It's today explained I'm Noel King.

In this last long year, Russia's president Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine and started a

war that would shatter parts of Eastern Europe.

It seemed like a deranged move, and yet Putin told the world exactly why he was doing it.

I would like to start by saying that the modern Ukraine is completely, was completely created

by Russia.

After the Russian Empire collapsed in 1917, some Ukrainians called for independence.

They wanted a republic.

And for the next 100 plus years, the relationship between Russia, the Soviet Union, and Ukraine

has been marked by animosity over Ukraine's desire to be a nation, and Russia's desire

for it not to be.

Putin says Ukraine is not a country.

Yale historian Timothy Snyder, who studies Eastern Europe says, yes, it absolutely is.

Coming up, we revisit one of our favorite conversations of 2022.

Today, today, it's mine.

When we listen to other people's propaganda, it enables us to make exceptions on our own

mind.

That's Timothy Snyder.

He's a historian of Eastern Europe at Yale.

Now, if we listen to what Mr. Putin says about Ukraine, we start to think, oh, there's

a loophole here.

There's an excuse there.

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