in the gmc ah, around the world, more than 300000000 people are seeking refuge we ask why? because no one should have to flee. to make up your own mind. d. w. for mines. ah, this is did avenues broadcasting from belinda in this special program? we take one step back and ask, why did vladimir putin invade ukraine? we believe he claimed it was a denot device and demilitarised the country. but is that the real reason? and what to the answers to be about, who teens russia? and what about president putin himself, joe biden believes he wants to re establish the former soviet union. does the u. s . president have appoint who shouldn't say?

because they use the collapse of the soviet union was the greatest geopolitical disaster of the century. a tragedy for all russian stolen this the issue ah, i'm british manager, welcome to this special program on russia invasion of ukraine. in the next half hour, we look at the real motivations behind vladimir proteins attack on a sovereign nation and how the events of the cold war informed the russian presidents world view. but 1st, a look at ukraine and its citizens and independent people facing a war, forced onto them. disbelieve eco. so ukraine cities, an ugly wall that is destroying homes and hopes for you and you

could burn you tomorrow. i never thought that this could happen when i never thought this would truly happen in my life time. and you got than you do, marsh. we wrote poems about the 2nd world war. i switch it to her fisheries in with the service to he, i myself, am a teacher your, to your credit rubric. we studied the history for reading, but we never thought that it would happen here. you go back to work with the brother machine is indian. alina colorado has lived in this apartment block in the city of 2. yes, in east and ukraine. it has become an inhabitable in the capitalist keefe, bombs hit this residential area where she was sleeping oak zanna gl hinkle was thrown 3 meters from her bed to the corridor with google. yahoo, oh yahoo! she knew i was completely confused. yeah, i didn't understand what was happening to me. it was as if i was lifted up and

dropped. told y'all, then i heard screams, sands. i got up and saw all the windows smashed broken glasses. i quickly gathered a few things, documents i had prepared, and i ran out into the street with the he will know the let's be in the story for many, those who can have rushed to leave the city. the result, thousands of keith residents stuck in traffic. especially children are traumatized when keith resident would fit with his family describes that experience was a hard moment. i would say because you always have this dilemma. what to tell 2 kids . on one hand you don't. yeah, on one hand, you don't want to scare them, but on the other hand, so you don't want to lie to them and we decided to take it to tell them the truth.

and we'll tell that the war started and said that we're in danger. and that's why we need to go to our grannies because it's a place oh, but in ukraine. hardly any place seemed safe. in keith, people have been seeking projects and a metro station score, basements and bumps shout us i guess this is a bomb shelter with close to my. so on, let's see here sitting in the center and from shelter. and checking in constantly are told that something may happen wrong. i am spending other gathered in an improvisor to in a hotel. our units actually, ankle is a cook here,

but going up to work is not an ox rush. it's hard, but i'm holding on have you slept to day fall where we were sleeping was an explosion woke us up. it was a 420 i am near our house. a missile was shut down. what happens next? no one knows certain, but it seems certain that many more ukrainians will suffer before the fighting stops. and it has been use teams are on the ground reporting on the fighting correspondent funding for char was in keith and sent us this report on what people in ukraine's capital city are experiencing. you do see the fee in people's eyes regardless whether they say that they stay poor and they want to resist with or without arms. but that fear basically results in different reactions as on people left or trying to leave ukraine. they are long, long queues that are forming are both on the highways towards the west,

long queues forming at gasoline stations. people we are packing up on food and basic things at the fume supermarket that is still open. he and keith. so they are, people are really panicking and they want to leave, but then the others who are concerned as well, but they say they're not going to take the sovereignty, the freedom, the democracy of the country away. in fact, i've just seen a few hours ago, a young man on his bicycle carrying a ukrainian flag. he was the only man here, the only person here at my dawn at independence square. and it really was a picture to me that yes, this concern is fear, but there's also a sense or a bood of, or of, of, of basically not, not having russia to say what the future of this country is. and it years back in 2014, exactly on the square of a family was reporting from the people of ukraine decided they didn't want to be part of russia's fold. their choice reflected in their protests on that very square

o chaos, death and revolution on caves made on square in 2014 protesters. he won't, closer ties with europe stand against pro russian president victor young coverage. his forces killed more than a 100. then he fled to russia, the kremlin, called it a qu soon, soldiers in unmarked uniforms, so called little green men, appeared in ukraine's crimea a crimea referendum on whether to leave ukraine and join. russia was rejected as illegal by the international community. but it was followed swiftly by russian annex station of crimea in march 2014. by early summer that year, an insurgency against ukrainian rule had broken out in the eastern don bos region while the ukrainian army and russian by separatists fought and on. thus

a civilian jet was short. don't malaysian airlines flight mh 17 had nearly 300 people on board investigation said it had been hit by a russian missile by autumn 2014. the front lines had stabilized despite continued shooting. the un estimates that more than 13000 people have been killed. efforts to resolve the conflict politically via the mensa process failed to make much headway. fears of uneasy deadlock were broken in spring 2021. when russia sent military hardware and tens of thousands of troops to ukraine's borders . by late april, there was relief in keith as the kremlin said, it would recall its soldiers and that russian president vladimir putin would meet us president joe biden. but some analysts say much of the military hardware and many troops actually stayed yolo,

let him know that summer putin back his military ideas with a long se he claimed ukrainians and russians were one people and said ukraine could only be sovereign in partnership with russia. but ukrainian president followed him as lensky refused to make concessions during the peace process. overdone, bath, and in november, moscow sent tens of thousands of troops back to you, cranes, borders, and into neighboring bella luce. this time, they were accompanied by enough hardware for a sustained campaign, and that campaign has led to their destruction and death we are witnessing now to help us make sense of the russian attack. i'm joined in the studio by the that was chief international editor, richard walker. and from videos in lithuania, by d. w. russia, analyst, constantine. i got richard to you 1st. i think the question on everybody's mind is,

why did president putin invade ukraine? yeah, well very, we're going to going deep into the background, of course, in our talks today, and it's great to be on with constantine today to talk about this as well. but i think this sort of the, the most immediate reason is that vladimir putin has decided to do what he can to dial back the clock to before the protest that we saw at the end of 2013 beginning of 2014 there, which top older government that was favorable towards russia in ukraine. he wants to dial back the clock to before then. he doesn't like the political direction that you train is taken in recent years. he isn't like this strategic direction is taken . he doesn't like the social direction. he's taken it taken so he is decided to remove the government and replace it with one. it's more in the previous mode. one that he finds more client to, to his view of what you train should be. and that is

a real quick we'll be discussing as we go along. richard will stay with us in the studio and constantine depression to stay on the line as well. because we do need to talk about president fulton who is really central to understanding the reasons behind this war. now german chancellor left shoulder earlier in the week called this invasion fourteen's wall as 5 turned president. shirt is a quick look at what drives him and shapes his convictions. this is how vladimir putin likes to portray himself strong, loyal to his country, and adventurous. the dare devil who doesn't shy away from danger. at the start of his career, it was a different story. back then, he was considered a blank slate as an intelligence officer. he spent years in dresden in the former

east, germany after the fall of the iron curtain. shortly before the end of the soviet union, he returned to his homeland and became a confidant of russian president boris yeltsin, who groomed him as his successor. brewton 1st became prime minister that in may 2000. he was inaugurated as president. his goal was for russia to once again become a global power in goshen. your savings goes, i use the collapse of the soviet union was the greatest geopolitical disaster of the century. a tragedy for all russian estella missed the issue that army putin calls his way of governing guided democracy. he has brought much of the russian media under kremlin control and disempowered. oligarchs who had grown rich under the chaotic years of yelton's reign. prudence decisive action in chechnya also brought him widespread support. there he waged an uncompromising war

against islamist rebels. the war in which many civilians were also killed in terms of foreign policy put in initially had a good relationship with his western counterparts. i like the man and the i i found be very straightforward and trustworthy. unfortunately, but bruton has always viewed nato's expansion after 1997 with suspicion. when the pro russian government in ukraine fell in the autumn of 2013 brewton intervened. separatists took control of eastern ukraine and russian soldiers occupied the ukrainian peninsula of crimea, then russia. and next it was their usual after a difficult, lengthy tiring journey, crimea, and so as to pull a returning to the home harbor. shout sir. oh no,

you're going. golden putin was excluded from the g h that and the u. s. and the e u imposed strong economic sanctions against russia law, but protein has stuck to his course governing in an increasingly authoritarian manner. he has quashed protests against his policies. russian opposition, members live in fear. michelle quarter kosky was inundated with trials than forced into exile boris nymphs off was murdered in the street. aleck, st of only was poisoned than saved by german doctors. the kremlin actively supports anti democratic movements across europe. russian hackers attempt to influence elections in russia. putin is regarded by many as the eternal president. he's been re elected 4 times. and in 2020,

he changed the constitution, allowing him to stay in power even longer. vladimir putin took over his country at a difficult time, but his lead it with a firm hand. something analysts don't see changing any time soon. i was like, you green that you and there back now with the russian affairs, i miss constantine exit and wellness. and in studio and the chief international editor, richard walk constantly and i'd like to go to you 1st. a lot has been written about president 14 and his time as a k g b 's by during the cold war in your you will. how much does that shape him? and president fulton's worldview? well, morning, not so good morning for the speaking. i think that the person essential thing is not to describe the reason why it was never spy. the case would be with a huge political police organization,

which only one directly the 1st chip director was actually occupied the spying. but you never served in it. the actually seemingly aspired to go there, but he was sent to east germany, the g d r as an officer for a different director of under the come of director of the russian cultural rather, the time i saw the cultural center in germany and it seems that in his occupation was to watch the internal german opposition and to probably monitor the activity of the audience personnel that position, that was there was i would like to remind you with a 1000000 strong soviet contingent army convention stations is, is germany. so i suppose that the kids be such a cost influence. it was the time when he thought he's going to make a fantastic area because being a k b officer was extremely prestigious in,

in the soviet union gave you a lot of perks about additionally huge power people were dear you, if you were a kid to be agent, so i teach the officer, so i think that this impacts it him hugely. and his desire if you wish to have this power on said paula. intimidating power is very much part of the i think k to be thinking. another thing that's important and full disclosure i said 3 translator for the sort of met their mission, the middle east, i'm doing just my national army status. but of course, because of my job, i've seen quite a few people from the k to be and what actually characterized them is a belief in conspiracy theories. and secondly, this understanding that the soviet union doesn't work,

but it doesn't work because people do not have enough sausage. you put the sausage back in the shops for some private enterprise and you can run it. wonderful. and i think that the cynical view of the, of human nature, actually another important thing to understand. i'd like to go back to the point that you made about paula. and i'd like to tie that in with what the present potent has said in the past. he has said, and we just played that report as well. he has said that the collapse of the soviet union was a tragedy for all russians. so what you're saying is that this is not so much about russian pride, but bus no power for president fulton. well definitely and actually he used an even stronger term. you call the collapse of the soviet union, the biggest, your political capacity of the 20th century. and i think that it's true that he is on how to look. thing is that occasion the office.

so i was always brought up on this saying, i think there's risky, the founder of the check and see or keep it, that the gbi office is the security office and all the knights in shining armor of the revolution. and that breeds this understanding all on the one hand you belong to a very elite organization, all the other hand, you fulfilling the national destiny. and that lights into one thing. it is essentially yes, him because he is defending a normal course. and it is pretty much indistinguishable personal power and conventional but also to stay on the line like to talk to you, richard, just based on what konstantin was saying and going back to the point that you were making about. he wants ukraine to be, in a sense, observant to him, and to go back to the time before 2014. when i was,

let's just say within the russian folder was at least pro russian in many ways up. how do you see the current situation in light of that and the fact that for president put in personally power and national pride conflating to one yet will it's been really interesting to watch what vladimir putin has been saying during the course of this week as well. so it's been a week after the dense with events, of course, but at the beginning of the week, he made this extraordinary address to the nation at the time where he announced this for the 1st intensification of the crisis. this week that he was recognizing these break away regions of eastern ukraine as independent states. and this speech that he gave was really and it will be fascinating to hear some, a constant 100 take on it as well. it was an hour, long 7 and a half 1000 words in the english translation. i get to get historical suite in an

effort to justify what he was about to do. and now in retrospect, what he's done later in a week as well. with this malaysian, and he completely de, legitimize the idea that ukraine is a sovereign states instead regarding it as something that is an appendage of the russian empire essentially. and going way back even before the soviet union and accusing soviet leaders such as lenin and stalin even of making mistakes with regard to ukraine. so taking an even kind of grand along sweep view of russian history and giving the strong impression that he feels after 20 plus years in power. and perhaps with another decade and a half in power. but certainly beginning to think about his legacy is a russian leader that he wants to undo some of what he sees as the mistakes of the past. and essentially re unite. what he sees essentially is

a part of the russian empire notices over an independent state. let's just take this to a constant and constantly recruiting richard. talk that he talked about this historical trip that present potent factor in his televised address. can you give us some context on based what prompt a russian need to think that ukraine, which is recognized as a sovereign nation, does not essentially all sovereignty and needs to bend to russian will. well, for that, you need from the to live side by side. the fruits and understand what prompted this amazing turn in which basically now it's for the whole world to see that there's only one issue with which is frankly speaking, upset, and this is your crime. to put it in the why the context? judging by this, a speech to which richard alluded 7 last out was plugged the piece or he wrote for the credit websites. $5000.00 words plus explain or well,

judging by them, it seems that he sees especially getting back your crime as a way of writing the role of the unjust collapse of the study. and then just treatments of the saw the and then russian states by the west. and this is a way of saying we are still strong. we have our own sphere of influence. but i think it's, i don't think it goes further judging by some but by the text. and that is quite a few ration experts and actually people getting in til origin history to, to have been impacted by the very strongly by the ideas of cure. rushing to lots of our yvonne in he was white and grey philosopher off to the boss

makes one of the civil war in russia in early 20th century. so some people say that if the boss makes lawsuit, he would have been the philosophical founder of kind of russian corporate states allow saline. this idea that russia needs one strong leader no matter what is the name of the president governor. and that's russia can only survive if it keeps the 3 slavic name together. russians of yellow russians and ukrainians. this is a very, very strong, a sort of thread that goes through the writings of this man in. and it seems that it took him on board. he quoted him several times and your speeches before. and i suppose that this is an attempt to write one's own page in history, in well in golden letters thought. but now this is, this is the return block of you printing. unfortunately, that does appear to be the case. constantine ok, thanks so much for that. richard,

quick final word from you, joe biden. so the present putting attempts to be going back to the days of the soviet union is that that is, well, i think we've just been hearing that. you know, you could even say that he's attempting to go back even further. and i think with westport, western leaders are really worried about at the moment. and it links him with what konstantin was saying there about the single powerful leader. is that it, at this moment in his period in power, vladimir putin is totally uncontested. he's been in office for over 20 years. and we saw during the course of this week, these extraordinary displays of the subservient, even his closest team around him are in the kremlin, where he was belittling the head of his foreign intelligence service on live television. there's no one in russia in a position of power, it appears to act as any kind of check on his behavior. and as we seeing in ukraine,

he's willing to go into very serious risks. so concerns about how far this school untrammelled pouty he has, what he could lead to richard will have to end of there. thanks so much for joining us on the studio constantine. thank you so much for being with us. that's the end of this program. but coverage of russia's vision of ukraine continues on, did up the news. you can always check out our website for the latest or on facebook and twitter pages. that's a good bye. ah, [000:00:00;00]

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with g should ship was more about which nets had been languagelink pulled up in some way . i st with is the aggression to chose this war with oh

with. mm hm. ah ah, this is dw news live from berlin. civilians are under attack and rushes will on. you cried. many people are reported injured off during the apartment block, suffers a direct strike as russian forces attempt to seize control of a key. if sub this comes is russia says it is using cruise missiles against ukrainian targets, also coming up on the show, seeking refuge from brushes of russian ukrainians make it to safety in poland,