Ukraine drew significant media attention after the 2013-2014 Revolution of Dignity and the
subsequent undeclared war waged by Russia. However the nature of these events and their impact
on the social economic and political development of this country remain under-studied and
hence often misunderstood. The reader is invited to take an inside look at the recent
developments in Ukraine and to search for an answer to the question of whether transition from
externally to internally driven development is possible in this case.Anton Oleinik argues that
Ukraine is currently going through a revolutionary period aimed at building a nation-state and
its aftermath. Ukraine is a latecomer in this process especially compared with most other
European countries. Its outcomes cannot be predicted with certainty. It is yet to be seen if a
current surge in volunteerism and bottom-up civic initiatives will lead to the emergence of a
viable and sustainable national democratic system in this country.
