Russia chose to start a war against. A full-scale invasion. This war is unprovoked and unjustified. Russian propaganda calls is a “special military operation” in order to hide its its crimes and deceive the world. Russia calls its massive indiscriminate bombing campaign of numerous Ukrainian cities a “self-defense.” In fact, Russia has developed numerous excuses to confuse the public in countries. Russia’s invented reasons for invading Ukraine also include: “protecting” people in Donbas and Russian-speaking people in other parts of Ukraine, preventing Ukraine from developing a “dirty bomb” in Chornobyl and other nuclear plants, destroying “biological and chemical weapons” that include “birds infected with virus against Slavic ethnicity” and supposedly prevent a possible future war against Russia. All of these accusations are false. They are inventions of insane Russian propaganda.
Russia’s goal is destroy Ukraine’s democracy and preserve Russian dictatorship. The invasion of Ukraine is premeditated and has long roots.
Intoxicated with his unlimited power for over two decades, Putin has become obsessed with “Russia’s greatness” and restoring its control over the territory of the former Russian empire. He has repeatedly referred to the tragedy of losing the Russian empire and the collapse of the Soviet Union in his public statements. Most recently, he said so in his address to the Russian people on February 21, when he announced his plans to attack Ukraine.
Russia wants to prevent Ukraine from becoming a democracy, because it will provide an example that the Russian people will want to follow in the future, demanding more rights and freedoms for themselves from the Russian government. This will undermine Russia’s authoritarian model of governance. Putin and his circle are unwilling to let go of the power and ability to control Russia’s natural resources and other financial assets they have been able to accumulate through corruption.
Russian history is built on the history stolen from Ukraine and the false premise of “one people” that combines Russians and Ukrainians. By losing Ukraine from under its control, Russia will no longer be able to preserve its myth of a great power with long-lasting European history. This will prevent it from claiming the historical status of an empire and ability to make historical arguments in favor of interfering in European affairs.
Ukraine’s membership in the European Union will make the EU much stronger. Russia will lose its ability to intervene militarily into the neighboring European countries, or use the threat of military intervention as a tool of political pressure. Strong, independent, and democratic Ukraine will also strengthen Europe’s energy independence and strategic autonomy, depriving Russia of its traditional influence on Europe.