understanding of what lies behind the headlines.”

“Eugene Finkel, who correctly called Russia’s war against Ukraine ‘genocidal,’ makes the case here with erudition and verve. Those who want Russian perspectives on the war will find the relevant ones here.”

“Vladimir Putin claims that Russians and Ukrainians are one and the same people, but as Finkel convincingly argues in his new book, the relationship between the two nations has been anything but brotherly, with Russians doing their best to dominate and recently destroy Ukraine. A powerful antidote to those who claim that NATO is the main culprit responsible for the current war.”

“A masterpiece. This is a must-read to understand Russia’s mission to destroy Ukraine over hundreds of years—and the heroic resistance against it. Utterly essential if you want to know what’s at stake in the greatest war in Europe since WWII.”

“An unprovoked invasion, a forced-adoption program, massacres of civilians, the upending of truth, a jagged Z symbol deployed to signal loyalty to a repressive regime—the parallels between present and past in Russia’s war on Ukraine are breathtaking. A work of deep expertise and sober sensitivity, Intent to Destroy connects these threads and details the repeated waves of devastation that have resulted from Russia’s long-term obsession with eradicating Ukraine’s separate identity.”

“A powerful indictment of Russia’s centuries-long obsession with eliminating the Ukrainian identity, language, and people.”

“Finkel tells a story of violence, identity, and the final stages of empire in Europe—the story of Ukraine. Starting with attempts by imperial Russia in the nineteenth century to destroy Ukrainian identity, Intent to Destroy stretches through Stalin’s genocidal famine in the 1930s to Putin’s invasion today. However, as Finkel shows, Ukrainian identity, even in military or political defeat, survived until the collapse of the Soviet Union; since then, and especially since 2014, it has evolved into something powerful and enduring. This is a book that can help explain the most important war and geopolitical crisis in Europe today, and which does so with clarity, learning, and sensitivity. Anyone interested in understanding what is happening in Ukraine should read it.”

“As Mark Twain said, history does not repeat but it often rhymes—and it is certainly doing that in Ukraine today. Ukraine’s problem is that Russia has not only tried and mostly succeeded in dominating it for two hundred years, but that as a consequence its own distinct history and narratives have been eclipsed, especially for foreigners. Today, then, it is more vital than ever that we understand the roots of this war. Eugene Finkel has written a superb and above all readable guide for the perplexed. The current conflict did not begin in 2022, nor in 2014, nor at independence in 1991, and Finkel has done a masterful job in giving us a clear understanding of what we need to know. However, what makes his work especially valuable is that he does not shy away from tackling head-on difficult and controversial historical topics that many will find uncomfortable. He has done what needs to be done.”

“Russia’s attack on Ukraine in 2022 surprised many of us. But it shouldn’t have. Finkel’s masterful account of centuries of Russian designs on Ukraine spells out why Moscow won’t leave Kyiv alone, and what defenders of Ukraine should do about it. A must-read account of the most important foreign-policy question of our age.”

“This is a highly readable yet most rigorous account of how Russia has—for generations—tried to subjugate, repress, control, and destroy the Ukrainian nation and the Ukrainian state. Finkel, a master of empirical detail and with immense comparative knowledge, makes plainly evident why what Ukrainians understand to be their core civic duty and identity is so frightening and despised by Russia, and tragically, why it must be, in Russia’s view, destroyed.”

“Finkel’s Intent to Destroy spans several centuries, delving into some of the most heinous atrocities perpetrated by the Kremlin on Ukrainian lands. Despite the extensive scope, the text is rich in nuanced analysis, being equally valuable for scholars and accessible to readers unfamiliar with the region. What stands out most is Finkel’s approach: Rather than striving for unattainable objectivity, he bravely acknowledges his deep investment in producing responsible scholarship that is guided by honesty.”

“The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine is the culmination of centuries of painful interactions involving a punctuated but progressive rise of Ukrainian national consciousness and a concomitant rise of fear in a Russia threatened by an independent Ukrainian nation. Finkel provides an accessible, nuanced, and dynamically presented historical background to the conflict, highlighting Russia’s imperial drive, and juxtaposing the historical places two nations find themselves in today.”