Th e purpose of the article is to present the historical background to the war in Ukraine. It began in 2014 but was only rarely mentioned in the top news stories in recent years. As a new phase of the war began, engulfi ng the greater part of the country, Europe witnessed the biggest refugee crisis since World War II. As the main actors in the war are mentioning certain historical milestones from the recent and not-so-recent past, it is only fi tt ing that we present them and gain at least a partial insight into the wider background and into today's events in Eastern Europe.