Intent to Destroy by Eugene Finkel

I, luckily, found Intent to Destroy by Eugene Finkel – Russia’s Two-Hundred-Year Quest to Dominate Ukraine at my library. It was 1 of 3 books on Ukraine that I found at the library and I am looking forward to reading another one of those this month and the last one in January. I followed on twitter Eugene Finkel for a while and I wanted to see how he deals with the subjects of oppression and also of genocide, as he was not 100% sure that the Holodomor was a genocide until rather recently. It is strange because he is born in Ukraine, more specifically in Lviv and he lived for years in Israel, a place where the topic of genocide is, I imagine, talked about.

For those who don’t know, the person who coined the term genocide after WW2, Raphael Lemkin, was a Polish born man who studied in Lviv. He also said that the Holodomor is the most clear example of genocide.

The book offers a wider overview of how and why russia has tried to subjugate Ukraine for centuries, and also it shows how Ukrainians have resisted. While the west, ignorant of the history of these countries and bamboozled by russian propaganda, was shocked by the 2022 invasion, with many even today saying that the war started at that point and not when it did, in 2014. Ukrainians know that this attack is just the latest in a long line of attacks.

The name of the book – Intent to Destroy – is perfect. It was always the russian intention to destroy the idea of a free Ukraine, of a Ukrainian language, of a Ukrainian nation with its own traditions and culture. russia’s wars against Ukraine, in the last centuries, were genocidal in nature even before the word genocide existing. It involved killing, deporting, ethnic cleansing, starvation, and the destruction of the Ukrainian language and culture.

Finkel is balanced in his views and the book is less opinionated that others, including here anything I would write myself. This balance, which means that at times he is making some points less forceful than it could have been done, is good. He cannot be accused of being too dramatic because his country of birth is destroyed.

The book covers nicely topics such as US’ inability to find an expert on anything but russia. The Budapest memorandum was a big US and UK failure, as these 2 countries did not understand who they are talking to. Finkel, by highlighting the credentials of the people involved makes this point very subtle. This is only one small example, of under a paragraph, to highlight how book the book is. It is not long either, considering how much history it covers, so I highly recommend it. This is a book suitable for those who do not know the history of russia in relation to Ukraine, it’s clear, concise, beautifully written.

Intent to Destroy by Eugene Finkel

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My rating: 5/5 Stars
Would I recommend it: yes
Published by: Basic Books
Year it was published: 2024
Format: Hardcover
Genre(s): History
Pages: 316

About the author: Eugene Finkel was born in Lviv. Finkel and his family moved to Israel when he was 13 years old. He is a political scientist and historian at Johns Hopkins University who studies political violence, genocide, East European and Israeli politics, and Holocaust studies.
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