The Dogs of Mariupol Russia’s Invasion and the Forging of Ukraine’s Iron Generation

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Kateryna hung up her dresses, Oksana and Stanislav put down their lawyers’ briefs, and Oksen slammed shut his philosophy textbooks. Alongside thousands of their fellow citizens, they strapped on armour, picked up weapons and chose to risk their lives for the freedom and independence of their homeland. Many would never return.

Journalist Thomas Mutch woke up in Kyiv on 24 February to a world changed for ever. Making a fateful choice to stay and cover the invasion, he witnessed the forging of an ‘iron generation’ of young Ukrainians. With first-hand reporting from all the war’s major battlegrounds and front lines, The Dogs of Mariupol recounts the war’s notorious encounters, such as the battle of Kyiv and the siege of Mariupol, but also recounts untold stories, like the 1st Tank Brigade’s desperate defence of Chernihiv and Ukraine’s failed assault on the Russian stronghold of Kreminna.

This is not a just triumphalist account of Ukraine’s fight. It painstakingly documents the immense human catastrophe wrought on Ukrainian society and the divisions between those who fought and those who fled. It also delves deeper into events to answer important historical questions: could the Russian plan to capture Kyiv have succeeded? Did Ukraine make a fatal error by committing for so long to the defence of Bakhmut? And could this terrible war have somehow been averted?

Reviews

“Tom Mutch’s vivid portrayal of the battle for Mariupol pulls you in, making you feel as if you’re reliving those intense days yourself. I recommend this account to policymakers, veterans and anyone who wants to know what the war in Ukraine is really like.”

Shaun Pinner, former British Army soldier, Ukrainian Marine and Mariupol defender and author of Live. Fight. Survive.

“Even as someone who has reported on the conflict in Ukraine for three years, I found The Dogs of Mariupol an extraordinary read. This superbly crafted account of the author’s experiences travelling the length and breadth of Ukraine captures in granular detail the extreme highs and lows of modern warfare in 21st-century Europe.”

Paul Conroy, war photographer and bestselling author of Under the Wire

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