Riccardo Gasco

Gwendolyn Sasse’s Russia’s War against Ukraine provides a concise yet clear and comprehensive overview of the lead-up to the current state of war by focusing on independence, regional diversity, protest, the democratic transformation of Ukraine, and the role of Putin. Sasse’s work fits well within a growing body of literature on the subject. By choosing to focus on specific elements, the author deliberately omits other relevant aspects of conflict, such as military and strategic components. However, the reader could have benefitted more from a brief explanation of the role of external actors involved, such as the U.S., NATO, and the EU.