Image: Cover of the book "Our Enemies Will Vanish: The Russian Invasion and Ukraine's War of Independence" By Yaroslav Trofimov

Our Enemies Will Vanish: If Only

An authoritative account of Ukraine’s war against Russian aggression.

January 21, 2024

A copy of this book should be on the desk of every Western decision-maker. They will find it difficult reading. This is not the author’s fault: Yaroslav Trofimov, chief foreign affairs correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, writes exemplary prose: clear, vivid, and within a convincing analytical framework. The trouble for Western decision-makers is the bleak light that it casts on their dithering and cowardice, and the horrible cost paid by Ukrainians as a result.

Born in Soviet-era Ukraine, Trofimov brings personal as well as professional insights to his coverage.“It felt wrong to wear on the streets of my own hometown the vest and the helmet that I had donned hundreds of times in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other war zones,” he writes. The book’s title, “Our Enemies Will Vanish,” is a line in the national anthem, “Ukraine has not yet perished.” In 11 arresting chapters, the author outlines his native land’s flawed and partial preparations for full-scale war, the hubris of the aggressors, the galvanizing effect on society, the startling success of counter-attacks in Kherson and elsewhere—and the descent into attritional warfare after Russia changed its tactics.

Much of this material has been reported already, but readers will still find the book a valuable reminder of dramatic events that have been obscured by subsequent ones. President Zelensky’s bravery in the perilous early days of the war, and the decisive effect of his “we are all here” handheld video filmed on the stricken streets of Kyiv is one example. The defiance shown by the garrison on Snake Island is another. Trofimov’s coverage of the all too numerous atrocities is unsparing without lapsing into prurience.

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His reporting of the diplomatic twists and terms at the start of the war knocks on the head the idea that Russia was willing to offer a peace deal, and that Ukraine was seriously considering accepting it. In truth, Russia had no interest in a negotiated settlement, and the Ukrainians were aware of that. Both sides played for time and sought limited practical deals, chiefly on prisoner exchanges. The real issue, Trofimov makes clear, is Russian imperialism; Ukraine’s existence as a sovereign country and any manifestation of a distinct culture are in themselves an intolerable affront to the Russian colonial mindset.

The most devastating part of the book concerns not the brutality of the Russian occupiers, or the resultant Ukrainian suffering. It is the gap between the reality on the ground and perceptions in Western capitals. Outsiders believed that Ukraine was bound to lose; then that it could not win, then that it could win – but only at the cost of dangerous escalation with a nuclear-armed Russia. Western aid did come eventually, but always too little, and too late. Trofimov highlights this “perverse logic”: providing enough help to fend off defeat, but not enough to exploit Russian weakness. The Leopard and Abrams tanks, Bradley and Stryker fighting vehicles, Patriot air defenses, and other weapons systems that could have made a big difference in 2022 did not arrive until 2023.

Meanwhile, the Russian forces learned from their initial mistakes. In the summer of 2023, Ukrainian forces encountered well-fortified positions densely protected with landmines. The West’s childlike attention span faltered. But talk of stalemate is misleading. Ukraine has scored big successes in occupied Crimea and lately in striking targets deep inside Russia. Readers will hope that these under-reported stories feature in Trofimov’s next book, out in July, he tells me. The national anthem ends by declaring that “Ukraine’s fame and glory will be known among all nations.” True, but few would have wished it this way.

Europe’s Edge is CEPA’s online journal covering critical topics on the foreign policy docket across Europe and North America. All opinions expressed on Europe’s Edge are those of the author alone and may not represent those of the institutions they represent or the Center for European Policy Analysis. CEPA maintains a strict intellectual independence policy across all its projects and publications.