Ukraine conflict: Putin was 'preparing for this since he gained power'

Russia has recognised breakaway regions in east Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian military to enter it western neighbour. The Ukraine crisis was brewing for quite some time. Russia amassed more than 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine and frantic diplomacy was taking place to avert war in Europe. All appears to have come for a nought as hostilities have erupted between Russia and Ukraine.

Spencer Critchley, a media commentator and author told WION that events in eastern Europe were "extremely disturbing" and the conflict possessed gravity equal to that of a "Civilizational moment in history"

"We have established democratic world order. Where we do things like respect each other's boundaries and do not stage military invasions just because we want to take over somebody else's country," he said.

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"Vladimir Putin has been preparing for this since he gained power. He has been telling us what he believes in and he has been following up on what he believes in," he added.

According to Critchley, Putin believes in re-establishing the Russian empire.

It is worth noting that Vladimir Putin was a KGB spy stationed in pro-Soviet East Germany before the fall of the Soviet Union. Ukraine was a very important part of the Soviet Union before the superpower's fall in 1991.

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Critchley said that he was 'heartened' to see western sphere demonstrate resolve to stand up to what he called 'raw aggression'.

Western powers, including the US have reacted by imposing tough sanctions on Russia. But foreign policy expert Kadira Pethiyagoda opined while talking with WION that the threat of sanctions was never going to deter Russia from an invasion.

"Any kind of economic sanctions or deterrents were not going to work because the issue for Russia was strategic. They would never allow Ukraine to become a base for NATO missiles that could reach Moscow in a very short time," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has strongly stated that he was fiercely against Ukraine joining North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

Also Read | ‘Won’t bow down’: Ukraine president vows to fight back against ‘aggressor’ Russia

NATO was set up with an implicit aim of checking Russian influence in Europe. Russia views NATO's expansion in Europe a huge threat. Ukraine has in past indicated its willingness to join the alliance. Many former Soviet republics have, in past joined NATO and Russia views this as western interference in its sphere of influence.

So is Ukraine capable to fight off Russia on its own? No, says Volodymyr Solohub who is an independent journalist.

Solohub spoke with WION from Kyiv, capital of Ukraine. He said that on Thursday (February 24) it was as if Ukrainians woke up in a different country.

He noted that though Ukraine's military had made improvements, the country was in "worse position than Rusia"

"Though military capabilities and preparedness of the Ukrainian army has improved. It is nothing compared to the capabilities of Russia," he said.

As tensions over Ukraine crisis mounted, there was frenzied diplomacy to prevent the war. After a brief window of opportunity, everything appeared to go back to where it was. But an outright Russian invasion surprised many.

Vladislav Davidzon, non-resident fellow at The Atlantic Council, said that he expected Russia to 'at the most' enhance its influence in the breakaway regions of Ukraine.

"I did not expect the worst-case predictions being made by the Americans for months and months were correct ones." he said.

Where does the situation go from here? John Blaxland, professor at Australian National University, said all bets were off.

"What Russia is trying to achieve has been a million dollar question...Russia has become increasingly assertive, adversarial, and now physically belligerent in its attempt to subdue Ukraine," he told WION.

(Disclaimer: The views of the experts do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views.)