My Ukraine: A Personal Reflection on a Nation's Independence and the Nightmare Vladimir Putin Has Visited Upon It

by Chrystia Freeland

Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, former Soviet republic Ukraine has struggled against its “giant neighbor to the north”—Russia— to maintain its sovereignty. In early 2014 tensions turned to conflict as Vladimir Putin, determined to keep Ukraine from forging stronger ties with the West, seized Crimea and fomented conflict in eastern Ukraine. In the latest Brookings essay, Chrystia Freeland, a former Ukrainian-based reporter with strong family ties to the country, offers a personal reflection on the conflict and the sentiment of the Ukrainian people. She highlights the fact that despite historic, cultural, and linguistic ties between the two countries, Ukrainians stand defiant in their desire for independence.

Genres: Ukraine, History, Nonfiction, Russia, Canada, Politics

24 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 12, 2015

About the author

Chrystia Freeland is the Global Editor-at-Large of Reuters news since March 1, 2010, having formerly been the United States managing editor at the Financial Times, based in New York City. Freeland received her undergraduate education from Harvard University, going onto St Antony's at University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. She attended the United World College of the Adriatic, Italy, 1984-86.

A Ukrainian-Canadian, Freeland has worked in Kiev, Moscow, London, Toronto and currently in New York. She is the author of Sale of the Century, a 2000 book about Russia's journey from communism to capitalism.

She lives in New York City with her husband and their two daughters.

She has appeared three times as a panelist on Real Time With Bill Maher, on February 26, 2010, January 14, 2011, and again on May 27, 2011. She has also appeared on The McLaughlin Group and The Dylan Ratigan Show. Currently, she is periodically standing in for Arianna Huffington as a panelist on public radio's political debate program, "Left, Right & Center", produced by KCRW. (Huffington recently was named president and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post Media Group, a newly created unit of AOL, and at least for the time being is unable to appear every week.)

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short essay but very relevant. Living in Canada I have always been a Conservative but shifted to Liberal when Harris started to mimic Trump and his right wing storm troopers. I am not a big fan of Trudeau but admire his leadership putting terrific people on his team - Chrystia Freeland being one. She has an amazing background with Russia and was involved with Bill Browder promoting the Magitsky Act. This book gives a very good description of the roots of the Russian Ukraine conflict and the position of each. Although short, I really enjoyed it for the information shared.

[Bernie Charbonneau · Rating 4 out of 5]

With all the hostilities happening with our long standing friendly southern neighbour lately, I have been reading a little more intensely of the issues concerning the "SECURITY RISK". Our foreign affairs minister is the author of this essay so I wanted to educate myself on her history and her upbringing.

[Scott Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This essay offered some insight into the author’s experience with Ukraine and its recent history. However, this is just one of many works about the conflict, and while some good personal moments, this ultimately does not add that much more to the analysis of the on-going conflict or the backstory to it. Worth a read, but not to be dwelt upon afterwards.

[Emerset · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written brief insider's summary of modern Ukraine

This New Yorker sized article sheds much needed light on what Ukrainians thought about their own state, pre and post USSR, and and what they hope for. It was written less than a year after the Russian annexation of Crimea.

[Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, insightful, good mix of history and contemporary accounts.