Welcome to Dan Snow's History Hit. I'm Matt Lewis bringing you today's episode because

Dan is currently an Antarctica. In light of the developing and escalating situation

between Ukraine and Russia, we're going to take a look on the podcast today at the long

and complex history of relations between these two states. It may not offer a full explanation

for what is happening today, but it provides some context for the way the countries view

each other. Why does Russia think Ukraine is a Russian possession while Ukraine sees itself

as fiercely independent from Moscow? It's a story that covers a millennium or more

of history, taking in Vikings, Mongols, more than one international conflict, horrifying

famine, nuclear disaster and the fall of the USSR. Today, Russia appears to be invading

Ukraine as Ukrainians prepare to defend themselves. The world watches nervously as leaders try

to avoid a conflict the likes of which Europe hasn't seen for more than 70 years. We all

hope that peace will find a way. This is why we must never forget all that has gone

before. The ongoing crisis in relations between Russia and Ukraine threatens to engulf Eastern

Europe in a war on a scale not seen since 1945. The eyes of the world are focused on the

military activity as politicians scramble to visit the region and encourage a diplomatic

solution that will de-escalate a potential confrontation. Ukraine was known as the breadbasket

of Soviet Russia. It remains politically, militarily and economically important to Russia

today. Precisely why there is a dispute over the sovereignty or otherwise of Ukraine is

a complex question rooted in the region's history. It's a story more than a thousand years

in the making. For much of that time, Ukraine did not exist at least not as an independent

sovereign state, so the name Ukraine will be used to help identify the region around Kiev

that was so central to the story. Crimea is an important part of the story too, and

...