Serhii Plhoky is Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard University, the director of Harvard's Ukrainian Research Institute, and one of the foremost experts on Ukrainian history. As he explains in his new book we must look back to Ukraine's past to understand its present and future.
Situated between Europe, Russia, and the Asian East Ukraine was shaped by the Empires that have used it as a strategic gateway between East and West. Each invading army has left a lasting mark on the landscape and on the population, making modern Ukraine and amalgam of competing cultures.