Ukraine's revolt, Russia's revenge /

Smith (National Defense Univ.) offers a blow-by-blow account of the protest movement that gripped Ukraine in 2014 and led to Putin's annexation of Crimea. Smith served in the US embassy in Kyiv in 2012--14 and provides a lengthy (more than 300 pages) account of the months of street fighting and political maneuvering that ended with the inauguration of President Petro Poroshenko in June 2014. The book is mostly structured as a personal memoir, with many acute observations and witty asides. It has no footnotes or bibliography; Smith tells readers it is drawn from unclassified emails and situation reports from the US embassy. Smith is keen to refute Russian claims that the US orchestrated the Maidan Revolution and emphasizes Russia's actions and responsibility. To this reviewer's knowledge, this is the most detailed account of the Maidan Revolution to appear, though it is unusual to see a still-serving diplomat publish such a book. This book provides crucial context and thematic symmetries to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 and details the threats and economic pressures that presaged this conflict. Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduates through faculty and general readers. --Peter Rutland, Wesleyan University