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“One of the colossal problems pushing us into conflict is that Russian identity does not exist without Ukrainian identity,” said Ilya Ponomarev, a former member of Russia’s Parliament.

To many Russians, the conflict with Ukraine is about a hurt national psyche, a historical injustice to be set right.. Read more at straitstimes.com.

As the Kremlin masses troops near Ukraine, it is signalling one core conviction: Russia cares more about the fate of its southwestern neighbour than the West ever will. In speeches, interviews and lengthy articles, President Vladimir Putin and his close associates have telegraphed a singular fixation this year on the former Soviet republic. The Kremlin thesis goes that

What’s driving Putin’s Ukraine brinkmanship?

“One of the colossal problems pushing us into conflict is that Russian identity does not exist without Ukrainian identity,” said Ilya Ponomarev, a former member of Russia’s Parliament.