"Freedman skilfully sifts evidence and arguments, mostly cutting through propaganda and disinformation" -- Robert Brinkley, Chatham House Ukraine Forum, UK, International Affairs "Freedman's book provides an original contribution to the growing number of academic studies of the Russian-Ukrainian war since 2014." -- Taras Kuzio, National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy, Europe-Asia Studies "Freedman's book offers a thorough and insightful accounting of not just how and why Russia seized Crimea and intervened in eastern Ukraine in 2014, but also the broader strategic lessons and implications of the crisis and the West's response. A must-read for anyone interested in Russia's ongoing confrontation with the West and the form that it has taken in Ukraine." -Charles A. Kupchan, Professor of International Affairs, Georgetown University, and Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations "When the Dean of the Art of Strategy expounds, the students say 'Give us an example.' And what an example!, It is an instant classic of the 'case study,' casting all others of the genre into the shadows. To comprehend the vicissitudes of clashing nations, the book is as surprising as it is convincing." -Charles Hill, Distinguished Fellow in Grand Strategy, Yale University, and Research Fellow, the Hoover Institution, Stanford University "Freedman cuts through the fog of disinformation that has engulfed Ukraine, systematically challenging Western and Russian 'hot takes' alike, grounding his study in fact and imbuing it with just the right mix of wisdom and humility.

Above all, he reminds us that war is a time not to seek flippant answers, but to ask vexing questions." -Samuel Greene, Director, King's Russia Institute and Reader in Russian Politics, King's College London "Freedman places the war in Ukraine under the dispassionate eye of a master strategist and applying lessons from the study of deterrence, limited war, and strategic theory. His analysis is essential for thinking clearly about the war raging in the middle of Europe - and perhaps more important, for thinking realistically about how to end it." -Tom Nichols, author of The Death of Expertise.