If you are looking for more context — geopolitical, historical and otherwise — into the current, ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, there are resources on hand at your local library branch.

Bogdan Horbal, Curator for Slavic & East European Collections at the New York Public Library, has offered a reading list, which he says will give insight into "the circumstances that led to what is now the largest conflict to erupt in Europe since World War II."

His list, below, includes mostly recent works meant to shed light on the complex shared history of the area, as well as what he calls the "pivotal moments" that have played out over the last few decades.

"From this complexity comes varied perspectives and competing perspectives, with different understandings of how history has developed," Horbal says. "Taken together with the challenges Ukraine has faced, both internally and externally, ever since its post-Soviet transformation into an independent state, there is a lot to know."

Here's where to start:

Available Through The NYPL's Circulating Catalog

General Works on Ukraine

Post-1991 Developments

Available Through The NYPL's Research Catalog (to read on-site at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building only)

General Works on Ukraine

Post-1991 Developments