Accidental Ukrainians Part One

Accidental Ukrainians is a description of living through the Russo-Ukrainian War by US citizens living in Kyiv as non-combatants from the Battle of Kyiv (February 2022) through the first year of the full-scale invasion (February 2023). Featuring personal accounts of events on the ground and other background on Ukraine.   
 
Accidental Ukrainians enables you to witness the Russo-Ukrainian War from the viewpoint of US civilians on the ground, who went to Ukraine without a political or personal agenda. Many of the chapters were written as the events were taking place and thus capture the reality of war along with how people survive and deal  with the various day-to-day challenges. This is the first book of a series that will cover those experiences through each year since February 2022. 

"Written in a very personal and emotionally resonant style, Accidental Ukrainians is an engaging insight into the life of two non-combatant expatriates in Ukraine of 2022-2023. It is a vivid, often chilling, tale of everyday people trying to cope with a war of extermination imposed upon the country and its people by the Russian invasion. Sometimes tender, other times tough, it is a read brimming with hope, which I’m sure you are going to like as much as I do." Tom Cooper, author, editor @War series.

"John has one of the most important accounts for people to hear. His experiences, efforts, and contacts are wide-ranging. From his book you will get not only a personal understanding of living in Ukraine, but an understanding of what is the Ukrainian experience in a broader or societal sense. Typical of a Marine, his mindset reflects the importance of constantly improving the fighting position; which might explain why his experiences since the start of the full-scale invasion have been so broad. By reading his account of the invasion, you will get an unfiltered sense of what is at stake. But, similar to me, you also might get a truer sense of yourself, realizing where you need to stand, and what you can do, at this critical juncture in history." Matt Boben, former US Army captain.

"As a TV journalist, I had the rare opportunity and privilege of interviewing John and Natasha Sennett numerous times since February 2022 - as they navigate through the treacherous terrain of a brutal and bloody conflict. Their steadfast determination to survive and report about the daily barrage of horrific unknowns … now allows us to digest this rare and fascinating first-hand account of Vladimir Putin’s awful war - and the toll it’s taken on the Ukrainian people. Compassionate in its human portrayals, this compelling narrative records daily events through the eyes of innocent civilians - caught in the crosshairs of a ruthless superpower - which is hell-bent on setting the clock back to totalitarian times. Not only does “Accidental Ukrainians” clarify and demystify a barbaric conflict that has implications far beyond the borders of Eastern Europe - it is also a resounding affirmative answer to the life-question all of us share. This book shows how ordinary people can be unrelenting in their pursuit of greater and higher human values - even in the midst of a monstrous ordeal. This is a story about confronting the unthinkable, adapting to it - and facing head-on the daily adversities in a convulsive and ever-changing epoch." Jeff Barnd TV News Anchor / News Director