In the latest Brookings essay, Chrystia Freeland relates a personal narrative of Ukraine’s past 25 years and of how Russian President Vladimir Putin has plunged Ukraine-Russia relations to their current toxic state. It makes for a very interesting read.
One issue that Freeland’s essay highlights is how the Russian regime has tried to twist the issue of ethnic and regional divides for its own purposes. This type of effort to manipulate identity has echoes in numerous conflicts around the world—from the Balkans to Syria and Yemen and beyond.
In the Ukrainian case, Freeland writes about the division between “the mainly Russian-speaking majority …read more
Source: Brookings