As the Russians menace Ukraine by amassing at least 100,000 troops at the border, it is time to ask what Russian President Vladimir Putin is really after.
Yes, he wants to ensure Ukraine doesn’t join NATO, to keep that country within his sphere of influence. Yes, he wants to expand the boundaries of Mother Russia, just as he did when his forces invaded Crimea in 2014 and annexed it. And yes, he wants to regain popularity at home, just as he did after the Crimean invasion, by being a strong leader. Yet, the question is this — what’s really going on and what is Putin really after?
Since 2014, Russia has continually eroded the borders of an area of Ukraine, not with troops but with Russian operatives who have sowed public chaos and demanded Russian sovereignty for the Russians living there. The region is called Donbas, and it’s in the southeastern part of the country, bordering Russia. Donbas has ethnic Russians, but not like Crimea. The majority of Donbas is Ukrainian, not Russian. So Putin cannot make the claim that he’s returning Russians to Russia.
