Gravitas Plus | Explained: The Russia-Ukraine crisis
Summary
TLDRThis video delves into the historical context and ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, examining the origins of their conflict dating back to the 9th-century Kievan Rus. It highlights Ukraine’s long history under Russian rule, the 2014 annexation of Crimea, and the Eastern Ukrainian separatist movements. The video also discusses Vladimir Putin’s motivations to restore Russian influence, Ukraine’s desire for independence, and its aspirations to join NATO and the EU. With a mix of historical background and modern geopolitics, it offers insight into why the conflict remains unresolved.
Takeaways
- 🌍 The crisis between Russia and Ukraine is deeply rooted in history, with 71% of Ukrainians already considering themselves at war with Russia.
- 🏰 In the 9th century, the state of Kievan Rus was powerful, with Kyiv as its capital, and modern Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians draw their lineage from this state.
- 🇷🇺 Ukraine was under Russian rule for much of its history and later became a Soviet republic, second only to Russia in terms of power and resources.
- 💣 After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Ukraine gained independence and gave up its nuclear arsenal to Russia in exchange for security assurances under the Budapest Memorandum.
- 📉 In 2013, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych rejected an EU trade deal in favor of Russian aid, sparking protests and leading to his ousting in 2014, which angered Russia.
- ⚔️ In response, Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, leveraging the region’s historical ties to Russia and its strategic military significance in the Black Sea.
- 🌍 Eastern Ukraine has seen ongoing conflict, with Russia backing separatist movements, leading to the Minsk Accords that remain unimplemented 8 years later.
- 🛑 Putin opposes Ukraine joining NATO, viewing NATO’s expansion as a threat, and has stationed Russian troops along the Ukrainian border.
- 🤝 Many Russians see Ukraine’s independence as a historical mistake, and Putin leverages this sentiment to justify Russian actions, claiming Ukraine and Russia were historically one.
- 🇺🇦 Despite historical ties, the majority of Ukrainians today reject Russia, with many supporting joining the EU and NATO, and President Zelensky represents this pro-Western sentiment.
Q & A
What was Kievan Rus, and why is it significant in the context of Russian and Ukrainian history?
-Kievan Rus was a powerful state that existed from the 9th to the 12th centuries, with Kyiv as its capital. It is significant because Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians trace their cultural and historical lineage to this Slavic state, illustrating the deep historical ties between the regions.
How did Ukraine's relationship with Russia evolve after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991?
-After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Ukraine became independent, inheriting much of the Soviet nuclear arsenal. However, Ukraine gave up these nuclear weapons to Russia in 1994 in exchange for security guarantees and respect for its sovereignty, as outlined in the Budapest Memorandum.
What sparked the protests in Ukraine in 2013, known as the 'EuroMaidan' protests?
-The protests were sparked by President Yanukovych's decision to reject a trade deal with the European Union in favor of a $15 billion bailout from Russia. Many Ukrainians viewed this as aligning Ukraine too closely with Moscow, leading to widespread protests demanding closer integration with Europe and Yanukovych's resignation.
Why did Russia annex Crimea in 2014, and what historical context explains this move?
-Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 after the ousting of Ukraine's pro-Russian president, Yanukovych. Historically, Crimea had been part of Russia until it was transferred to Ukraine in 1954 by Soviet leader Khrushchev. Many in Russia believed Crimea should have remained Russian, and its strategic location in the Black Sea made it valuable for military purposes.
How did the conflict in eastern Ukraine begin, and what role did Russia play?
-The conflict in eastern Ukraine began after Russia's annexation of Crimea, when Russian-backed separatists seized control of territories in Donetsk and Luhansk. Ukraine initially hesitated to launch a full offensive but escalated after the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014, which was linked to the separatists. Russia then intervened militarily to support the separatists.
What are the Minsk Accords, and why have they not been fully implemented?
-The Minsk Accords, signed in 2014, were agreements between Ukraine, Russia, and the West to establish a ceasefire and hold elections in separatist-held areas of eastern Ukraine. However, the accords have not been fully implemented due to ongoing fighting and disagreements over their terms.
What does Vladimir Putin want in Ukraine, and why is he opposed to NATO's expansion?
-Putin wants Ukraine to remain outside of NATO and other Western alliances. He sees NATO's expansion, particularly into former Soviet states like Ukraine, as a threat to Russia's sphere of influence and security. His broader goal is to restore Russia's image as a superpower.
How do historical events explain the ethnic and linguistic divide between eastern and western Ukraine?
-Eastern Ukraine has a large population of native Russian speakers, a result of historical events such as Russian imperialism, forced Russification, and Soviet-era policies. In contrast, western Ukraine has stronger cultural and political ties to Europe. This divide fuels differing attitudes toward Russia and the West.
What role did the Soviet Union's policies under leaders like Stalin and Khrushchev play in shaping modern Ukraine?
-Stalin's policies, such as the forced famine in the 1930s that killed millions of Ukrainians and the relocation of ethnic Russians to repopulate eastern Ukraine, shaped the region's demographics. Khrushchev's decision to transfer Crimea to Ukraine in 1954 further complicated Ukraine's territorial integrity and relationship with Russia.
How do modern Ukrainians view Russia, according to recent polls?
-According to recent polls, 70% of Ukrainians reject the idea that Russians and Ukrainians are one people. Additionally, 72% view Russia as a hostile state, and a significant percentage of Ukrainians are prepared to take up arms or stage civil resistance against Russian aggression.
Outlines
🛑 The Historical Roots of Ukraine-Russia Conflict
The complex relationship between Russia and Ukraine is rooted in history. 71% of Ukrainians feel they are already at war with Russia, tracing their origins to a state known as 'Kievan Rus' in the 9th century. Both nations, along with Belarus, claim lineage from this state, with Kiev as the capital. Over time, Ukraine was under Russian rule, becoming a key Soviet Republic. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine gained independence but gave up its nuclear arsenal to Russia in exchange for security guarantees. Tensions escalated in 2013 when pro-Russian Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovych, rejected a trade deal with the EU in favor of Russian support, sparking protests that led to his ousting. In response, Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, citing a historical connection to the region, but this was viewed as an annexation by the rest of the world.
📊 Ukraine's Division and Ongoing Conflict
Ukraine remains divided between its pro-European west and Russian-leaning east. With a population of 44 million and a significant GDP, the country is torn culturally and linguistically. Russian-backed separatists control regions in the Donbas, where ethnic Russians and Russian speakers dominate. Ukraine's aspiration to join NATO, opposed by Russia, is central to the conflict. Historically, Ukraine’s independence was seen as a mistake by many Russians. Putin's aim of restoring Russia’s superpower image fuels tensions, as does his rhetoric about shared history between Russians and Ukrainians. Despite Putin's claims, most Ukrainians reject Russian dominance and remain determined to preserve their sovereignty, with many prepared to fight against Russian aggression.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Kyivan Rus
💡Vladimir Putin
💡Crimea
💡Yanukovych
💡Euromaidan
💡Budapest Memorandum
💡NATO
💡Donbas
💡Minsk Accords
💡Russification
Highlights
71% of Ukrainians believe their country is already at war with Russia.
Kiev was historically more powerful than Moscow and was the capital of Kievan Rus, a Slavic state in the 9th century.
Ukraine and America were adversaries during the Cold War when Ukraine was a Soviet republic.
Ukraine inherited much of the Soviet nuclear arsenal after the collapse of the USSR in 1991, but gave it up to Russia in exchange for a security guarantee in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum.
In 2013, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych rejected an EU trade deal and accepted a $15 billion bailout from Russia, sparking protests known as EuroMaidan.
The 2014 ousting of Yanukovych, a pro-Moscow leader, led to Russia's annexation of Crimea.
The Crimean Peninsula, originally transferred to Ukraine in 1954, was annexed by Russia in 2014 following a disputed referendum.
Russia backed separatists in Eastern Ukraine, leading to ongoing conflict in the Donbas region.
The 2014 Minsk Accords attempted to broker a ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists, but remain unimplemented.
Ukraine is Europe's largest country excluding Russia, with a population of 44 million and significant economic resources.
Ukraine is divided between a pro-European West and a pro-Russian East, with significant linguistic and cultural differences.
Russian President Vladimir Putin opposes Ukraine joining NATO and views its independence as a mistake, citing historical connections between the two nations.
Ethnic Russians were relocated to Eastern Ukraine during Soviet rule, contributing to the region's strong ties to Russia.
Current Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is a vocal critic of Russia and was elected in 2019 with 73% of the vote.
Putin aims to restore Russia’s superpower image and promote nationalism through the annexation of Ukrainian territories.
Transcripts
will Russia go to war with Ukraine all
week you've heard numerous answers to
this question in Ukraine 71% of the
people believe their country is already
at war with Russia this is a complex
crisis and all the answers are hidden in
history did you know there was a time
when Kia was more powerful than Moscow
there was also a time when Ukraine and
America were adversaries tonight we'll
bring you all these stories we will tell
you why Russian President Vladimir Putin
is obsessed with Ukraine I'm py Sharma
upadhi and this is gravitas plus we
begin in the 9th century there was a
state called kavian
Rus this is where it was located the
Slavic people lived here the city of
Kiev was their Capital between 980 and
115 the kvan Rus was ruled by Grand
prince
volodimir in Russian his name is
Vladimir in Ukrainian volodimir and as
fate would have it these are also the
names of the presidents of these two
countries today anyway Russians
ukrainians and B Russians draw their
lineage from this Slavic State a lot
changed in the centuries that followed
and for a lot of it Ukraine was under
Russian rule in the 1900s the two were
Soviet republics Russia the most
powerful of the 15 republics and Ukraine
the second most powerful it had defense
Industries large agricultural lands and
housed much of the Soviet nuclear
Arsenal during the Cold War Ukraine was
the arch rival of the United States the
Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 Ukraine
became independent as did Russia Ukraine
inherited much of Soviet nuclear Arsenal
but gave it up to Russia in 1994 in
exchange Moscow guaranteed Ukraine's
security and promised to respect its
sovereignity they signed the Budapest
memorandum along with these countries
cut to November 2013 Victor yanukovich
was a president of Ukraine he had a
reputation for heavy-handedness
corruption and above all for being
openly Pro Moscow in 2013 he rejected an
EU trade deal this deal could have meant
greater integration with the European
Union instead yanukovich decided to take
a $15 billion bailout from Russia to
many ukrainians it felt like being sold
to Moscow so protest broke out they were
called Euro Medan Euro because these
protests were about Europe and Medan
because they happened in kiev's
Medan what we today know as the
Independent Square here protesters
chanted sign the EU deal yanukovich must
step down Russia supported the president
the West supported the protesters in
February 2014 yanukovich's government
was toppled the president was driven out
of Ukraine he fled to Russia not every
Ukrainian was happy with this many in
the Russians speaking East wanted
yanukovich to stay when he was driven
out the minority felt disenfranchized on
the other side of the border Russia was
angry it had lost its puppet to s
salvaged the situation Moscow annexed
Crimea why Crimea well let's now zoom
into this part of the world Crimea is a
peninsula it is located in the Black Sea
in 1954 Soviet leader Nikita kushev
transferred Crimea it was given to the
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic from
the Russian Soviet Socialist Republic
why kushev hoped the transfer would
strengthen quote unquote brotherly ties
between the Ukrainian and Russian people
both Russia and Crimea were part of the
Soviet Union so this transfer did not
mean very much when Ukraine became
independent in 1991 Crimea joined it the
peninsula was given special autonomy it
remained home to Russian military bases
Moscow promised to respect Crimean
autonomy many in Russia were of the
opinion that Crimea should not have been
allowed to join Ukraine in 2014 when
yanukovich was ousted from power in
Ukraine Russian military began seizing
government buildings in Crimea soon the
entire Peninsula was under military OCC
occupation a referendum followed on the
16th of March 2014 crimeans voted to
become a part of Russia was this vote
legitimate it depends on who you ask for
Putin this was crimea's Liberation for
the rest of the world this was crimea's
annexation the focus then shifted to
Eastern Ukraine where Russia backed
separatists had seized territory
Ukrainian forces did not launch an
allout offensive at first but on the
17th of July 2014 when a flight carrying
298 people were shot down by these
Rebels Ukrainian forces decided to flush
out the Rebels the separatists began
losing ground so the Russian army
stepped in they invaded eastern Ukraine
and fought alongside the rebels What
followed was a series of talks between
Russia Ukraine and the West they
resulted in the Minsk Accords this was
first signed in 2014 both sides agreed
on ceasefire and Military withdrawal
Ukraine agreed to hold elections in the
Rebel held areas 8 years on the Minsk
Accords remain
unimplemented Ukraine stands as the
largest European country excluding
Russia it covers an area of more than
600,000 square kilometers with a
population of 44 million and a GDP of
more than
$155
billion per capita income more than
$3,700 today Ukraine is divided between
East and West in more ways than one the
sees itself as more European the East is
closer to Russia be it in terms of
geography or sentiment in the west most
ukrainians speak Ukrainian in the East a
third are native Russians in the west
Russia is looked at with suspicion in
the East Russia is looked at through the
lens of shared history and
Heritage Ukraine also remains at War its
forces are fighting the rebels in the
East Rebel leaders are ruling at least
two regions donet and luhans together
they're known as the donbas region
Russia has once again sent its troops
this time they're stationed right at the
border what does Vladimir Putin want for
NATO to stop expanding NATO stands for
North Atlantic Treaty Organization it's
a military Alliance these countries are
the founding members of NATO these
countries joined it during the Cold War
and these countries joined after it
Ukraine wants to join NATO too but Putin
wants NATO to exclude Ukraine and every
former Soviet
state and this is just half the story
like I said a lot is hidden in history
for starters there is domestic politics
when Putin and ex crimeia his approval
rating
skyrocketed keeping the nationalistic
drum rolling helps the Russian president
annexing parts of Ukraine also helps
Putin restore Russia's superpower image
again back to history many Russians view
Ukraine's Independence as a mistake it
is true that Ukraine was ruled by Russia
in fact Ukraine has barely remained
independent pre 1991 there was a brief
period before World War I and then
another stint in 1600 for the rest of
its modern history Ukraine was under
Russia one in six ukrainians is an
ethnic Russian one in three speaks
Russian as a native language so Putin is
right when he says historically they
were one but claiming Ukraine on the
basis of colonial history is wrong it
will be like Britain claiming India or
South Africa or Spain claiming the
Philippines past imperialism cannot
justify present day expansionism here's
what else history tells us Ukraine was
forcefully russified cut to 1700 Russian
leader Katherine the Great started rufy
Ukraine ethnic Russians were shipped to
this part of the world schools were told
to teach Russian language by 1800 the
Ukrainian language was banned in 1930
Soviet leader Joseph Stalin steered a
famine in Ukraine millions of Eastern
ukrainians were killed the area was then
repopulated with ethnic russan Russians
in the 1940s the ethnic tartars were
relocated they too were replaced with
Russians there is a reason why eastern
Ukraine today has so many Native Russian
speakers it was designed to be that way
eastern Ukraine was always dear to
Russia it has coal it has iron fertile
land its historical connection with
Russia was forced Putin time and again
talks about the Holy Rose he says
Russians and ukrainians are one people
70% ukrainians reject this thought 72%
consider Russia a hostile state today
33.3% ukrainians are ready to take up
arms against Russia
21.7% are ready to Stage a civil
resistance against Russia 67% ukrainians
want to join the EU 59% want to join the
NATO meet the current Ukrainian
president volodimir zelinski he came to
power in 2019 following a landslide
Victory he's a vocal critic of Russia
zilinski openly opposes Russian
occupation of eastern Ukraine 73% of
Ukrainian voters voted this man to power
today volodimir zilinski represents the
pulse of Ukraine the Ukraine that wants
to remain independent of Russia but
Vladimir Putin wants to become the man
who revived Russian imperialism he does
not realize the world has moved on
[Music]
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