A WATERSTONES AND IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEARA breathtaking exploration of Ukraine's past, present, and future, and a heartbreaking account of the war against Russia, written by a leading journalist who has lived and worked in Ukraine for over a decade.'Vivid... Shocking... [Miller] brings a seasoned, personal perspective to his account of both the 16-month conflict and its wider roots.'Daily Telegraph'A beautiful blend of memoir, reportage and history...superb.'Irish Times'...powerful and insightful...Miller provides a human dimension to a bloody conflict.' Kirkus ReviewsWhen Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine just before dawn on 24 February 2022, it marked his latest and most overt attempt to brutally conquer the country, and reshaped the world order. Christopher Miller, the Ukraine correspondent for the Financial Times and a foremost journalist covering the country, was there on the ground when the first Russian missiles struck and troops stormed over the border. But the seeds of Russia's war against Ukraine and the West were sown more than a decade earlier.This is the definitive, inside story of its long fight for freedom. Told through Miller's personal experiences, vivid front-line dispatches and illuminating interviews with unforgettable characters, The War Came To Us takes readers on a riveting journey through the key locales and pivotal events of Ukraine's modern history. From the coal-dusted, sunflower-covered steppe of the Donbas in the far east to the heart of the Euromaidan revolution camp in Kyiv; from the Black Sea shores of Crimea, where Russian troops stealthily annexed Ukraine's peninsula, to the bloody battlefields where Cossacks roamed before the Kremlin's warlords ruled with iron fists; and through the horror and destruction wrought by Russian forces in Bucha, Bakhmut, Mariupol, and beyond.With candor, wit and sensitivity, Miller captures Ukraine in all its glory: vast, defiant, resilient, and full of wonder. A breathtaking narrative that is at times both poignant and inspiring, The War Came To Us is the story of an American who fell in love with a foreign place and its people - and witnessed them do extraordinary things to escape the long shadow of their former imperial ruler and preserve their independence.

Author's NoteMapsA Brief History of UkraineProloguePart one: Peace1 American Boy2 Friends3 A Darker Side of the Donbas4 Acts of JournalismPart two: Revolution and Annexation5 Euromaidan6 "Little Green Men"7 Voting Under The GunPart three: War8 "Russian Spring"9 Stamps10 "Look at Our Republic"11 "Some Fucking Militia"12 Volunteer Battalions13 "Live in a New Way"14 "This is a War Now"15 Executioners16 Fields of Death17 The Launch Site18 "The First Real Independence Day"19 The Supply Runner20 City of Ghosts21 POWs22 The Body Collectors23 City of a Million Roses24 Left Behind25 The Woman in the Grass26 The Cossack Bomb Squad27 PTSDPart four: Full-Scale Invasion28 Warning Signs29 Servant of the People30 Keep Calm and Party On31 The Battle of Kyiv32 Control the Skies33 "Who would like some tea?"34 "Ya tut"35 Heroes36 Escape37 "It feels like I'm doing something wrong"38 The Brothers Vyshyvaniy39 Savagery40 A Storm on the Horizon41 Trouble at Sea42 Siege43 Filtration44 Summertime in the City45 The Battle of the Donbas46 "The Terrorists are Destroying Everything"47 Missiles48 "Fortress Bakhmut"49 "To Peace"50 "I. Love. You."AcknowledgementsIndex