Why is Putin doing this? Is he really planning an act of naked aggression?
The Ukraine didn't leave Russia, did it?
It gained its independence when the Soviet Empire collapsed, yes?
Ukraine is really two countries, split right down the center by the Don River with predominately Ukrainian-speaking ethnic Ukrainians on the west side and predominately Russian-speaking ethnic Russians on the east. They've generally gotten along with each other, but not always and not so much lately.
The sections of Ukraine that Putin would want to annex probably prefer to be part of Russia anyway due to many being Russian. However, you wander how many Russians in those sections immigrated there after the Soviet Union annexed Ukraine.
For example, there was a sizable German population in Czechoslovakia in the early 30’s many more moved in in the late 30’s and early 40’s but they were all booted out after WWII.
Think of all the Mexicans in California. Where are their loyalties?
“I have, yet more, dumb questions....
Why is Putin doing this? Is he really planning an act of naked aggression? The Ukraine didn’t leave Russia, did it?
It gained its independence when the Soviet Empire collapsed, yes?”
Not dumb questions at all.
Yes, Ukraine declared its independence after the disintegration of the USSR. But Ukraine is home to some ethnic Russians, especially in the east (the Donbass Region, including Luhansk and Donetsk). Putin is saying that those ethnic Russians want to be part of Russia (that’s very debatable), and that it is Russia’s duty to “rescue them” and “return them to the fold.” It’s actually quite similar to what Hitler did vis-à-vis the Sudetenland in 1938.
Putin has been in power for 22 years straight now. He has been saying to Russians that if there was some other president, then Russia would collapse.
He doesn’t like Russians seeing Ukraine right next to them, that has real elections, presidents change and the catastrophe does not follow.
That’s why he feels he needs to provide Ukraine with a catastrophe as a punishment.
Another part is that Russia is a poor kleptocracy and people are really poor there considering what one would reasonably expect from all their oil and gas wealth. Putin can’t easily blame his predecessors as he has been in charge for 22 years now and he can’t blame internal opposition because he has dictatorial powers.
That’s why he blames the US ... a good old Soviet technique. He is telling people that Russia is not going to fight against Ukrainians, but against some evil US plans.