Could someone please explain the history of the Russian - Ukraine conflict?

by KiefKong

I'm having a hard time finding an unbiased history leading up to the current state of affairs. Any book references would also be much appreciated

Hinmatoowyalahtqit

The Russia-Ukraine history came up a lot a few months ago with Putin and all that, so our mods made a thread for questions about Russo-Ukrainian history.

The AskHistorians Crimea thread - ask about the history of Russia, Ukraine and the Crimea.

And

The AskSocialScience Crimea thread - ask about the history, politics and economy of Russia, Ukraine and the Crimea.