Portraits of Ukraine: A Nation at War
BOOK REVIEW: PORTRAITS OF UKRAINE: A NATION AT WAR
By Gregory W. Slayton & Sergei Ivashenko
Reviewed by: Ambassador Roman Popadiuk
The Reviewer —Roman Popadiuk is President of the Diplomacy Center Foundation, a nonprofit engaged in a public-private partnership with the State Department to build a museum of American Diplomacy. He is a retired member of the career Senior Foreign Service and was the first U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. From 1999 to 2012 he was Executive Director of the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation. He is Chairman of Elevate Ukraine, a nonprofit providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
REVIEW — At first glance, Portraits of Ukraine appears to be a standard coffee table book, strangely out of place in a venue given to examining issues of national security. Opening its pages, however, one quickly realizes the importance and depth the book offers to the understanding of the current situation in Ukraine.
The book has an opening statement by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky focused on thanking all those who have supported Ukraine’s fight for freedom and a forward by Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova. Joining them with an introductory note is former Vice President Mike Pence. Their comments serve to underscore the importance of the subject matter and the need for greater public awareness about the struggle for freedom in which Ukraine is engaged against Russia. To assist in this struggle the authors plan to donate the proceeds from the book sales to aid the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
Seldom does a book appear that provides as comprehensive a treatment of its subject matter as does Portraits of Ukraine. The authors present an excellent overview of Ukraine in a highly readable volume complemented with photos and descriptions that serve to strengthen the overall narrative. The 280-page book is packed with 310, often dramatic, images. At a time when Ukraine is viewed solely through the prism of the horrors and tragedies of the Russian invasion, it is good to see a book that presents Ukraine’s history, its struggles, the resolve and determination of its people and the natural beauty and cultural heritage of the country. As such, it is an important contribution to fully understanding Ukraine’s current struggle for freedom and what motivates her people, a theme that runs throughout much of the book.
Not a Subscriber+Member but need access to the national security content that the experts read? Let’s get you in.
Throughout the centuries, Ukraine has experienced the scourge of invading armies and has been subjugated by a variety of empires, most notably Russia, first in the guise of the Czarist empire and then under the Sovie regime. Russian control was particularly destructive in that the intermix of history, religion and culture between the two peoples was used by Russia to deny the existence of a separate Ukrainian nation and led to efforts to obliterate Ukraine’s language and culture. The extreme of the oppression was the Soviet launched famine against Ukraine in the early 1930s which the authors’ recount. This was a deliberate campaign to break the spirit of Ukraine in a genocidal effort that claimed the lives of millions of Ukrainians. The current war is a continuation of this effort seen by Putin’s words that Ukraine as a people and as a nation never existed.
The authors, Gregory Slayton and Sergei Ivashenko, recount the Ukrainian efforts to build their nation free of Russian influence with the climax coming in 2013 with the Euromaidan Protests, which was a popular uprising against the pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych who sought to stop Ukraine’s move towards Europe and, instead, sought to tie the nation closer to Russia. That uprising led to Yanukovych’s overthrow in 2014 and set the stage for Russia’s seizure of Crimea and invasion of eastern Ukraine that year and, eventually, the current war.
Slayton has a long history of dealing with international issues. He served as a diplomat, Fulbright scholar and international philanthropist and in the case of Ukraine, his Family First Global foundation has joined with a variety of Christian charities to provide food and medical supplies, focusing its humanitarian efforts on the Eastern and Southern war zones of Ukraine. Through his humanitarian work in Ukraine, he has gained a deep appreciation of the culture and history of the country, which strengthens his credentials as an observer and interpreter of events. His co-author Ivashenko, is an expert on Ukraine and East European history. They, therefore, are well positioned to present this study.
The book blends the historical narrative with an abundance of photos that bring to greater life and realization to the reader what the people are experiencing more so than the written word alone can give. The photography captures the natural beauty of the country, its rich culture displayed in its architecture and the hospitality, yet resolve and determination, in the faces of the people.
The first chapter gives an excellent overview of the history, geography, demographics, economy and politics of Ukraine. The succeeding chapters delve deeper into these topics. This approach allows the uninitiated reader to get a quick understanding of Ukraine before proceeding with a more detailed analysis.
What adds to the book’s appeal is the personal vignettes of civilian and military personnel. These short pieces bring to life he human dimension of the suffering and courage of the Ukrainian people during this time of war. A chapter is devoted to an extensive outline of Ukrainian culture covering holidays, customs, art, literature, architecture and even cuisine.
Portraits of Ukraine will be a welcome addition to any library. It serves both as a quick reference guide and a good examination of Ukraine’s history. The authors set the goal of helping the reader to better understand Ukraine. They have successfully done so. “Portraits of Ukraine” would make an excellent gift. The book serves the dual purpose of educating and enlightening the reader – and helping raise critically needed funds to address the needs of Ukrainians suffering from a brutal war. While the official launch date of the book is February 24, 2025, the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine – copies are available now. More information about the book can be found at www.portraitsofukraine.org.
Portraits of Ukraine earns a prestigious 4 out of 4 trench coats
Are you Subscribed to The Cipher Brief’s Digital Channel on YouTube? Watch The Cipher Brief’s interview with CIA Director Bill Burns as he talks about The Middle East, Russia, China and the thing that keeps him up at night.
The Cipher Brief participates in the Amazon Affiliate program and may make a small commission from purchases made via links.
Interested in submitting a book review? Send an email to [email protected] with your idea.
Sign up for our free Undercover newsletter to make sure you stay on top of all of the new releases and expert reviews.
Read more expert-driven national security insights, perspective and analysis in The Cipher Brief because National Security is Everyone’s Business.