With the increase in Russian troops along its borders with Ukraine, so are fears of Russia invading the country. According to a former UK Conservative defense minister, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reason for wanting an invasion of Ukraine was to seek revenge for the fall of the Soviet Union.
Former Conservative defense minister Sir Gerald Howarth warned that Putin wants to get revenge on Ukraine for the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Howarth warned that the chances of Russia invading Ukraine are very likely, especially as tens of thousands of troops are being deployed to the borders it shares with Ukraine. While Russia has repeatedly denied planning an invasion, Howard said that this would be a situation similar to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Speaking with TalkRADIO, Howarth claimed that Putin is looking to avenge the fall of the Soviet Union back in 1991, having never been able to accept that his predecessors allowed the collapse. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace described the situation as having “a whiff of Munich” in the air upon describing the likelihood of a Russian invasion. Howarth agreed with Wallace.
“What we have to understand are two things. First and foremost, Putin resents bitterly the breakup of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War,” said Howarth. “He was a KGB officer and he’s never really forgiven his forebears for breaking up the Soviet Union. Secondly, he has form. We know what he’s done in 2008, he invaded a sovereign country Georgia and annexed part of that country.”
“In 2014 in the full glare of the western interest and publicity he nakedly boycotted the agreement that his predecessor Boris Yeltsin made in 1994 that they’d respect the borders and independence and sovereignty of Ukraine. He seized Crimea,” Howarth added.
The US and other western nations have repeatedly warned that any incursion by Russia into Ukraine would face severe sanctions. Troops have also been deployed to the surrounding countries, and more arms have been transported to Kyiv to bolster the Ukrainian military’s defenses.
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov recently urged Putin to continue pursuing diplomatic means to ease the tensions in the region. Lavrov, in a televised exchange with Putin this week, said that there is always an opportunity to reach an agreement with the west regarding Ukraine.