I’ve finally found the clearest and most convincing explanation of why Russia invaded Ukraine.
The first step to understanding is to learn about the Maidan. I’ve been hearing the name for a long time without bothering to find out what it was and why it was so important.
I finally listened to this lecture by Marci Shore, Associate Professor of History at Yale University:
Once I knew what the Maidan was, I was prepared to follow this truly extraordinary interview with Timothy Snyder, where he discusses the historical reasons leading to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and 2020.
I was especially surprised by his explanation of why Putin invaded again in 2020. Americans were involved, but not in the way you have ever imagined!
I’m afraid I haven’t even bothered to determine the date of the interview, but it is timeless: