Russia's Threat to Invade Ukraine

Dan Snow's History Hit

History Hit

History

4.7 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 3 February 2022

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Amid Moscow’s increasing build-up of troops along the Ukrainian border and the preparation of infrastructure for a possible invasion, tensions between Ukraine and Russia continue to mount. Dating back centuries, the history of the relationship between the two countries is one of complexity - but one that is important to understand to make sense of the current crisis.

A. D. Miller is a former Moscow correspondent for the Economist, and the Booker Prize-shortlisted author of ‘Independence Square,’ a novel set in Kyiv during the Orange Revolution. In a conversation about the historical dispute behind Russia’s current threat to invade Ukraine, A. D. Miller and Dan discuss the key events in the twentieth century, including the turning point - the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the relevance of NATO. They also detail the consequences of the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the most recent of tensions.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, Vong. Welcome to Dan Snow's history hit. Now, you may have noticed, unless you're
0:04.9	on the mother and father or digital detoxes at the moment, that there is a great tension
0:10.7	between Russia and the Ukraine. Moscow has ordered troop buildup along Ukraine's borders,
0:18.4	all the way from the Black Sea, round to be out of Russia, and as deployed ships at sea
0:23.0	as well, including in the Atlantic. This is one of those situations. There's absolutely
0:29.4	impossible to understand, to fully grasp, let alone try and predict what's going to happen
0:34.3	unless you know about the history. This is a conflict all about history. What is Ukraine?
0:42.5	Is it just a part of Russia that never deserved to become independent in 1991 as Vladimir
0:47.3	Putin almost certainly believes? Or is it a proud European nation in its own right, distinct
0:53.1	from its Russian neighbors, who for most of its history have been its owner occupiers?
0:59.1	To help me ask that question, I have got the very brilliant Andy Miller. He was the economist's
1:03.7	correspondent in Ukraine from 2047, so he witnessed the civil orange revolution. He has written
1:10.9	a novel called Independent Square about his experiences there that people he met. He
1:15.0	is the man to take us through the Ukraine from the medieval early modern period all the
1:19.0	way up to now. As you'll know, I love these episodes of history hit. It gets my journalistic
1:23.4	juices flowing. We provide the context behind the big news stories of the day. And there's
1:29.2	no bigger news story sadly than Ukraine. The return to Europe of major combat operations,
1:36.6	armor divisions once again crashing across the steps, a type of warfare that we thought
1:42.0	we'd left behind us in 1945. Will it happen? Well, no one knows. Well, no one except probably
1:48.9	will have to go back to history. So enjoy this episode all about the Ukraine.
1:55.9	Andy, thanks so much for coming on the podcast. Thanks for having me, Dan. Well, I'm going
2:07.6	to ask you one of those questions that you should never ask anyone in Ukraine in polite
	...

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