On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians is not a conventional monograph but a political-historical essay that advances a thesis of deep civilizational kinship between Russians and Ukrainians. Blending chronicle, statecraft, and polemic, it moves from Kyivan Rus' and imperial borderlands to the Soviet era and post-1991 geopolitics, selecting episodes to argue that modern separation is artificial and externally encouraged. Its style is declarative, archival in posture, and rhetorically purposeful, placing it within the tradition of nationalist historical argument rather than detached academic historiography. Vladimir Putin, Russia's president and a former intelligence officer, writes from the vantage point of state power and strategic memory. His long public engagement with the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO enlargement, and Russia's post-imperial identity informs the essay's emphasis on continuity, sovereignty, and historical grievance. The work reveals how Putin frames history as an instrument of legitimacy and policy. This text is essential reading for students of contemporary Eurasian politics, nationalism, and the politics of memory. Readers should approach it critically, alongside Ukrainian, Russian, and international scholarship, as a revealing primary source for understanding the narratives that have shaped conflict and diplomacy in the region.

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- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.

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