Book publication "Die übersehene Nation. Deutschland und die Ukraine seit dem 19. Jahrhundert."

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There is little doubt that Germany bears historical responsibility toward Russia for the crimes committed during World War II. However, the fact that this applies even more so to Ukraine is much less firmly anchored in the public consciousness. Martin Schulze Wessel presents the first history of German-Ukrainian relations and recalls how closely German and Ukrainian history are intertwined in the 20th century. In his impressively written book, he shows how historical experiences and perceptions continue to have an impact today and asks what this means for our current relationship with Ukraine.

During World War I, German colonial plans for Eastern Europe coincided with the aspirations of the Ukrainian national movement. This made it possible for a Ukrainian nation state to be founded in 1918 under German occupation. This was one of the reasons why Stepan Bandera sought an alliance with Nazi Germany during World War II, but Hitler's colonial project differed fundamentally from that of imperial Germany. Ukraine became the center of Germany's war of extermination. After 1945, Ukraine disappeared from German consciousness again in the Soviet Union, and even after 1991 it remained a largely overlooked nation – with fatal consequences for the German response to Russia's war of aggression since 2014. Anyone who recalls German-Ukrainian history, as Martin Schulze Wessel does, will find it more difficult to remain indifferent to the fate of the country.

C. H. Beck Verlag

SZ interview from November 10, 2025