Member-only story
Everyone was astounded when Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022. There was rage, fines, and a reaction from everyone around that never witnessed in contemporary times. Someone is clearly being nasty, but there are plenty more going on than only property claim issues. Russia’s assault of Ukraine is motivated by military calculations, ancient resentment, and economic considerations. All of them have bearing on President Vladimir Putin’s objective of once more becoming Russia the strongest nation on Earth.
Russia regards Ukraine as a significant component of its history and culture, hence the war is mostly caused by it. Ukraine formerly constituted a major component of both the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. In 1991 it became its independent nation, costing Moscow a lot of territory and authority. Russia’s President Putin believes that Ukraine’s participation of Western organizations such as NATO and the EU represents a political threat against Russia’s past relations to the territory. In his comments, Putin sometimes emphasizes the past and culture that all Slavs share. He believes this bond breaks as Ukraine moves toward the West. Part of this emotion stems from Russian patriotism and partly from more general concerns about losing influence over former Soviet Union nations.
Safety concerns help to strengthen this perspective of history. Since they intend to join…
