Putin vs. Zelensky: The Russo-Ukrainian War: Why It’s Happening and How It All Got Started

Thompson (The Age of Exploration) meticulously probes the centuries-long history between the Russian and Ukrainian governments and its impact on the countries’ present-day citizens in this thorough accounting. The latest escalation in the Russo-Ukrainian war “began with a thirty-two-second selfie video that changed history forever,” the author explains in a prologue, employing lively, casual text. The video—showing Ukraine’s President Volodomyr Zelensky addressing rumors that he’d fled following Russia’s invasion—“inspired the citizens of his country to stand up to the invaders and battle for their freedom.” Subsequent chapters, divided into four parts, examine Russia and Ukraine’s respective political landscapes from the early 20th century and onward, including the fall of the Russian Empire and Ukraine’s vying for statehood. Each historical benchmark is contextualized via the intertwining backstories of Zelensky, Russian president Vladimir Putin, and the figures’ ancestors. A recurring motif—the Russian proverb “I fled from a wolf, but ran into a bear”—offers cultural insight into the countries’ perspectives on life, politics, and freedom across a dense volume, best suited for history aficionados, that impressively highlights the cascading events leading to today’s conflict. Ages 8–12. (Aug.)