Ukraine is often reduced to headlines: war, courage, corruption, and so on. But beneath the surface lies a peculiar frontier society―formed on historically contested territories―where personal freedom is prized, horizontal mobilization flares during crisis, and an “us vs. them” mentality shapes societal and individual choices. Ukraine Layer by Layer peels back the cultural tiers behind today’s politics and daily life. Why do Ukrainians distrust the state, yet demand that it works? Why do rules feel negotiable―and Western-style reforms fail unless they are adapted? Why do public debates so easily slide into srach (bickering)? Why is corruption treated as both painful and oddly “explanatory”? How does the myth of Russians and Ukrainians as “brother nations” unfold the moment you look at the two peoples’ values and institutions? Written as a clear, research-grounded explainer, the book uses cross-cultural frameworks, diachronic comparisons, and empirical evidence to map how values, norms, and institutions interact―and what that means for rebuilding, reform, and working with Ukraine without stereotypes. Maryna Starodubska, M.Sc., studied Human Resources Management & Organizational Psychology at Birkbeck, University of London, and has 15 years of experience in consultancy as well as research regarding cross-cultural interaction. She is Adjunct Professor at the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School and was a Visiting Lecturer at the Tallinn University of Technology, University of Tartu, and at Institut Magellan in Paris. Starodubska is author of, among others, the widely noted book Iak zrozumity ukraintsiv: kroskul’turnyy pohliad (“How to Understand Ukrainians: A Cross-Cultural Perspective”) which was published by the Kharkiv-based publishing house “Vivat” in 2024 and provided inspiration for the present volume. Natalka Cmoc has been Canada’s Ambassador to Ukraine since 2023.