Greetings from Novorossiya: Eyewitness to the War in Ukraine

by Paweł Pieniążek

Introduction by Timothy Snyder

Polish journalist Pawel Pieniazek was among the first journalists to enter the war-torn region of eastern Ukraine and Greetings from Novorossiya is his vivid firsthand account of the conflict. He was the first reporter to reach the scene when Russian troops in Ukraine accidentally shot down a civilian airliner, killing all 298 people aboard. Unlike Western journalists, his fluency in both Ukrainian and Russian granted him access and the ability to move among all sides in the conflict. With powerful color photos, telling interviews from the local population, and brilliant reportage, Pieniazek’s account documents these dramatic events as they transpired.

This unique firsthand view of history in the making brings to life the tragedy of Ukraine for a Western audience. Historian Timothy Snyder provides wider context in his superb introduction and explores the significance of this ongoing conflict at the border of East and West.
 

Genres: Ukraine, Nonfiction, Politics, Polish Literature, Reportage, Poland

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 2015

About the author

Paweł Pieniążek (1989) – dziennikarz specjalizujący się w tematyce Europy Wschodniej. Relacjonował wydarzenia na Majdanie i konflikt zbrojny we wschodniej Ukrainie. Współpracuje z "Dziennikiem Opinii", "Nową Europą Wschodnią", "New Eastern Europe", Informacyjną Agencją Radiową Polskiego Radia S.A. i "Tygodnikiem Powszechnym". Publikował m.in. w "Gazecie Wyborczej", "Newsweeku", "Polityce" i "Wprost".

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pieniazek's eyewitness records are remarkable, but the book's presentation falls flat. There are some problems with the English translation that distract from the content. The photos are distributed without real relation to the text, and the captions are at the back of the book so you have to look up where the photo was taken, breaking up the text. It's a shame because Pieniazek's coverage of these events is an important contribution.

[Jitse · Rating 5 out of 5]

A firsthand account of a Polish journalist on Ukranian ground in 2014. A country torn apart by invasion, war, and the complications of so many different beliefs and opinions (political, religious, social, to name a few). To anyone who is interested in understanding a little more of what happened in Ukraine in 2014, and of the alarm bells that were ringing loudly, announcing current war devastation, I highly recommend this short read. You won’t get an elaborate historical account of Ukraine, Russia, their interdependencies, you just get the bleak, and unpleasant truth of a country and her people finding their different ways towards the future.

The difference between volunteer battalions and regular forces is that people are better motivated in the former. After all, it was their decision to reach for weapons.

The book is also a great example of the discrepancy between the actual truth and the truth as displayed in day-to-day media. How things can be endlessly complicated and confusing, but how we get served the easily digestible. Which we probably ask for?

I read about Russian speaking people defending the right not to have to adopt the Russian language in Ukraine versus non-native Russian speaking people who try to enforce the adoption of Russian language. I read about anti fascists, about separatists, about people who admire the old Soviet Union, but I also read about fascist Ukrainians who proudly wing their nazi symbols on clothes, fighting to defend their country against Russian influence. But nazi symbols were always on the wrong people, right? And if I were in an invaded country and there were fascists among the people defending that country? How should I prioritise?

It’s a hopeless situation. But read the book. It’s important.

On the other hand, pro-Russian demonstrators and militants frequently describe themselves as antifascists. “I hate nationalists and fascists,” a uniformed separatist with a machine gun tells me. A moment later he talks about the blood unity of all Slavs, the greatness of Russian culture and Orthodox religion, but he disparages other faiths.

Religiosity and conservative values are nothing particularly odd among pro-Russian insurgents. Back in April they created the Russian Orthodox Army. From the very beginning of the Russian Spring numerous groups of pilgrims had been strolling around the Donetsk State Regional Administration building that was occupied by separatists. Russian Orthodoxy here is strangely connected with antifascism as they perceive it. Everyone who doesn’t support Russia is a fascist. Local antifascists openly talk about the blood unity of Slavic nations and condemn faiths other than Russian Orthodoxy.

[Dmitry · Rating 2 out of 5]

(The English review is placed beneath the Russian one)

Я уже читал подобную книгу, в которой даётся портрет тех людей, что захватили власть в Донецке и Луганске, а также великолепную книгу о том, как у них это получилось (ответ: благодаря элитам Донбасса). Эта книга не внесла каких-то радикальных нововведений в моё представление о так называемых сепаратистах. Я и тогда и сейчас считаю, что большая часть из них являются обычными бандитами или людьми маргинальными. Как тогда, так и сейчас я считаю, что и украинское правительство поступило в отношении восточных Украинцев если не преступно, то халатно, отказавшись прислушаться к тому, что они говорят и чего они хотят. Так что книга одновременно демонстрирует, какие бандиты пришли к власти в Донецке и Луганске, но она так же демонстрирует, почему они смогли прийти, т.е. что обычные люди, проживающие на данной территории, не были услышаны официальными властями Киева. Конечно, кого-то российская пропаганда обманула и продолжает обманывать, кто-то искренне верил в угрозу со стороны западной Украины, но факт остаётся фактом – это была трагедия жителей Донбасса и что самое главное, элиты ни России, ни Украины не особо волновались по поводу судеб этих людей. Другими словами, эти люди что проживали и проживают на Донбассе, оказались ненужными и возможно даже лишними как для России, так и для Украины. Они оказались просто инструментом в руках украинских и российских политиков. Вот такой вот парадокс, когда виноваты и те и другие, когда одновременно на Донбассе и жертвы и преступники. Впрочем, я всегда писал, что главными преступниками являются представители элиты, как Украины, так и России. Эта грустная книга, которая показывает, что за ошибки, безалаберность и политические интриги (а также за жажду власти) всегда страдают самые незащищённые слои населения. Я не могу сказать что книга «открывает глаза», но она определённо лучше как украинской, так и российской пропаганды.

I have already read a similar book, which gives a portrait of the people who seized power in Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as a great book about how they did it (answer: thanks to the elites of Donbass). This book did not bring any radical innovations to my idea of the so-called separatists. Both then and now, I believe that most of them are ordinary bandits or marginalized people. Both then and now, I believe that the Ukrainian government has acted negligently, if not criminally, towards the eastern Ukrainians by refusing to listen to what they say and what they want. So the book demonstrates what kind of thugs came to power in Donetsk and Luhansk but, it also demonstrates why they were able to come, i.e., that the ordinary people living in the area were not heard by the official authorities in Kiev. Of course, Russian propaganda deceived and continues to deceive some people; some sincerely believed in the threat from Western Ukraine, but the fact remains that this was the tragedy of the inhabitants of Donbas and, most importantly, the elites of neither Russia nor Ukraine were particularly concerned about the fate of these people. In other words, these people who lived and continue to live in Donbass turned out to be unneeded and perhaps even superfluous for both Russia and Ukraine. They turned out to be simply a tool in the hands of Ukrainian and Russian politicians. This is the paradox when both are to blame when there are both victims and perpetrators in Donbas at the same time. However, I have always been writing that the main criminals are members of the elite, both in Ukraine and Russia. This is a sad book that shows that it is always the most vulnerable people who suffer for mistakes, negligence, and political intrigue (as well as lust for power). I can't say that the book is “eye-opening”, but it is definitely better than both Ukrainian and Russian propaganda.

[Dariusz Płochocki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dobrze po raz kolejny wrócić na szlaki tworzącej się DRL i ŁRL, przypomnieć przemieszczanie się frontu i postawy ludzi mieszkających w obwodach. Niestety wydanie, które zgotowała nam KP jest tragicznej jakości, teksty to lekko uzupełnione przedruki, tego co mogliśmy już przeczytać w tekstach Pawła, czy to w DO, czy chociażby TP, okraszone garścią zdjęć. Krótkie to dobro.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Niektórym to się jednak chcę. Pawłowi Pieniążkowi się chciało, zamiast siedzieć w Polsce, pojechał na Ukrainę rozmawiać z ludźmi.
Książka za co duże brawa, jest bardzo obiektywna. Autor rozmawiał zarówno z separatystami jak i Ukraińcami. Nie idealizuje żadnej ze stron.
Ebook jest również bardzo dobrze wydany. Mamy dodatkową czcionkę od wydawcy, do tego dużo zdjęć od Donbasu.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot, but it was at times difficult to follow and understand. I think it is important work and I like the unique style of the book, meant to look like a postcard.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitelty liked it because it gave the sense of what was going on in the east of Ukraine at the time the Russian hybrid occupation started. However, one should read it with understanding that this is what it calims to be, an eyewittness account. I.e. the person writing it just records what he is seeing here and now without looking into some important background details. It reveals the utter confusion, the weakness of the Ukrainian state, the fake nature of the "referenda" and many other interesting things. The Russian role is mostly missing since the Russians interfered covertly. And as someone who has observed fraudulent elections, I know that unless you really know who is who you don't really know what is going on. E.g. if somebody registered as an observer is in reality a local factory director who is there to make sure people show up and vote the "right" way. So, definitely interesting but one should understand that the "separatists" were not really an independent movement. They were something Russian brough about taking advantage of the weak center and the resentment people in the industrial region hit by the dissolution of the USSR felt.

[Gambrinous · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent first-hand account on the post-Maidan crisis, the chaotic DPR/LPR creation, and the early stages of the Russo-Ukrainian war. A must-read to anyone willing to comprehend the nature of the conflict and the events leading to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. While a more unbiased narrative would be appreciated, Pieniazek displays, to my view, a professional approach. The photographic material accompanying the text is just the cherry on the cake.

[Tom Aves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kronika wydarzen na wschodzie Ukrainy zebrana w garści zwięzłych reportaży. Czyta się łatwo, trochę obrazków z życia mieszkańców, separatystów i wojskowych Ukraińców. Sięgam po drugą część