Description
Book SynopsisThis book tells the story of insurgency in Ukraine's Donbas region from the perspective of the rebels, who sought and continue to seek either independence from Ukraine or unification with Russia. As such, it provides a unique insight into their thinking and motivations, which need to be understood if the conflict is to be resolved. Those making and remaking the conflict are placed in the centre of the story which uses the words of the combatants themselves. It shows how volunteer fighters, driven by a wide and diffuse set of motivations, emerged from Ukraine, Russia, and different parts of the world, stood at the rebellion''s heart. The book focuses on the participants' own voices and personalities, drawing extensively on first-hand research and interviews.Rather than rendering Ukraine a chess piece on the geopolitical board, the rebellion shows that ordinary people, rather than elites, can act as a decisive force. Donbas says something about why large numbers of people make the decisi
Trade ReviewIn their concentration on the geopolitics of the Ukraine conflict, Western journalists and analysts have been largely indifferent to the people of the Donbas region themselves. Anna Matveeva's research into their views and perspectives, backed by profound insights into the complexity of Ukrainian society, is therefore an essential contribution both to scholarship and to policy-making. -- Anatol Lieven, Georgetown University
Matveeva has written a profoundly moving, well-informed and humane study of one of the most misunderstood internationalized civil conflicts of our time. She cuts through the various mythologized narratives to present a clear and balanced view of how the Donbass conflict started, the actors involved, the structural framework, and how it is experienced today. This profound and erudite work forces us all off our grandstands to walk with the peoples of Ukraine. It is a salutary but necessary lesson for us all. -- Richard Sakwa, University of Kent
Table of ContentsForeword, by Michael Slobodchikoff Acknowledgments Introduction: Talking Donbass, Not Putin Abbreviations Chapter 1: Framing the Issues: a Conflict among Other Conflicts Chapter 2: Laying Grounds for Confrontation Chapter 3: Faultlines in Crimea Chapter 4: Donbas: a Much-Unloved Powerhouse Chapter 5: Russian Spring: Bolsheviks and Monarchists, all welcome! Chapter 6: Free Guerrillas: ‘Novorossiya be!’Ghosts and Somalis Take the Stage Chapter 7: ‘Hot Summer’: Military Campaign Chapter 8: Consolidation amidst the new (dis)order Chapter 9: New Symbolism in Digital Era Chapter 10: Power of the State, Power of Ideas Chapter 11: Rebellion in Ukrainian Context Chapter 12: What is Donbas for Russia Final Thoughts: Imperfect Peace is Better than Good War Appendix A: Interviewees Appendix B: Note on Methodology Bibliography About the Author
