History and Culture in Russia and Ukraine: How to Complicate a Crisis of European Security

Russia's annexation of Crimea was a major blow to the post-World War II security order in Europe and could well be the start of a new Cold War. This is especially the case since it was followed by the initiation of a proxy war in eastern Ukraine. The two works reviewed here deal the current crisis and provide historical background. Although there are actual concrete "national interests" involved in the Russian-Ukrainian relationship, the differences in how history is remembered complicates any attempt at resolving the issues.