Just read "Blowout" by Rachel Maddow. Most people are unaware that she has a Phd in Political Science, and that she really knows history. She looks at teh history of big oil, Russia and Ukraine, and all the corruption associated with it, and it simply provides the background, in order to better understand recent events. It is very comprehensive. By the end of the book I felt like my understanding or recent events was more than just a vague awareness.
I recommend the book highly.
NPR : "Rachel Maddow didn't set out to write a book. But a nagging question led her there: Why did Russia interfere in America's 2016 presidential election, and why attack the United States in such a cunning way? " :
She did figure it out, and it is detailed in the book.