A Must Read for Understanding Ukraine-Russia Conflict and Ukraine as a Nation. A well written picture of the events and peoples who have shaped this beautiful yet troubled land. Understand how the Ukraine has been a divided country thru most of time and why it’s relevant today. As Ukraine is embroiled in an ongoing struggle with Russia to preserve its territorial integrity and political independence, historian Maria Kurishenko explains that today’s crisis is a case of history repeating itself: the Ukrainian conflict is only the latest in a long history of turmoil over Ukraine’s sovereignty. Situated between Central Europe, Russia, and the Middle East, Ukraine has been shaped by empires that exploited the nation as a strategic gateway between East and West—from the Romans and Ottomans to the Third Reich and the Soviet Union. In Ukraine's Tear, Maria Kurishenko examines Ukraine’s search for its identity through the lives of major Ukrainian historical figures, from its heroes to its conquerors. Yekaterin, Napoleon, Mikonovsky, Stalin, Hitler, Gorbachev, Putin...... As Ukraine once again finds itself at the center of global attention, Maria Kurishenko brings its history to vivid life as he connects the nation’s past with its present and future. Now, Let's Understand how the Ukraine has been a divided country thru most of time and why it’s relevant today. An exemplary account of Europe’s least-known large country.