The Bomb as an Inheritance. The Collapse of the USSR and the Nuclear Disarmament of Ukraine. Mariana Budzheryn

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world. But along with this military power, the Ukrainian authorities found themselves faced with a difficult dilemma: whether to abandon weapons of mass destruction in exchange for international guarantees or, despite the threat of international isolation, to seek a way to establish itself as a nuclear state. The book “The Bomb as an Inheritance” by Mariana Budzheryn is a deep analytical study of this choice, formed at the intersection of domestic political uncertainty, economic crisis and external pressure from nuclear powers, in particular the USA and Russia.

The author, relying on archival materials, memories of participants in the events and international documents, reconstructed the multi-level negotiation process around Ukraine’s nuclear heritage and restored the logic of the decision to denuclearize Ukraine and the security promises enshrined in the Budapest Memorandum. After 2014, against the backdrop of Russian aggression, this document has once again become the focus of attention of politicians, researchers, and the public. Did Ukraine really have a choice in the 1990s that it did not use? What exactly was promised to it in exchange for disarmament? Could it have maintained its nuclear status? If so, would Russia have dared to engage in such a bold aggression?

“The Bomb as an Inheritance” critically reflects on these questions and warns against simplified scenarios that do not take into account the conditions and principles under which Ukraine became independent.