This book tells the story of insurgency in Ukraine’s Donbas region from the perspective of the rebels, who sought and continue to seek either independence from Ukraine or unification with Russia. As such, it provides a unique insight into their thinking and motivations, which need to be understood if the conflict is to be resolved. Those making and remaking the conflict are placed in the centre of the story which uses the words of the combatants themselves. It shows how volunteer fighters, driven by a wide and diffuse set of motivations, emerged from Ukraine, Russia, and different parts of the world, stood at the rebellion's heart. The book focuses on the participants’ own voices and personalities, drawing extensively on first-hand research and interviews.
Rather than rendering Ukraine a chess piece on the geopolitical board, the rebellion shows that ordinary people, rather than elites, can act as a decisive force. Donbas says something about why large numbers of people make the decision to take part in a collective violent action, when material rewards are low or non-existent, and mortal risks high. It stands as an important text on the study of modern insurgencies, revealing how violent conflicts happen via issues of politicized identity and involvement of non-state actors. This book places this conflict into the context of other conflicts worldwide and demonstrates how ideas and narratives are constructed to provide meaning to a struggle. The insurgency has produced a conflict sub-culture, rich with symbolism, narrative, and communications, made possible by the digital age and a social media-savvy population. These beliefs and ideas have had the power to pull people from different parts of the world.
This book follows the stages of assembling different conflict ingredients together, and the rebellion’s zigzagging fortunes after it became apparent that Moscow was not going to repeat the Crimea scenario in Donbas. It analyses the logic of armed struggle and the tactics deployed by warring parties. It also sheds light on the developments in Moscow, discusses the phenomenon of the Russian Spring movement and concludes with the prospects for a peaceful solution.
Reviews:
In their concentration on the geopolitics of the Ukraine conflict, Western journalists and analysts have been largely indifferent to the people of the Donbas region themselves. Anna Matveeva's research into their views and perspectives, backed by profound insights into the complexity of Ukrainian society, is therefore an essential contribution both to scholarship and to policy-making.
— Anatol Lieven, Georgetown University
Matveeva has written a profoundly moving, well-informed and humane study of one of the most misunderstood internationalized civil conflicts of our time. She cuts through the various mythologized narratives to present a clear and balanced view of how the Donbass conflict started, the actors involved, the structural framework, and how it is experienced today. This profound and erudite work forces us all off our grandstands to walk with the peoples of Ukraine. It is a salutary but necessary lesson for us all.
— Richard Sakwa, University of Kent