The American Association of Ukrainian Studies awarded honorable mention to Vladimir Solonari’s book, A Satellite Empire: Romanian Rule in Southwestern Ukraine, 1941-1944. Solonari is an associate professor of history and his research focuses on the policy of ethnic cleansing in World War II Romania.
The competition committee described the award-winning publication as a pioneering, comprehensive, nuanced and insightful contribution to Ukrainian history. The association also noted that Solonari’s account of the Romanian occupation of the so-called “Transnistria” will be of great value for anyone studying World War II in Eastern Europe, the policies of Nazis and their satellites, wartime occupation regimes, and life on occupied territories in all their multifacetedness and complexity.
“I am greatly honored by this award and thankful to the committee for their consideration,” Solonari says. “I would like to use this opportunity to express my gratitude to my home institution, University of Central Florida, and in particular to my colleagues in the Department of History, for their continuous encouragement and support for my work on this project.”