The Modern Man

Russia, the West’s Big Bad.  

In today’s article and within Part 2 we are going to discuss the prewar context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the reasons, the progress and the potential end game. I’m pretty sure my thoughts and opinions will probably go against the mainstream grain. And that’s perfectly fine.  

Pre-Invasion Context.  

In April 2008 NATO members met in at a summit in Bucharest and decided that Georgia would be able to join Nato if it met all necessary requirements, not long after this summit, Russia invaded Georgia with what they called a “peace enforcement operation”. This resulted in the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, a brief but intense conflict that reshaped the geopolitical landscape of the Caucasus. It underscored the fragility of peace in post-Soviet states and the ongoing struggle for influence between Russia and the West. The war’s legacy continues to influence regional dynamics and international relations to this day. 

The crux of the matter was Georgia becoming a member of NATO was a direct threat to Russian interests in its own back yard. Under no circumstances would Russia allow Georgia or any other former soviet states to become members of NATO, this would effetely mean these states would be influenced and, in many ways, controlled and manipulated by the west, with the distinct and real possibility of housing NATO troops and equipment. Russia demonstrated its willingness to stop this from happening, by force if required.  

During the 2008 summit, the leaders from NATO also discussed the joining of Ukraine, this ultimately led to the then German Chancellor Angela Merkel, delivering a speech that would block Ukraine’s joining.  

In 2010 the parliament of Ukraine passed a law that banned the joining of any military bloc, effectively halting the country from joining NATO, a move that over half of the population approved of in a poll conducted by the PEW Research Centre. A few years later in November 2013 a series of protests erupted over the Presidents Yanukovych’s decision to have closer ties with Russia, choosing not to sign a Political and free trade agreement with the European Union. This protest became known as the “Euromaidan” and led directly to the Ukrainian Revolutions, which is also known as the “Maiden Revolution” or the “Revolution of Dignity”. Many analysts now believe this revolution was a western backed coup, with several recordings being leaked between US members of government discussing the situation and other leaks between EU members discussing the “snipers” shooting both sides, to sow chaos. All of which can be found online, I encourage you to find and listen to them.  

After fierce clashes between protesters and Police that left 108 protesters dead and 13 police, the Yanukovych Government ultimately stepped down, and Yanukovych himself fled the country. Pro-Russian, counter-revolutionary protests erupted in southern and eastern Ukraine. Russia occupied and then annexed Crimea, while armed pro-Russian separatists seized government buildings and proclaimed the independent states of Donetsk and Luhansk, sparking the Donbas war.  

The Start of the Conflict.  

The Donbas War, also known as the War in Eastern Ukraine, began in April 2014, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea. This conflict erupted in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine, collectively known as the Donbas. Pro-Russian separatists, backed by Russian military support, seized government buildings and declared independence from Ukraine, leading to violent clashes with Ukrainian forces. 

The Donbas region has a significant Russian-speaking population, many of whom felt marginalized by the pro-European government that came to power in Kyiv after the Euromaidan protests. Russia capitalized on these sentiments, providing military, financial, and logistical support to the separatists, while Ukraine struggled to maintain its territorial integrity. The Donbas region held referendum in 2014 in which they asked the population if they wanted to separate from Ukraine or not, the overwhelming majority voted for separation, 96.2% according to some sources. This result was obviously disputed and flat out rejected by the Western governments. No Suprise there.  

Throughout the conflict, there were numerous ceasefires and peace attempts, most notably the Minsk Agreements, brokered by Germany and France in 2014 and 2015. These agreements aimed to de-escalate the fighting and provide a framework for political resolution, including greater autonomy for the Donbas regions. However, both sides repeatedly violated these ceasefires.  

Most of the fighting was between the separatists and the Ukrainian military, with rumors of “little green men” from Russia crossing the border and joining the fighting, to which Russia declined was truth until recently, when they recognized combative as Russian veterans. This war continued until the full invasion of Russian forces on the 24^th of February 2022.  

Join us in part two when we go into the start of that conflict, and the current situation.  

Faithfully Yours. 

Jack.