A classic and vivid history of Ukraine 'A fascinating and often violent odyssey; spanning more than 1;000 years of conflict and culture' Independent on Sunday Centre of the first great Slav civilisation in the tenth century; then divided between warring neighbours for a millennium; Ukraine finally won independence with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Tiring of their own corrupt governments; Ukrainians have since mounted two popular revolutions; taking to the streets to demand fair elections and closer ties to Europe. In the spring of 2014; Russia responded by invading Crimea and sponsoring a civil war in the Russian-speaking Donbass. Threatened by Moscow; misunderstood in the West; Ukraine hangs once more in the balance. Speaking to pro-democracy activists and pro-Russia militiamen; peasants and miners; survivors of Hitler's Holocaust and Stalin's famine; Anna Reid combines history and travel-writing to unpick the past and present of this bloody and complex borderland. 'Beautifully written and lovingly researched' Daily Telegraph 'Gripping history' The Times