Maria Lewytzkyj

In this deeply researched one-of-a-kind investigation of Putin's Russia with its fortress mentality and ever-increasing defiance of western international standards and principles, Maria Lewytzkyj-Milligan, a former CIA analyst, reveals a keen eye for human rights violations amid Russia's push to build a superior alternativeto the pillars of the Western world. Focusing on potentially the worst international crisis in more than fifty years in Crimea and the war in the Eastern part of Ukraine, she sheds light on how these events have impacted individuals living in an ever-changing situation to capture a snap shot of their lives at this historical turning point. In this stark and powerful portrayal as an advocate for human rights, she shares personal accounts of people living in the war zones whose voices must not be obscured. Their unprotected fight for freedom makes none of us safe as they risk everything to build a free and open society. Her educational experience at Monterey Institute of International Studies, where she earned an MA, and her personal background as a Ukrainian-American provide a unique insight into the complexity of the consequences of war and lives torn apart by divided loyalties in Russia's sphere of influence.