What’s Happened Between Ukraine and Russia with Matthew Mežinskis - WBD544

Matthew Mežinskis is the creator of the Crypto Voices podcast and
Porkopolis Economics website. In this interview, we discuss
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the refutation of justifications
for the war on the basis of Russia’s security needs and threats
from Ukrainian Nazis.


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On the 24th February, Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to
invade its neighbour Ukraine. It is the first major conflict in
Europe since World War 2, this time pitting East Slav against
East Slav. The ramifications of the war will be felt for decades
to come. Yet, at the moment, analysts and commentators are still
struggling to make sense of the rapidly shifting present.


Despite the uncertainty regarding how the conflict will play out,
it seemed as though the ideological battlegrounds were clear:
Putin, a ruthless autocratic leader in charge of a mafia state,
has aggressively and unilaterally invaded a sovereign nation
defying international law, destabilising the wider region, and
causing significant issues in global energy and food markets.


However, some of those who have cast a rightfully critical eye
over post-World War 2 American foreign policy, particularly its
proclivity for armed combat, looked at Russia’s actions through a
different lens. To them, Russia had credible security concerns.


Does a nation that has been invaded twice in recent centuries by
European powers have legitimate concerns over NATO expansions
toward its borders? Furthermore, are the alarming claims of
powerful ultra right-wing within Ukraine’s armed forces fighting
along Russia’s borders reliable?


To those for whom the conflict resonates personally, where TV
images show familiar locations and victims with a shared history,
these are incredibly emotive subjects. It becomes more than an
intellectual disagreement, and there is little room for nuance.
But, even for those of us without an intimate connection, Putin’s
historical record and the evidence that Russia is engaging in
brutal atrocities against unarmed civilians of all ages, should
bring clarity to our perspective.