The city of donesk was probably one of the most clean, pleasant places i had visited in ikrain. But it was also a very empty city. There ware no traffic jams, whatever. Very few people walking on the streets. And this is because already, in 20 16, more than two million people had fled the war in eastern ukraine. Most of them had then fled to other parts of uKraine. That's why it's a bit difficult to answer your question. Yes, a lot of the people i met in and yet, they were pro russians, but most of them had already left.
Tracing Russia’s vast border, which meets those of 14 other countries, helps tells the history of Russia itself. From its imperial past to Soviet-era expansions and contractions leading up to its current war of aggression in Ukraine today, the Russian border is a landscape of uneasy uncertainty for many of the country's immediate neighbours. Erika Fatland is a Norwegian writer whose work has focused on issues that range from terrorism to travel and cultural history. Her 2020 book, The Border, followed the path of Russia's border over thousands of miles in order to understand how countries approach being a neighbour to a temperamental superpower. Following the tragic events in Ukraine, the book is even more relevant and Erika joined our producer Catharine Hughes to talk about it.
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