Russia ATTACKS Ukraine: Tensions of Undeclared War !

Russia and Ukraine: Tensions of an undeclared war ?!
The roots of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine are deep. In essence, Moscow does not accept Kiev's independence. A brief history of the conflict.
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have a history that goes back to the Middle Ages. The roots of both countries are common and are found in so-called Kiev Russia, which is why President Vladimir Putin often refers to "one people." In reality, the paths of the two nations have been separated for centuries and two languages ​​and two cultures have developed - related and yet different. While Russia evolved politically into an empire, Ukraine failed to establish its own state. In the 17th century, large areas of present-day Ukraine became part of the Tsarist Empire. After its disintegration, in 1917, Ukraine briefly became independent, until Soviet Russia recaptured it with a weapon in hand.
1990s: Russia restores independence to Ukraine.
In December 1991, Ukraine, along with Russia and Belarus, are the three twinned republics that seal the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Out of a desire to maintain its influence, Moscow is setting up the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as a control tool. The Kremlin believed that the neighboring state would remain a reliable ally through its dependence on Russian gas. But the reality is different. While Russia and Belarus have formed a close alliance, Ukraine is increasingly looking west.
The Kremlin was irritated by Kiev's attitude, but no conflict was reached in the 1990s. Moscow seemed relaxed because the West did not intend to integrate Ukraine. Russia itself was weakened economically and deeply involved in the Chechen war. In 1997, by signing the so-called "Ukraine-Russia Friendship Agreement", Moscow recognized Ukraine's borders, including the Crimean Peninsula, inhabited mostly by ethnic Russians.
The first cracks in post-Soviet friendship.
Russia and Ukraine: Tensions of an undeclared war ?!
The first major diplomatic crisis between Moscow and Kiev was under President Putin. In the fall of 2003, Russia surprisingly began building a dam, from the Russian Taman Peninsula to near the Russian island of Tuzla in the Kerch Strait. Kiev believed that Russia was thus restoring state borders. The conflict initially intensified, but was defused after a personal meeting between the presidents of the two states. Construction was halted, but the declared bilateral friendship then gained its first cracks.
In the 2004 presidential election in Ukraine, Russia backed pro-Russian candidate Viktor Yanukovych. But the "orange revolution" then prevented the election from being rigged, with the election being won by pro-Western politician Viktor Yushchenko. During his tenure, Russia stopped gas supplies to Ukraine twice in 2006 and 2009. Transit to the European Union was also disrupted.
Russia and Ukraine: Tensions of an undeclared war ?!
In 2008, then-US President George W. Bush sought to integrate Ukraine and Georgia into NATO by proposing a formal accession readiness program. Putin protested. Moscow then made it clear that it did not fully accept Ukraine's independence. Germany and France thwarted Bush's plan. At the NATO summit in Bucharest, the two states were offered the prospect of being admitted to NATO, but without setting a specific date in this regard. As NATO membership was long overdue, Ukraine sought to move closer to the West through an association agreement with the EU. In the summer of 2013, just months before the document was signed, Moscow exerted strong economic pressure on Kiev by banning imports from Ukraine. Against this background, the government of then-President Yanukovych, which had won the 2010 election, suspended the association agreement with the EU. This was followed by protests from the Ukrainian opposition, which resulted in Yanukovych fleeing to Russia in February 2014.
Russia and Ukraine: Tensions of an undeclared war ?!