Why did Putin's Russia Attack Ukraine?
Why Did Putin’s Russia Attack Ukraine?
Look at the world map. For 25 days and counting, the small country of Ukraine has withstood an invasion by the army of the largest country in the world, and a nuclear power at that — Russia.
Russia’s attack on Ukraine actually began in 2014, with the illegal annexation of Crimea to the Russian Federation, the invasion into the territory of Donbass, and the creation of two illegal states there: the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR respectively).
On December 5, 1994, the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Great Britain and the United States signed the Memorandum on Security Assurances. Under this agreement, Ukraine transferred the world’s third-largest nuclear weapons stockpile to Russia in exchange for a commitment by Russia, Britain and the United States to respect the independence, sovereignty and existing borders of Ukraine. The Memorandum reads, in part, as follows:
The Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and The United States of America reaffirm their obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine, and that none of their weapons will ever be used against Ukraine except in self-defense or otherwise in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
All four countries signed this document, and even Putin agreed with this. He claimed that he agreed with the borders of Ukraine that existed at that time, and these borders would not be revised. Then in 2014, he brought in insignia-less troops and seized Crimea and territories in the Donbass. It was aggression and a gross violation of the norms of international law.
During the first war in Ukraine (2014), I personally tracked information from many different sources, watched dozens of hours of private videos and compared them. It was through the example of that war that I realized exactly how we were lied to and brainwashed in the USSR. Putin has not invented anything new and he uses the classic techniques of the USSR: falsification of data, intimidation of the population, “whataboutism,” demagogy and many other manipulative tactics.
My investigation showed me that Russia lied the most then, up to and including outright falsification! A fire in a Canadian city was presented as a burning city in Ukraine. Furthermore, Russia claimed that a fire in the Russian Federation on a field in the Volgograd region was the Ukrainian authorities burning their own fields. I checked where the photos were actually taken. Initially, the Ukrainian Web site StopFake.org exposed this fake news, disproving Putin’s propaganda. I double checked their information, not all 75 fake items, but many of them*. The situation has not changed. Putin’s propaganda is still lying.
I can say for sure that construction of the fence along the border between Crimea and Ukraine began a few days BEFORE the referendum in Crimea. Also, according to the testimony of residents, Ukrainian news was turned off in Crimea before the referendum and people were only shown the news of the Russian Federation, in which the Ukrainian authorities were called Nazis. People were intimidated: “Now the Nazis will come to kill you.” The Crimean referendum, held at gunpoint, cannot be called legal.
Most importantly, why was aggression against Ukraine necessary? Until 2014, nothing foreshadowed such a development. Although Ukraine and Russia were countries with a very high level of corruption, their economies were developing, international relations were good, and Ukraine did not talk about joining NATO.
ALL that the people of Ukraine wanted at that time was to sign the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union (EU). Let me note: Ukraine was not going to be admitted to the EU at that time, because of the high level of corruption. It was just about cooperation. There were no decisions on Ukraine’s accession to the EU, NATO, or the closure of the Russian military base in Sevastopol. There was no talk about this (as far as I know from the media from many countries).
Why did the Ukrainians want to develop relations with the EU and, in the future, possibly join this organization (not NATO, since there was no threat from the Russian Federation at that time)? It was because almost all of the former Warsaw Pact countries that joined the EU have dramatically improved their economic performance. For example, a comparison of life in Hungary versus life in Ukraine certainly did not favour Ukraine. People always want a better life for themselves and their children. That is why, when President Yanukovych, who was the president of Ukraine at that time, refused to conclude an agreement with the EU, the Ukrainians realized that they and their children were being deprived of a better future. They protested at the Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv.
But even at that time, Ukrainians did not even consider breaking off relations with Russia. What for? It was clear to absolutely everyone in the world that the economic and cultural interests of those two countries, as well as the family ties of the people of both countries, are so intertwined that there is not the slightest need to break them. It is just stupid.
Russia is not Putin, and they have different interests.
Russia does not, and cannot, have any rights or interests in another sovereign state — Ukraine. On the other hand, Putin has an interest in destabilizing Ukraine, which he has been actively engaged in over the past eight years.
Why is that?
1) If Putin were to stop destabilizing Ukraine, then Ukraine could get rid of corruption and prosper with the help of the international community (like many former Warsaw Pact countries — just look at the statistics relating to their economic performance).
Ukraine would show the Russians the way to a better future. This would mean the end of Putin’s power.
Putin became afraid, as a result of the Maidan protests, and he immediately ensured the adoption of more than 16 laws in the Russian Federation, laws which infringed on the rights and freedoms of citizens and which gave him the right to throw into jail anyone who did not agree with him. Furthermore, even at that time, Putin created a guard force for himself, which he personally controlled and which was equal in number to the NATO troops in Europe at the end of the Cold War. So, in Putin’s mind, dividing Ukraine is acceptable, but if people propose to separate some part of Russia, then they are sentenced to five years in prison? But what about the right of nations to self-determination, which Putin was so concerned about in the case of Ukraine? As usual, there is only hypocrisy and lies.
2) According to the NATO document “Study on NATO Enlargement:”
States which have ethnic disputes or external territorial disputes, including irredentist claims, or internal jurisdictional disputes must settle those disputes by peaceful means in accordance with OSCE principles. Resolution of such disputes would be a factor in determining whether to invite a state to join the Alliance.
The creation of the DPR and LPR and the illegal annexation of Crimea made it possible to create an unresolvable territorial conflict in Ukraine, and thus prevent its possible entry into NATO. Putin employed exactly the same trick with Georgia.
3) It is likely that the new Russian “czar,” i.e., Putin, stepped into a trap into which many dictators have fallen before him. It is called “a small victorious war.” Corruption and the unwillingness to share power caused the Russian economy to fall into decay. As long as oil prices remained high, Putin was lucky — economically, the Russian Federation kept afloat. However, the situation changed, and he decided that a “small victorious war” would significantly boost the Russian people’s confidence in him. In addition, Putin has never hidden the fact that his dream is the revival of the USSR. The “czar” wanted to annex the new lands.
4) As has happened more than once in history, Putin has become increasingly convinced of his own infallibility and greatness. Thanks to him, Russia has been living in an artificial reality for a long time. Putin’s advisors fear him more and more. Dating back to the days of the USSR, and even earlier, the expression “run ahead of the locomotive” has been known, that is, to get ahead of events. For example, a subordinate is so eager to please his boss that he anticipates his boss’s desires. Therefore, the advisors did not stop the “czar,” but, on the contrary, they pushed him to war with Ukraine.
In addition to the reasons listed above, the invasion of Ukraine is due to the fact that Putin is a corrupt dictator. The worst thing is that now, for him, capturing Ukraine and winning this war is a matter of maintaining his personal power and position. If Putin loses the war, then he will lose power. And the question of maintaining power and position is, for a dictator, quite literally a matter of life and death. Putin is not an American president who, at the end of his presidency, will simply pack his suitcase and leave. This is what distinguishes free countries from dictatorships. Now, the “czar” is ready to drag the whole world with him to the grave, if necessary.
Currently, there is a war still going on in Ukraine; civilians and children are dying. Russia is the aggressor. Ukrainians did not invite Russia into their country and they will not do so in the future. (How do I know? I have friends and acquaintances all over Ukraine. I can see what is happening there at any time). Putin is trying to justify the war using some of Hitler’s arguments. In reality, nothing can justify this war against the people of Ukraine. Ultimately, the nation cannot be defeated. Even if the country itself is defeated, the people will never give up. They will keep fighting.
Even women in Ukraine are fighting for their country. In Russia, people like to cite other countries as an example. For instance, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, Prince Andrew, fought in the South Atlantic during the Falklands War. Only Putin needs the war with Ukraine, so let him go and fight there and let him bring his own daughters to fight alongside him in Ukraine.
History teaches us that all dictatorships and empires ALWAYS fall apart, and dictators end badly. The question is: how many people have to die in Putin’s dirty war before this happens?
*«StopFake.org Top 75 Review». Dec 4, 2014.
