hi, thank this is did avenues broadcasting from belinda in this special program? we take one step back and ask, why did vladimir putin invade ukraine? he claimed it was to de modify and demilitarized the country. but is that the real reason and what to be on says to be about fourteen's, 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 metal stolen, that's 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 fulton's attack on a sovereign nation, and how the events of the cold war informed the russian presidents world view. but 1st, i look at ukraine and its citizens and independent people facing a war, forced on to them. disbelief echoes will ukraine cities, an ugly wall that is destroying homes and hopes you

could van you tomorrow. i never thought that this could happen when i never thought this would truly happen in my life time. and you got daniel tomorrow. we wrote poems about the 2nd world war. switch it to her theories name with the service to he. i myself, am a teacher your credit. we studied the history serving but we never thought that it would happen here. you go back to work with the brother machine is indian. political rito has lived in this apartment block in the city of to will. yes. in easton ukraine, it has become an inhabitable in the capitals, keith bombs hit this residential area where she was sleeping. oksana, gal hinkle, was thrown 3 meters from her bed to the corridor, which is all if you go, if you did, if you are young, she knew i was completely confused. yet i didn't understand what was happening to me. it was as if i was lifted up and dropped little of y'all than i heard screams,

sans 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 keep residents stuck in traffic, especially children are traumatized. when keith resident who had set with his family describes their experience was a hard moment. i would say because you always have the dilemma. what to tell to kids . on one hand, you don't, you know, 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 with tell that the word and that we are in danger,

and that's why we need to go to our grannies because safe place this but in ukraine. hardly any place seems safe. in keith, people have been seeking projects and the metro station score. basements and pumps out of i guess this is a shelter. so here sitting in the shelter, in shelter and checking the news constantly told that something might happen around 5 pm. reading. other gathered in an improvised shelter in a hotel. our units are tranquil, is a cook here,

but going up to work is not an option. it's hard but i'm holding on. had he slept today? follow where we were sleeping pleasant explosion woke us up with us for 20. i am near our house. a missile was shut down. what happens next? no one knows children, 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 manufacture was in keys and sent us this report on what people in ukraine's capital city are experiencing. you do see the thing 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 or some people left or tried to leave ukraine. they are long, long queues that are forming a, both on the highways towards the west,

long queues forming at gasoline stations. people were packing up and 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 justice concern this fear. but there's also a sense, or a bood of, of, of, of basically not, not heading russia to say what the future of this country is. and 8 years back in 2014, exactly on the square of a funny was reporting from the people of ukraine decided they didn't want to be part of russia's fault. their choice reflected in their protests on that very

square chaos. death and revolution on keith's might on square in 2014 protesters. he won't, closer ties with europe stand against pro russian president victor young cove, which his forces killed more than a 100. but then who fled to russia the kremlin, called it a que 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 annexing of crimea in march 2014. by early summer that year, an insurgency against ukrainian rule had broken out in the eastern on bass region, fell the ukrainian army and russian by separatists fought and on. thus,

a civilian jet was shot down malaysian airlines flight image. 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 minsk process failed to make much headway. years 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 his 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 little know

that summer putin backed 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 ukraine's 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 to talk. i'm joining the studio by the devil's chief international editor, richard walker, and from williams 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 go in deep into the background. of course, in our talks today, and it's great to be on with konstantin 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 toppled a 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's like this strategic direction is taken. he doesn't like the social direction he's taken is 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 clients to,

to his view of what you train should be. and that is a view that we will 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 of shoulds earlier in the week called this invasion, fourteen's wall as 5 turned president sure is a quick look at what drives him and shapes his convictions. this is how vladimir putin likes to portray himself to his compatriots, strong loyal to his country. and adventurous at daredevil 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 a k g

b officer, he spent years in dresden and communist east germany. after the fall of the berlin wall, shortly before the end of the soviet union, he returned to his homeland eventually working for the administration of president boris yeltsin before becoming prime minister in 1999. in may, 2000, he was inaugurated his president. his goal was for russia to once again become a global power. little goshen. yes, i guess goes i use the collapse of the soviet union was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century. and that was a tragedy for all russians. they issued that army under putin's leadership, the country has been transformed. he's brought most of the russian media under kremlin control and disempowered. oligarchs who had grown rich during the chaotic years of yelton's reign. putin's decisive action in chechnya also brought him widespread support. there he waged an uncompromising war against separatist rebels,

a war in which many civilians were also killed. in terms of foreign policy, putin initially had a good relationship with his western counterparts. i looked the man in the eye. i found to be very straightforward and trustworthy. virtually from but he's all was viewed nato's expansion to take in new eastern european members with suspicion. when the pro russian government in ukraine fell in february of 2014 hootin intervened the next the ukrainian peninsula of crimea and help moscow packed and armed separatists to secure control if parts of the eastern ukraine was near jolla. after a difficult, lengthy tiring journey, crimea and the pole are returning to the home harbor. i knew you were going

to russia was excluded from the t h group of countries, and the u. s. and the e u. impose strong economic sanctions over a year. but put in a stuck to his course governing in an increasingly authoritarian manner. he has quite a protest against his policies. russian opposition, members live in fear me, hold 2 skins, spend 10 years in prison and was then sent into exile. batteries himself was murdered in front of the kremlin. alexi, nev only was poisoned, he recovered, and is now in prison. the kremlin actively supports anti democratic movements across europe. russian hacker is attempt to influence elections. in russia, putin is regarded by many as the eternal president. he is held on to power through 4 controversial elections. and in 2020 he changed the constitution allowing him to

rule even longer was that. 0 vladimir putin took over his country at a difficult time. but he's leaded with an iron hand. and now that you can, is thrust europe into an unprecedented crisis. you're doing stroke grain, and they're back now with the russian affairs. i miss constantine exit and wellness . and in studio d, w g international editor, richard, walk constantly and i'd like to go to you 1st. a lot has been written about president 149, his time as a kid you these by, during the cold war in your view will how much does that shape him? and president fulton's worldview? well, morning, not so good morning for the speaking. i think that's the 1st essential thing is not to describe the reason why it was never spite the case would be with a huge political police organization in which only one director of the 1st chief

directors was actually occupied with spying. but you never served in it. the actually seemingly aspired to go. but he was sent to east germany, the g d r. as an officer for a different director under the cover of director of the russian cultural rather than the cultural center in germany. and it seems that his, his occupation was to watch the internal german opposition and to probably monitor the activity of the saw the person that was patient that was there was, i would like to remind you with a 1000000 strong saw the contingent army confusion stations of germany, so i suppose that the k g b as such of course 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 would tear you if you were a kid to be agent, so each of the offices, so i think that this impacts it him hugely. and his desire, if you wish to have this power on said power 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 yes and translator for the sort of met their mission released. i was doing just my national army service, but of course, because of my job, i've seen quite a few people, the key to the right. and what actually characterize them is a belief in conspiracy theory. and secondly, this understanding that this argument 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 power. and i'd like to tie that in with what present fortune has said in the past. he has said and just play 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. he called 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 to get from the way that the page of the office is the security sense of all the knights in shining of the revolution. and that breeds this understanding all on the one hand you belong to the elite organization, or the other hand you fulfilling the national destiny. putting that to flight into one thing. it is essentially yes, him because he is defending a noble cause. and it is pretty much indistinguishable personal power and conviction, 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 fold, it 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 putin 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 10th 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 was the 1st intensification of the crisis this week that he was recognizing these breakaway regions of eastern ukraine as in japan states. and the speech that he gave was really and it would be fascinating to hear some constant 100 take on it as well. but it was an hour, long 7 and a half 1000 words in the least translation. and it took this historical sweep 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 to 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 alone 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 as 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 constant and constantly recruiting richard. talk that he talked about this historical trip that president potent referred to in his televised address. can you give us some context on this? what prompts a russian leader to think that ukraine, which is recognized as a sovereign nation, does not essentially hold sovereignty and needs to bend to russia will well, for that, you need from the to live side by side the food since 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, well, 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 words, plugged the the piece or he wrote for the credit websites. $5000.00 words plus do

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 soviet union. and then just treatment 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 influence. but i think every, sorry, i think it goes further. judging by some but by the text analysis by quite a few russian experts and actually people living in diligence history that has been impacted by the very strongly by the ideas of cure russian philosopher yvonne in he was white and a great philosopher up to the bolsheviks while the civil war in russia in early

20th century show, some people say that if the boss weeks last, what have been the philosophical founder of kind of russian corporate, this states allow saline. this idea that russia needs one strong leader, no matter what is the name and president governor, whatever. and that's russia can only survive if it keeps the 3 slavic names together. russians of yellow russians and ukrainian, this is a very, very strong, a thread that goes through the writings of this man in the end. it seems that you took him on board. he quoted him several times if you 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 written and blog you printed. 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 because? 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 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 or 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're seeing in ukraine, he's willing to go into very serious risks. so concerns about how far this could

untrammeled power that he has. what it could lead to rich, i will have to end of that. 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 and vision of ukraine continues on, did of the news. you can always check out our website for the latest or on facebook and twitter pages. that's a good bye. ah ah, [000:00:00;00]

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iraq destruction of the nation starts march 4th on d, w. mm hm. ah ah, ah, this is dw news life from berlin. russian strikes hit an oil terminal and gas pipeline in ukraine than the capital key of residents have spent a 3rd night under ground. many of the cities, 3000000 residents remain to defend it from russian invasion. germany doesn't about face and agrees to send weapons to help you crane battle the russian invasion in a significant policy shift chancellor, olaf shoulds approves the delivery of anti tank weapons and missiles, jokes,