Since the attack on Ukraine began in early 2014, Russia has been hit by successive waves of sanctions. Greater international awareness of the reasons behind Putin’s Ukraine obsession would certainly be helpful.ĭespite more than seven years of Russian aggression against Ukraine, many outside observers still struggle to grasp the true nature of the conflict and fail to understand why the Kremlin strongman is prepared to pay such a disproportionately high price to prevent the loss of Ukraine. UkraineAlert is a comprehensive online publication that provides regular news and analysis on developments in Ukraine’s politics, economy, civil society, and culture. Subscribe for the latest from UkraineAlert When Putin publicly states that Ukraine is an anti-Russian project that can only be sovereign with Russia’s consent, the international community needs to take him very seriously indeed. Russia continues to occupy Crimea and much of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, while the Kremlin has concentrated a large number of additional army units close to the border with Ukraine. Over fourteen thousand Ukrainians have been killed and millions displaced by Russian aggression since 2014. It would be easy to dismiss Putin’s historically illiterate assertions as harmless political posturing. “I am convinced that true Ukrainian sovereignty is only possible in partnership with Russia,” he notes. Putin’s most ominous comments are reserved for the final few paragraphs. Independent Ukraine, he declares, “is entirely the brainchild of the Soviet era, and was to a large extent created at the expense of historical Russian lands.” He argues at length that today’s Ukraine is little more than a Western project designed solely to undermine Russia, and likens Ukraine’s post-Soviet nation-building efforts to weapons of mass destruction. Throughout his rambling essay, Putin issues a number of thinly-veiled threats and repeatedly demonstrates his contempt for Ukrainian statehood. Far from seeking to promote understanding and reconciliation between the two nations, the Russian leader’s article reads like a justification for an even larger war. It also makes clear that he views his ongoing campaign of aggression against Ukraine as both an historic mission and a noble cause. This 5,000 word epic doesn’t contain anything entirely new, but it does serve as an important official record of the many myths and conspiracy theories that have long fueled Putin’s obsession with Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has finally published his hotly-anticipated essay on the “historical unity” of Russians and Ukrainians, and it did not disappoint.
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