4. What is Putin’s ultimate goal?
Vladimir Putin considers the Ukraine as being a part of Russia’s “sphere of influence”, not a state that has gained its independence. Because of this impression of control, the Kremlin tried to stop the Ukraine from joining the EU and also NATO.
In January 2021, Russia witnessed one of the strongest anti-government protests in recent years. Following the incarceration of political opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Russia, tens of thousands of Russians protested in support of him. Navalny had recently gotten back from Germany, where he had been treated for a Russian government poisoning.
