
Putin’s recent intervention into the Syrian conflict has taken attention off the war he started in Ukraine two years ago. In recent months, many historical moments relating to Ukraine’s struggle to uphold democratic values and move away from Russian hegemony have been eclipsed by world events that have pushed, seemingly into oblivion, the tragic repercussions of Putin’s war in Ukraine. Myroslava M. Mudrak, Professor Emerita of The Ohio State University, seeks to bring these realities into the foreground. By echoing the title of the renowned film “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors” (in this 50th anniversary year of its release), Mudrak examines issues of dissidence, distrust, and defiance in the shaping of Ukraine as a new European state.