the world's attention is on the border
between russia and ukraine
the site of the biggest military buildup
in europe since the cold war
russia has already annexed crimea part
of ukrainian territory and plunged
donbass in ukraine's southeast into a
separate conflict our allies and
partners are ready to impose severe cost
and significant harm on russia and the
russian economy if russia changes
borders again by force this will be a
challenge to whole of european security
but how did ukraine become a flashpoint
between russia and the west
and why won't russia leave ukraine alone
i don't think that putin's finished with
ukraine i don't think he will leave
ukraine and molest it
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vladimir putin disputes whether a border
between russia and ukraine should exist
he says that russians and ukrainians are
one people and has claimed that ukraine
isn't a state
but ukraine is proud of its independence
russia and ukraine do have a shared
ancestry
a union between moscow and kiev in the
17th century formed the base of the
russian empire
moscow considers kiev the cradle of its
civilization
and its faith
over the centuries since the two
countries have been intimately connected
ukraine was a cornerstone of the soviet
union
until the block collapsed in 1991
at the time ukrainian independence went
hand in hand with a new democratic
russia
ukraine in many ways set the example for
russia's own
independence from the soviet union and
the idea of russia as a democratic
republic but over the years moscow came
to view ukraine's independence as a
strategic blow as well as an emotional
one
today around 13 of ukrainians are
ethnically russian
and nearly a third speak russian as a
first language
but despite these ties recent events are
turning many ukrainians against russia
it's a country which is responsible for
14 000 dead soldiers and civilians in
the war in in the east of ukraine it's a
country that grabbed part of their
territory it's the country that poses
constant threat
75 of ukrainians born since 1991 now see
their future as in the eu
rather than with russia
but a democratic ukraine with ties to
the west is unacceptable to russia
mainly due to ukraine's strategic
significance
ukraine is caught between two spheres of
influence the west and its defensive
alliance nato on one side and russia on
the other
vladimir putin is determined to keep
ukraine in russia's orbit and keep it
out of alliances with others
putin doesn't want ukraine to join nato
because he now sees it as
antagonistic towards russia a fellow
slavic country as he says you know the
same people as us as a member of nato as
as part of the west is in a front
in 1991 nato's borders in central europe
only ran as far east as germany but as
former soviet bloc countries joined the
nato alliance in central europe now runs
in some places right up to the russian
border
ukraine itself separates russia from
four nato members
as far as russia is concerned ukraine
must never join nato and for ukraine's
first years of independence that didn't
seem likely
ukraine was led by governments friendly
to moscow
but by ukraine's 2004 presidential
elections it was clear ukrainians had
begun to look westwards
and russia's influence had its limits
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with the help of mass protests
putin-backed candidate viktor yanukovych
lost to pro-western viktor yushchenko
it became known as the orange revolution
and was evident that russia was losing
control of ukraine
orange revolution it mattered because
people rose against somebody he backed
it showed that people have agency
even when yanukovych was voted in five
years later putin still couldn't get his
own way in ukraine
yanukovych continued to look both ways
to europe and to russia
when ukraine was offered an association
agreement with the eu
putin countered with an economic offer
of his own
yanukovych eventually ditched the eu
deal in favor of the economic pact with
russia
but many ukrainians felt sold out and
peaceful protests in kiev followed
yanukovych's response was brutal
sparking further demonstrations
and the downfall of his government
it was a slap in the face for putin
video has emerged which appears to show
president yanukovych's entourage fleeing
from his luxurious mansion outside kiev
putin was furious it was coming after
similar protests in russia he had to
make an example of ukraine he had to
show
that such events revolutions and badly
and the end in civil war
putin's response was to annex the
ukrainian territory of crimea
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crimea of course means a lot to to
russians it has enormous symbolic
importance of all the
territories lost by russia during the
disintegration of the soviet union the
loss of crimea was felt most acutely his
popularity rating shot up putin went on
to encourage uprisings of pro-russian
separatists in the east of ukraine a
conflict that's still going on
putin's strategy has ensured that the eu
and nato keep ukraine at arm's length
and stirring up conflict on russia's
borders could help with troubles at home
putin's popularity is falling
opposition to his regime is increasing
particularly among the young
in 2021 street protests erupted after
opposition leader alexei navalny was
poisoned and then thrown in jail putin
needs a new source of legitimacy and
conflict with the west provides uh in
his eyes
that source of legitimacy putin portrays
himself as russia's defender against a
failing west western-style democracy
can't be allowed to contrast favorably
against his rule
least of all in neighboring ukraine
a successful democracy next door might
lead people to demand the same thing at
home
he is trying to protect his regime and
compensate for insecurity and weakness
internally
by external aggression and that's what
rulers who've exploited their people
who've run corrupt and militaristic
regimes have done
over decades and centuries putin is
definitely not the first leader to do
that and in that sense he's fallen into
that old trap
for as long as putin's political woes
continue
russia's border with ukraine is unlikely
to be left in peace
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