Book Review of Yaroslav Trofimov's "Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine’s War of Independence."

by Anastasia Leshchyshyn

Anastasia Leshchyshyn (HUSI 2024) produced this book review as part of her work for Dr. Channell-Justice's course "Ukraine in the World: Exploring Contemporary Ukraine."

Yaroslav Trofimov's book Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine’s War of Independence presents a captivating journalistic account of the first year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As only the proverbial “second draft” of history (evolving initial reports that constitute the “first”), the book offers valuable insights into how Ukrainians navigated the uncertainties of the war, facilitated a coordinated resistance, and convinced their allies and the world of their determination to survive. Contrasting scenes of hotel lobbies in Kyiv serve as bookends that illustrate the trajectory of the war and presumptions about Ukraine’s prospects for survival. In the prologue, Trofimov is among the few left in an eerily empty Hyatt on the eve of the invasion, remaining in the heart of the action while others were evacuating en masse; in the final chapter, scenes of a bustling Intercontinental filled with Western diplomats, government officials, and journalists signal a revived belief in a Ukrainian victory and a collective commitment to the country’s post-war reconstruction. 

The forty-eight chapters are structured into eleven sections, that serve to organize the chronology of events and highlight the war’s turning points. The book begins on the eve of the invasion, when after months of fraught diplomatic negotiations with Putin, a shared conviction had taken hold among Western officials that Ukraine was doomed and military support was thus futile. The sense of abandonment is evoked by Trofimov’s retelling of the morning of February 24, 2022: after a brief nocturnal stillness, he hears through an open window the distant thuds that signaled the start of the war.

Readers are immediately pulled into the confusion of the first harrowing days of the invasion – “You don’t know how people will behave,” stated a Ukrainian national security advisor, highlighting inevitable concerns about citizen loyalties and the ability of the machinery of state to hold together under pressure (40). Despite the inevitable anxiety, Trofimov’s account reveals a general eschewal of panic. Whether they were at the grocery store stocking up on the few remaining non-perishables or volunteering for the Territorial Defence Forces at a horse track, people “quietly and stoically, [made] it a point of pride to maintain civility and order” (45). Such collective composure could not mask the suffering endured by Ukraine and its citizens under Russian assault and their perception of the threat’s existential nature. Yet, Trofimov manages to capture the brief bursts of entertainment value offered by the staggering ineptitude of the invaders – often depicted in videos circulated online -- which had the added benefit of boosting morale. “At first people were in awe of Russian tanks,” remarked one interviewee fighting in the Sumy region, “but as it turned out, they catch fire really well” (107).

Much of the book is informed by material from interviews the author conducted with a range of individuals – including Ukrainian government officials, military personnel, foreign officials, aid workers, and civilians – demonstrating the extensive access the author was afforded as a longtime correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, but which took concerted effort (and often much risk) to obtain. Many interviews were conducted below the roar of fighter jets or in the vicinity of smoldering buildings recently struck by Russian missiles. The author seamlessly incorporates direct quotes from interviewees into the text, animating the narrative of events with authentic reactions and perspectives of those who experienced them first-hand. Regular references to the pre-war occupations of interviewees – a computer graphic designer, a studio portrait photographer, a manicurist – remind readers of the lives abruptly put on hold by the war, and the sacrifices made by many as they enlisted in the resistance.  As a reader, one is often held in unaffected suspense – feeling the author’s anxiety of having to constantly distinguish between Russian and Ukrainian military units while in the field – until we too feel relief when he spots a Ukrainian tryzub, “glistening in the sun,” on the wing of a soaring fighter jet (56). 

As a native of Kyiv, Trofimov’s reminiscences of youth in a vibrant capital city starkly contrast with descriptions of deserted streets amidst fierce urban combat, and references to Trofimov’s family history create a personal thread that links the past with the present. References to historical events that occurred in locations where the contemporary invasion was unfolding – including the Babyn Yar massacre (1941) and the Battle of Kruty (1918) – serve to reinforce the long-standing experience of violence and foreign occupation on the territory of Ukraine. Trofimov’s familiarity with Ukraine and an inherent understanding of its citizens positions him as an interpreter between locals and foreigners and enables a recounting of events that underscores the direness of the situation while illuminating moments of light-hearted reprieve. “The foreigner is very upset, is he?” remarks a policeman to Trofimov, as his fellow journalist swears profusely upon release from gunpoint, having been mistaken for a Russian spy and then pettily asked for his driver identification after the error was revealed.

The book will serve as a valuable testimony of how Ukrainians and their allies interpreted and reacted to the shock of Russia’s brutal attempt to terminate Ukraine’s statehood and reconstitute the world order. Yet, the reviewer maintains two concerns about the use of testimonies in the book. First, in instances where interviewees shared their perceptions of public opinion – for example, on such issues as changing identification with the Ukrainian cause among Kharkovites (26) – it would have been prudent to complement such statements with reference to scientifically informed public opinion polls, where available. Even a trade book should be inoculated with academic findings on language use and citizen loyalty in Ukraine, especially as these are issue areas so frequently manipulated by propagandists to justify Russian imperial claims and priorities. Second, endnotes are only provided for interviewee quotes that were previously published. Thus, while the remaining quotes may illustrate an interviewee’s interpretation of events, it’s not always clear when that interpretation was expressed – a timeline that may be significant to future researchers. 

Nevertheless, as a book primarily aimed at a foreign audience, it both heroizes and effectively humanizes the first year of the Ukrainian resistance. Its concluding chapters exude the conviction that Ukrainians had captured the world’s attention and secured their country’s claim to a permanent spot on the world map – “this, by itself,” Trofimov states, “was worth celebrating” (354). While the author acknowledges that “bloody battles lay ahead” (354), the book underscores the futility of negotiations in resolving the war, provides a credible case for the urgency of adequately arming Ukraine, and effectively stokes in the reader a vested interest in Ukraine’s future –one that is convincingly tied with that of the West.