A lot of my friends have been asking me to explain what is happening in Ukraine, so I thought why not explain it to a larger audience. As someone who majors in Political Science, I realize dozens of people do not understand the lingo, which is totally valid being that it is not something I expect everyone to know. Therefore, I would like to answer questions with some key points I have taken from my Foreign Policy, Terrorism and many other courses about these issues.
- What is Putin’s Motive?
-
From my understanding, Putin has become increasingly obsessed with the past during quarantine, specifically, the former Soviet Union. He even wrote a 5000 word essay about Ukraine’s history and how it belongs to Russia being that it was formerly a part of the USSR. He also stated that the fall of the Soviet Union is the “Greatest Geo-Political Disaster.” However, I would like to note that this is not a random attack, Ukrainian-Russian tensions began in late 2013 and 2014, when Putin backed separatists groups in eastern Ukraine and annexed Crimea. However, as I learned, most countries are obsessed with power as it is needed for economic and political influence. The Russian President’s motive seems to be that he wants to overthrow the Ukrainian government and install a puppet government, which is simply a government that Russia would have influence over. This correlates to the Bolshevik playbook, in which they staged coups in several nations, including Ukraine in 1917, in order to expand their territory and power.
- How did Putin Come into Power?
-
Well I would say Putin literally climbed to the top. At first, he started off as a KGB agent, which was the Soviet Union’s intelligence and security agency. He was in this role from 1975 to 1991 after gaining the rank of lieutenant colonel and the KGB dissolved. However, the KGB eventually became the FSB, which Putin became the director of in 1998. A year later, the President, Boris Yeltsin appointed him as the Prime Minister of Russia and stated that he wanted Putin to be his successor. Then in the March of 2000, Putin was elected as the President of Russia and served from 2000 to 2008. After that he served as Prime Minister again, until he was re-elected as President in 2012 and has been in office ever since.
- Which Country is Next? Could the US be Bombed?
-
I personally would not worry about the United States being bombed. While the threat of nukes is terrifying, Russia has enough to wipe out the entire western hemisphere. I am confident that Putin is using a tactic called, “escalate to de-escalate,” which is essentially using coercive threats in order to blackmail an opponent into basically avoiding confrontation with the Kremlin. The most important part of this is to watch what Putin does, not what he says. However, I do think that Putin will continue to other former USSR states such as Moldova.
- What Propaganda is Putin Using?
-
Putin has stated that he needs to get rid of Nazis in Ukraine’s government, which Ukraine does have some alt-right, Neo-Nazi groups. However, the President of Ukraine is Jewish and he had family members that passed in the Holocaust. Furthermore, Putin has stated there is a genocide taking place in Ukraine against Russia speakers, which again is not true. He even told the members of the Russian military that Ukrainians will welcome them with open arms. There is probably a lot more out there, but this is what I remember.
- Where Does NATO Come into Play?
-
In 2008, NATO stated that they will eventually let Ukraine join. However, Russia was against this, but I think they are more against it now being that Russia was kicked out of NATO in 2014 during the Ukraine Crisis. This escalated more in 2021 when Russia sent NATO a letter stating demands about Ukraine not joining NATO. Furthermore, I think that this is also because Putin sees NATO as an extension of the west. It is very much the Cold War all over again.