Ukrainian Independence
Initially part of the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth as well as the Kingdom of Hungary, Ukraine briefly gained independence towards the end of the First World War as the Ukrainian's People's Republic which was created in the wake of the February Revolution in 1917. Another Ukrainian independent state was created in the build up to the armistice called the West Ukrainian People's Republic. Both were short lived as they were annexed by Russia despite the latter being from Hungary, both had ethnic Ukrainians residing in these states. Interestingly, both states unified as a singular Ukrainian state.
In the wake and clean-up operations of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, a local independence movement named the Ruhk came to fruition which played a role in accelerating the break-up of the USSR in the later 1980s.
Over 300,000 Ukrainians organised a chain of people holding hands that stretched from Kyiv to Lyiv in a similar vein to the Baltic Way on 21 January 1990 to commemorate the unification of the People's Ukrainian Republic and the West Ukrainian National Republic. In July 1990, the unicameral legislature, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a document called the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine. This was followed by the Revolution on Granite in October which was a protest campaign organised by students who wanted to prevent the signing of a new treaty of the USSR with the demands being satisfied in a resolution being signed which granted their implementation. On 24 August 1991, Ukraine declared independence after the Supreme Soviet parliament of Ukraine declared it would no longer follow the same laws as the USSR and would instead follow the Ukrainian SSR laws. An independence referendum formalised Ukrainian independence with a 90% yes vote. Independence was recognised in December
1991.
Why did Russia invade Ukraine in February 2022?
As Ukraine had been previously invaded by Russia and Vladimir Putin does not recognise independent Ukraine because he said it was a creation of the Soviet Union but the Soviet Ukraine. Despite that, Ukraine is an older state than Moscow (in terms of the city state of Kyiv which was founded in 882AD). The question many people ask is why Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine now.
There a number of factors at play here:
1. Putin has always been loyal to the traditions of the old Soviet Union, under which Ukraine, along with the Baltic states, Belorussia (Belarus) and Moldova were part of the Mother country. Most of Eastern Europe was under its influence. Now Eastern Europe is part of NATO. The other countries (except Belorussia) show a desire for independence. Under the Soviet Union Ukraine was a subservient and inferior nation, because Mother (Russia) knew best. 2. The Russian economy has not developed economically. It is dependent on the price of its natural resources. Educated Russians are leaving the country. Public opinion among younger Russians is turning against Putin.
3. Putin has been Russia's autocrat for 20 years. He is 69 years old and wants to restore the Soviet Union as a legacy. But his popularity has been falling. He can't easily cure the ills of the Russian economy. But a victory in a foreign war would raise his popularity as it did his annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Another consequence of being an autocrat for so long is that you only have to hear what you want to hear. During the Covid lockdown he limited his contacts to his most loyal toadies. So he has heard that Russian speaking Ukrainians would gleefully support a takeover by Russia. He also heard that the Russian army has been modernised and is super-efficiant. (Neither statements have been proven true.) The time of Putin's life was right to achieve his life goal. Before his failures turned his people against him, he decided to act. He was informed that the Ukrainians would welcome him and victory would be easy.
He was wrong.