Ukraine’s Nuclear History: A Non-Proliferation Perspective

(Contributions to International Relations)

This  book presents a comprehensive overview of Ukraine's nuclear history,  beginning from its experiences within the Russian Empire in the early  20th century, through the Soviet period, to the emergence of Ukraine as  an independent state that inherited the world’s third-largest nuclear  arsenal.

The book discusses the development of the nuclear  infrastructure on Ukrainian soil and offers a rich and nuanced  background of how Ukraine became an important and integrated part of the  Soviet nuclear infrastructure. It further analyzes Ukraine's nuclear  disarmament based on extensive primary source material and places the  Ukrainian nuclear reversal process in a larger international political  context where Russia´s, the United States, and other players´ actions  are interpreted in the light of the impact on the current nuclear  non-proliferation regime. Finally, the book presents the nuclear-related  development after the nuclear disarmament. It describes the integration  of Ukraine into the international community and the role of nuclear  power in the energy mix of the nation today. Concluding, Ukraine´s  adaptation to the new security situation after the Russian annexation of  Crimea is described and discussed.

This volume is a must-read  for scholars, researchers, students, and policy-makers interested in a  better understanding of Ukraine's nuclear history, the political  background of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, as well as of security  studies and international relations in general. The work on this book  has been supported by the Swedish Radiation Authority (SSM) in the  Nuclear History of Ukraine Project (2015-2019).