A History of Ukraine: The Gates of Europe(an War) - part 23

Something of a Ukrainian history lesson, using Serhii Plokhy's 2015 book The Gates of Europe, and focused on matters relative to today's war, including Ukrainian cultural development and nationalism, Russian influence, the role of Jews in this history, and even the Ukrainian Greek Catholic or Uniate Church. Oh, and Austrian Galicia too.

Parts 23 and 24 cover the period from independence in 1991 through the 2004 election of Victor Yushchenko, touching on the disposition of the Black Sea fleet and the nuclear arsenal, the economics of the period including the hardship of the populace, the selling off of public assets and the rise of the Ukrainian oligarchy (all very Russian), and the Orange Revolution, and take a look at the ethnic nature of both the oligarchs (on both sides of the border) and those backing the "revolution" by disfiguring their favored candidate.