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Tell Putin to leave Ukraine.

I don't have a dog in this hunt. I just don't want my tax dollars and American resources wasted in that territorial micturating match. That's not to mention the corruption and money laundering by "The Big Guy" and his family.

Why is Ukraine more important to Russia than other countries in the region?
This has many folds. Lets dig into them one by one:
1) History
12 centuries ago the first Russian state , namely Kievan Rus was established in Kiev- the present day capital of Ukraine. It was a loose confederation of Eastern Slavic, Baltic and Finnic states. Even the name ’Russia’ originated there with the name of the œconfederation. Rurik, the founder of the Kievan-Rus dynasty is considered as one of the God- fathers of the present day Russia.
This gargantuan 16m-high, 100-tonne sculpture that stands at Novgorod Kremlin, was unveiled in 1862 on the 1000th anniversary of Rurik's arrival, a moment heralded as the start of Russian history.
In course of time, Russian capital shifted from Kiev , first to St. Petersburg , then to Moscow. But Kiev emotionally has always remained present in Russia’s heart . Putin all the time refers to Ukraine as “ little Russia” . He even once wrote an article titled, “ On the historical unity of Russians and Ukrainians”, arguing both nation as “ one people”.
So, when Ukraine started moving towards western block in the name of democracy or whatever, the rulers of Moscow felt betrayed. Honestly speaking, Ukraine’s national identity and history is much closer to Russia than the states of Central Europe or East Europe or Baltics or any other parts of the world for that purpose.
In 2005, when an anti-Russia and pro EU Orange Revolution was raging across Ukraine, Putin famously said: “As for the Russian people it became a genuine tragedy…” He was not happy. In fact he was not happy when the erstwhile Soviet Union broke down, and Kiev along with other Russian states started parting ways with Moscow. Vladimir Putin once opined that the collapse of Soviet Union as the “ greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century..”
2) The Population
Ukraine has a sizable population of Russian origin. It is estimated that 1/3rd of Ukrainian population ( mostly living in eastern part , close to Russian border) speak Russians , feel Russian. And they are the biggest strategical assets of Moscow along its western border.
In 2013, when a tension erupted between Kiev and Ukraine’s Russian origin population on its eastern side, Moscow backed the Russian separatists. This ultimately resulted in establishing an autonomous state of the Russian origin people in Ukraine’s eastern part , namely Donetsk People’s Republic, in 2014.
Also in 2014, Putin annexed the Crimean Peninsula, a strategic region on Black sea, after a controversial referendum.
3) Geopolitics
With the fall of Soviet Union , Russia lost Baltic states to Western Block. In Balkans where Moscow was once the leading player, now a mere shadow of its past with much, much decreased power and influence. It therefore cannot effort to concede anymore neighboring country( read Ukraine here) to West.
Russia was already rattled with the pro-west movements in countries from Georgia (Rose Revolution) to Ukraine( Orange Revolution). And, feels NOT so comfortable with the presence of too many NATO sympathizers, European Union member nations breathing on its neck on the western side.
Ukraine in particular, here is a BIG issue as it is geographically located between the Eastern Europe and Russia. It is therefore needed under Russian umbrella, to keep their western border look strong; for Russia’s national interest. With Lithonia and Estonia being no longer with mother Moscow, to prevent Ukraine from going West is therefore all the more important for Moscow’s internal security plus global interest and international footprints.
So on a favorable morning Russia went inside Ukraine and still continuing there with what we all know.
Shilpi Bhattacharjee
Lives in Delhi May 4, 2024

[Found on the internet.]