Book Review: The Ruling Families of Rus: Clan, Family and Kingdom by Christian Raffensperger and Donald Ostrowski

Abstract

spring’, the city on the frontline, the final resting place for unidentified Ukrainian fighters, home to thousands of refugees and IDPs, Dnipro came to embody Ukraine’s resilience and inclusivity. And although Portnov maintains that political allegiances back in 1991 and 2014 could not be presupposed, those were the exact choices which have determined what modern Ukrainianness should look like. In the end, ‘who controls Dnipropetrovsk, controls the entire east’ (325). Overall, the book offers a vivid assemblage of interwoven storylines and episodes from the city’s multi-dimensional past, which combined result in an entangled history of Dnipro as a European city. This book is an essential read for everyone wishing to understand the multi-layered history of Ukraine and diversity of its regions. It can also serve as a starting point for scholars wishing to explore numerous episodes and historical events mentioned in the book, which unfortunately could not be discussed in more detail due to the extensive scope of the study.