These maps explain why Putin is invading Ukraine

I think it is high time Russia came into the 21st century and realised the argument about the potential for invasion belonged back in history. It is anachronistic thinking. Look at the actions of a country to judge threat. Most of Europe, NATO within Europe, were cutting their military spending to the bone after the cold war was thought to be ended. Russia was never to be invaded again. What is said is that the USSR had an empire and superpower status, and Russia should get that status back, by retaking the lands of the former USSR.

The #1 fault at the heart of the Russian thinking outlined here, namely that the Western approaches to Russia need to be dominated, is that was something to fear. There wasn't. Western military strength, especially in Europe, has been falling & what resources that are devoted are mainly toward small scale, anti terrorist operations & intervening in local conflicts around the globe. Large scale conflicts, where major industrial powers face off against each other, are a thing of the past, consigned to history. And those who study history KNOW that the #1 piece of advice is "You don't invade Russia!" IMO this invasion is more like Hitler's Sudetenland/Czech invasion, where he was convinced that The West was weak & wasn't going to intervene after decades of Post Great War military budget spending reductions (not that any of the major European powers could have done anything to prevent it, Czechoslovakia wasn't anywhere near where they could project power).

IMO Putin gambled that no one would do anything for Ukraine & he's lost that gamble. Today's Europe isn't the same as in the1930s &, although forces are cash strapped, mobility is very high precisely because of the small scale/anti terrorist slant of todays military. Why he invaded might be better explained by simply providing an easy victory that shore up his popularity (think of what the despised military Junta tried with the Argentinian invasion of the Falklands) & another, previously unspoiled economy that can be milked through corruption.

Oh yeah I’m going to trust this reason for…. Reasons hahahahah thanks CNN

Completely didn't mention the fact that most indoctrinated Russians hate Ukrainians and refer to them in dehumanising slang terms long before this invasion.

For most Russians its a loss they cannot stomach since independence and the Ukrainians are held fully responsible.
It even manifests as a toxic relationship between families living opposite sides of the border.

The language of the video should be declared in its properties to make it have subtitles and thus be able to processed by translator etc. functions.

This is the Pro West CIA perspective on the matter, it is mostly misleading and false.

This is not an accurate description of Putin’s essay. He said Russia and Ukraine have cultural and historical ties, but that Ukraine is politically independent. But don’t take my word for it… go read Putin’s writings and speeches for yourself.

This is such BS. They found massive oil reserves in 2013 in Ukraine and would make Ukraine one of the biggest producer of natural gas. In 2014 Russia annex Crimea. Look it up 2013 they found massive oil in eastern part of Ukraine

Really insightful video - and fair and balanced.

Lol the tv CIA arnchair operative

Before Napoleon and Germans the Poles invaded Russia and occupied Moscow, even the zar was polish begin 17th century. The Ukraine belongs to Poland-Lithuanian commonwealth too at that time.
Russians don’t know the real history of their country too… they need Ukraine to be a super power again. Russia has still an imperial government.. still not educated to democratic world like did Germany or Japan after 2nd WW.

Very clear and helpful. Thank you! Would love to see more of these.

And that is why Georgia is lucky to be separated by mountains from Russia

new now ukraine world map super good

Fanciful nonsense.

The West looting natural resources is the cause, same everywhere they go, war profiteering criminals. Keep it simple and use a little common sense, Bingo!!

And what a way, ruzzians have to show their "love" !!!

well, it still doesn't mean that we want to be russians.

It is so easy. If you make friends with your neighbors, you don't have to fear them.

Why? Because it BELONGS TO RUSSIA!!!

I think the map that better explains russion invasion is map of russian empire, russian government still sees those lands that where part of russian empire as rightfully russian and wants to join them back to russia. And russia isn't afraid of invasion they have numerous army an nukes😒

That was more informative than anything Russia could come up with for reasons of invading.. putin can't stand the fact that the birthplace of Russia is distanced itself from the autocratic regime it turned into.. but now, as ukraine rises, the collective west needs to remind ukraine to never grow into a new Russia after the war is over, peace and trade grows a country, military dominance never ends well. People say the USA is a military dominance, yet look at ukraine, we are not directly involved, we just support their choice to be free, like many other nations we aid, to protect prosperity and free trade.

You sound as delusional as Putin because you fail to consider that Ukraine and the Ukrainians exist and do not want to be Russians or part of Russia.

Russia has always been an expansionist power and they want to hide it under the guise of a foreign threat. Also, doesn't Ukrainian will count? In a referendum they voted to join the EU and Russia got butt hurt!

The Volga - Don River system services 80% of Russian civilisation. The Route from the Nth in St Petersburg through the Sea of Azov through to the Black sea to Istanbul is the most important route for the vast majority of Russian Trade. Sticking a NATO base - as the US would like to do, so near to the port of Rostov on Don is an existential threat to the Russian state- they have always said that Ukraine as a NATO member is a "Red Line"- and they weren't joking. The Baltic sea is surrounded in the North and the only way to guarantee their security is for the South warm water port is in Russian hands. It's been their Archilles Heel for hundreds of years and Every Russian understands this, Putin doesn't have to convince them of anything, they already know and they will fight to the death to defend themselves. But they don't want all of Ukraine- Just the East- and Zelensky is telling lies and scaring people with old witches tales about Russia wanting to take over the whole of Europe. It's just a load of BS

In WWII Russians killed 5 out 6 German troops and lost more people in Stalingrad than the UK and the US lost for the entire Second World War- and you want to pick a fight with them?.... that sounds just plain daft to me.

This explanation ignores Russia's real geopolitical threat - China. The threat from Ukraine and Europe is democracy, freedoms, and clamping down on corruption; these were the things that the Ukrainians wanted and want by integrating into the European Union. That is the real "threat" that Russia senses from Ukraine, not a military one. Putin and his minions don't want the internal opposition. They want to continue with their corrupt autocratic ways.

China is going to make all the mountains flat but first China will hit all the Disney lands

US ENGLISH ARE FROM SCANDINAVIA SO WHO CARES

Don’t forget Putin is a very bad person in that’s all we the people need to know

I am sure the discovery that Ukraine holds the 2nd largest proven oil and natural gas reserves in Europe (only behind Norway) just weeks before all this began in 2012. Funny thing, nearly all of it was either in the Donbas or the Sea of Azov. Too bad Russia took Crimea right as the Ukrainian government made a deal to extract the oil from the Sea of Azov, preventing Ukraine from withdrawing the oil. I am sure "europe's gas station" had absolutely no interest in maintaining a monopoly on oil and natural gas. Putin is such a nice and friendly person he would never invade a country just because they threatened his stranglehold on Europe.

You are looking in the wrong direction. russians are barbarians, barbarians will take everything they were let to.
That is it. He wants Ukraine because he thought he could take it. He also wants Poland, but he knew he won't be let to take it.
Thats not about putin, every russian is the same way of thinking. Any person abroad who had a russian neighbor knows what I am talking about.

Uhkraine Should get a place in Nato

🤣 comic .Rusa invade Ucrania because .usa and nato .want to invade Rusia and steal oil and gas

No, thats the explanation of his propaganda reasoning, whereas what he actually wants is just power, oil and land.

Do you know how Ukraine was founded?
How can you give your opinion? Crimea was not Ukraine's at all.
It is not difficult to mislead Americans, because they are not tought World history in American schools.

If you actually went to Russia and talked to random people on the streets, you'd quickly realize no one really cares about Kiev being the mother of whatever. Kiev was the heart of the Kievan Rus' about 1000 years ago. Nowadays, it's just a foreign capital city. I'm telling you this as somebody who has lived in Russia for 37 years. Experts use this argument again and again, but truth is it doesn't hold water.

Oh wow, some thing based in reality and truth and understanding, on CNN shocking rare moment

whoa and I thought woke where confused. If that place was the capital why destroy such a historic place? It doesn't make sense😢

It is too complicated for Russia Federation and just help to explain and to justify russian aggression agains Ukraine. The matter is significantly easier. Russia stuck in 19th century, Putin want to be a tsar - the leader of absolute monarhy and the big perentage of russian accept his intention appeals to imperial tethis about 'strong hand'. The reason of Putin not the geography or strategy - it just the fear, that Ukrainian aspiration to european values jeapardize the absolute power of Putin and his surrounding, grievance to the fact that ukrainian people got rid off his protegge and criminal person Yanukowitch.

NATO took Kaliningrad???

I guess as a Canadian I`ll just have to sit and wait for England to decide it want's it's empire back.

I guess the only problem for Russia when it comes to occupying the flat ground is that the flat ground is in another country.

this is all bullshit. russia was not founded in kyiv . russia is muscovy not russia . russia is a fake name used by peter the first to make it seem like his backwater has been around for much longer than it was.
and the wat has nothing to do with nato. it's a pure land grad by despot putin.

Doesn't mention oil, natural gas, pipelines... hmmm.

Was that it? That was the whole clip?

Why would Ukraine want to ally with Russia? No freedom of speech…. Dissenters are thrown out of windows, and the government is a mafia state .

Only two maps are needed to explain why this imperialist attacked an innocent country.
1. Map of the Russian Empire
2. Map of NATO

Rubbish - Russia's SOLE export is fossil fuel. The whole world is trying to move to renewables and in 50 years nobody will want Russia's fossil fuels.
By taking Ukraine Putin will take all its Metallurgic Industries, rare earth metals used to make microchips and wheat. If the west denies Russia Microchips then Putin can take away the rare earth metals and metallurgy it needs for its microchips and its Nuclear power plants AND he will starve them of wheat - it's THAT basic.
Super Yachts and Palaces cost money - Nothing to do with wanting to revive Russia's past or being afraid of a land assault from Nato. This is all just distraction and misdirection - the sizzle to sell the steak.

I feel it in my bones that that Zelensky is a dangerous, deceptive, self-preserving, untruthful pushy little man who wants to be world leader in a hurry. Him and his band of computer hacking and monitoring bandits. See history relate this finally. He lives like a king in palatial wealth; ordering the world's top nations to give him money and arms. Ukraine has a dark web market-who knows-half the arms may be being resold on the DARK WEB and MONEY TURNED INTO INTERNET CURRENCY OFFSHORE. What does he have over USA? He has the fact that he was allowing unethical wmd research for them in Ukraine. PUSHY UPSTART!

No wrong. The flat lands etc was maybe true before but now we live in the age on the bomb. Nobody is attacking Russia. Who is attacking Russia across the flatlands when they have the worlds biggest arsenal of nuclear weapons. Just plain wrong