Which side meddled in Ukraine first?
A reading list
I don’t know the answer to the question of which side meddled in Ukraine first.
That’s why this article is a reading list.
Once I’ve done the reading I plan to write a follow-up attempting to answer the question.
How the issue currently seems to me
Many claims are made that Zelensky is a corrupt dictator who has persecuted ethnic Russians.
That line of rhetoric brings up unpleasant associations with Hitler and the Sudatenland from 1938.
Pesky ethnic minorities living in border regions have been used as an excuse to do bad things before.
Is Putin taking a page out of Adolf’s playbook, or are the claims made against Zelensky and the Ukrainian government legitimate?
If Putin’s claims about ethnic Russians are true, do they justify his invasion and the vast loss of life and wealth? I’m hard-pressed to imagine a moral universe in which that would be true, though I expect it’s the one Adolf lived in.
Are the Putin apologists cherry-picking the evidence?
I’ve been flooded with articles and videos asserting that Putin’s actions are justified; that he has been provoked into war by the U.S. and NATO.
The articles I’ve seen cherry-pick the evidence and overlook some huge, elephant-sized facts. For instance…
- Putin is a dictator who murders his opposition.
- Putin and his cronies have repeatedly asserted their desire to recreate the Russian Empire.
- There is some pretty good evidence that Putin meddled in Ukraine first, and many other neighboring countries too.
- NATO is a defensive alliance, not an aggressive one.
- Many countries have wanted to join NATO to protect themselves against Putin.
- Joining a defensive alliance can never justify invading another country.
- The meddling and manipulation claims made against the U.S. could be true, and it still wouldn’t justify Putin invading Ukraine, just as the U.S. was not justified in invading Iraq to change the bad regime there.
- If it’s true that Putin wants to recreate the Russian Empire then he would be prone to find or create excuses to invade his neighbors (and many people would be prone to fall for them).
Can these points be refuted?
I want to explore that possibility by reading books that argue both sides.
It’s pretty clear what to read for the anti-United-States side of the argument — Provoked by Scott Horton.
I’m pretty sure I’ll find plenty to agree with in Scott’s book. We’re both libertarians. We were even on a couple of conference calls together as support staff for Jo Jorgensen’s Libertarian Party Presidential campaign in 2020. Most significantly, I’ve written an entire website (WarTruth.org) about past U.S. wars and interventions. I make the same kind of arguments I expect to find in Scott’s book. But…
If I don’t land where Scott does, despite all the areas of agreement, it will probably be because of the issues raised in my bullet list above.
How strong is the case for my bullet list? What book or books should I pit against Scott Horton? There’s a lot to choose from. So…
For those who want to explore this issue too, the list below may help.
If anyone reading this article has read any of these books, comments and suggestions would be helpful.
The reading list
Ukraine’s Maidan, Russia’s War: A Chronicle and Analysis of the Revolution of Dignity by Mychailo Wynnyckyj — This one focuses on Ukraine’s 2013–2014 Euromaidan protests, how internal politics and external forces played a role, and why many Ukrainians see their struggle as one for sovereignty rather than a simple East vs. West proxy conflict.
The Russia Conundrum: How the West Fell for Putin’s Power Gambit by Mikhail Khodorkovsky — This book is written by a former Russian oligarch turned political prisoner and Kremlin critic. He argues that Putin’s invasion was driven by his authoritarian ambitions and not by Western provocations.
Putin’s Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine by Mark Galeotti — This book argues That Putin’s aggressive policies — including the Ukraine war — derive from his drive to expand Russian influence. They are not simply a reaction to Western policies.
Not One Inch: America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate by M.E. Sarotte — This book explores NATO expansion but refutes the idea that it directly caused the war. It provides a nuanced view of post-Cold War diplomacy and argues that Putin used NATO as a pretext rather than a true justification for invasion.
The War Came To Us: Life and Death in Ukraine by Christopher Miller — A firsthand account from a journalist who has covered Ukraine for over a decade. This book emphasizes Ukraine’s internal struggle for democracy and independence rather than portraying it as a U.S. proxy state.
The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine by Serhii Plokhy — This book looks at Ukraine’s relations with both Russia and Eastern Europe.
The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation by Andrew Wilson — A deep dive into Ukrainian identity, politics, and nation-building efforts.
And the winner is?
I think I’ll start with this one…
Not One Inch: America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate by M.E. Sarotte — This book explores NATO expansion but refutes the idea that it directly caused the war. It provides a nuanced view of post-Cold War diplomacy and argues that Putin used NATO as a pretext rather than a true justification for invasion.
What do you think?
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Copyright © Perry Willis 2025
Perry Willis is the co-founder of Downsize DC and the Zero Aggression Project. He co-created, with Jim Babka, the Read the Bills Act, the One Subject at a Time Act, and the Write the Laws Act, all of which have been introduced in Congress. He is a past Executive Director of the national Libertarian Party and was the campaign manager for Harry Browne for President in 2000.
