大象传媒

The invasion of Ukraine is, according to the man behind it, a war all about history. President Putin has been explicit in his - highly contested - view that Ukraine is, and has always been, part of the Russian nation. So ideas about the past are crucial to what happens on the ground. As Europe endures its first major war of the millennium, Edward Stourton and a panel of guests explain the steps that have led to the conflict. They explore the deep history of the origins of the Slavic nations and the myth-making around it. They follow through to the present day, charting the emergence of a distinctive Ukrainian identity - amidst fierce opposition from those Russians who believe the spiritual and religious heart of their nation still lies across the Ukrainian border.

The panel:
Liudmyla Sharipova: Assistant Professor, University of Nottingham
Timothy Garton Ash: Professor of European Studies, University of Oxford
Anna Reid: Author of Borderland: A Journey Through The History of Ukraine.

Producers: Sandra Kanthal and Jim Booth
Production Coordinator: Gemma Ashman
Editor: Hugh Levinson

(Photo: The Ukrainian national flag is seen in front of a school which, according to local residents, was on fire after shelling, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 28 February, 2022. Credit: Vitaliy Gnidyi/Reuters)