Russia v Ukraine

[hackney]

Originally Posted by Mulva

So what are the reasons that justify Russia's invasion?

There are numerous theories:Putin is said to want to rebuild a Russian sphere of influence in Eastern Europe, principally embracing former Soviet republics ,such as now independent Estonia,Latvia,Lithuania,Belarus, Georgia & Ukraine.He has frequently bemoaned their ‘loss’ after the Soviet Union collapsed.Putin may also hope to demonstrate to the west(& Russians) that the country is still a superpower, even though by most measures (nuclear weapon stockpiles & geography apart)it is failing medium sized power. Why Ukraine?Putin fears strategically important Ukraine commanding Russia’s south western flank is assimilating into the west.He objects to its growing closeness to NATO.He also opposes Kyiv’s developing links with the EU, worse still, from his point of view,Ukraine is a democracy with free speech, free media, which freely elects its leaders.Russians enjoy no such freedoms,if they followed Ukraines example,Putin would not last long.More broadly,Putin is a nostalgic revisionist, who regards Ukraine as an integral part of historical Russia & it’s loss as a symbol of Russia’s Cold War defeat.