As weapons taboos shatter, Kyiv and the West become strong allies

Ukraine's Western allies have provided Kyiv with tens of billions of dollars in weapons since Russia launched its offensive [File: Marko Djurica/Reuters]

Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine a year ago insisting that he was reclaiming a historic part of Russia. The war that ensued was, in his terms, a civil war among Russians.

It was also largely a civil war among Soviet-era systems.