The book chronicles two years of Ukrainian resistance against the full-scale Russian invasion, encompassing stories from both the frontline and the rear, mutual aid, international support, shared experiences of tragedies and triumphs, culture, and humour — illustrating the multifaceted aspects of the country’s life during the war.
It has been two years since Russia initiated a new phase of its war against Ukraine. Many Ukrainians can recite the dates of numerous historical events by heart, never to be forgotten. However, time does take its toll: many episodes have been overshadowed by an oversaturation of information, and some memories are so painful that one might wish to diminish their impact, if not erase them entirely. Moreover, Russian propagandists tirelessly work to skew reality in their favour. Thus, one of the values of the book What Shall We Call This War? is its preservation of key events from 24/02/2022 to 24/02/2024 exactly as they occurred.
Currently, Ukrainians find themselves at the epicentre of historical events, making it a formidable challenge to fully comprehend and document the “here and now”. With Ukraine’s resistance against the terror of the Russian Federation still ongoing, Ukrainian society has yet to settle on a name for this war.
What Shall We Call This War? is a chronicle of two years of Ukrainian resistance in a full-scale war with Russia, enriched with documentary photos, illustrations, maps of combat operations, infographics, and more. The team behind the book aims to capture the most critical phases, telling the story as it unfolds, making pre-ordering the book a way to participate in documenting our history.
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The book features 25 texts by intellectuals endeavouring to understand new realities and seek answers to emerging questions. Contributors include journalist and public activist Roman Ratushnyi, novelist and essayist Oksana Zabuzhko, U.S. historian, professor at Yale University, specialist in Eastern Europe history studies Timothy Snyder, human rights lawyer and civil society leader Oleksandra Matviichuk, journalist and publicist Vitalii Portnikov, activist and Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Tamila Tasheva, and others.
Ensuring the reliability and objectivity of the information was paramount. Therefore, expert consultants such as researcher Maksym Yaremenko, Colonel Serhii Karnaukh of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Ivan Naumenko, director of the Strategic Initiatives Department at the Come Back Alive Foundation, were enlisted for the project.
“What shall we call this war? Our book doesn’t provide an answer to that question. Indeed, it offers no answers, but it does present clear, sometimes devastatingly painful facts. We have recorded the truth that will aid in our understanding and definition of our current reality.”
Vitaly Poberezhny,
Compiler of What Shall We Call This War?
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The book is available in Ukrainian, with pre-sales currently underway. Shipping is set to begin in early summer 2024.
