Identity and Culture under Attack with Sasha Dovzhyk and Eugene Finkel

The Ukraine Shelf's second episode hosts Dr Sasha Dovzhyk and Eugene Finkel to discuss threats to Ukrainian culture and identity Russia has attempted to repress and destroy Ukrainian statehood and identity over two centuries. In this episode, we trace the historical roots of Russia’s current aggression to imperial myths from the early 19th century, and look at how these myths have resurfaced repeatedly over time. We explore the most recent wave of violence through the tragic story of Victoria Amelina, a Ukrainian writer who was killed in a Russian missile attack in 2023. The books under discussion are Eugene Finkel’s Intent to Destroy: Russia’s Two Hundred Year Quest to Dominate Ukraine (Basic Books, 2024) and Victoria Amelina’s Looking at Women Looking at War (Harper Collins, 2025). Guests Dr Sasha Dovzhyk Dr Sasha Dovzhyk is a Ukrainian writer, ...