This is where his argument takes a truly alarming turn. Putin insists that Ukraine is a failed state being led astray by scheming foreigners. “Russia was robbed, indeed,” the president fumes. Indeed Putin, who is often accused of nostalgia for the USSR, condemns Soviet leaders who set a “most dangerous time bomb” under the ties between Russia and Ukraine - by granting any part of the USSR the right to secede from the union. He points out that these ties long predate the Soviet Union. In it he emphasises the ties of history, language, ethnicity and religion that link Russia and Ukraine. Searching for the sources of Russian conduct, western officials point to Putin’s July opus, which is regarded as an authentic expression of his deeply-held views. Policymakers in Washington and London fear that these war plans show there is genuine aggressive intent in the Kremlin and that it comes from the top. Last week, Putin made a threatening speech, warning the west not to cross Russia’s “red lines”.īiden administration officials are briefing that Russia is planning an invasion of Ukraine “as soon as early 2022”. There are now close to 90,000 Russian troops, as well as tanks and artillery, deployed near the Ukrainian border. But the contents of Putin’s essay look increasingly alarming when read alongside obvious preparations in Moscow for an invasion of Ukraine. Vladimir Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, joked that Putin must have a lot of time on his hands, to be able to write such a long article. Ukrainians are variously portrayed as the blood brothers of Russians and as neo-Nazis.
A 5,000-word essay that the Russian president published in July, entitled “On the historical unity of Russians and Ukrainians”, is full of protestations of undying love for Ukrainians - combined with threats of violence if the love is not reciprocated. When Vladimir Putin talks about Ukraine, he sounds like a spurned, abusive husband.