It is a political, military and social history of the East European subcontinent at constant war - imperial, national, civil, and brigandage - for scholars and readers interested in warfare, empires, and the "phenomenon" of Ukraine. Overlapping major powers - the Ottomans, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and Muscovy-Russia - clashed over the grand geopolitical Ukraine, stretching from the Danube through the Black Sea and Caucasus to the Caspian Sea. Embedded in this turbulent conflict is the emergence of Ukraine or several "Ukraines," proto-states of military groups, bound together by strategic objectives, social class and economic interest. They were sponsored by the empires and overwhelmed them from within, developing superior resources and fighting capabilities. It is a link to contemporary Ukraine and a fascinating glance into the current confrontation.