Russia's War Against Ukraine
Adrian Karatnycky and Alexander J. Motyl: How Putin’s Ukrainian dream turned into a nightmare
Pro-Russian rebels sappers search for explosive devices in the destroyed Donetsk international airport on October 13, 2015. Ukrainian forces lost control of the airport in January 2015. AFP PHOTO/ALEKSEY FILLIPOV
Whatever the larger goal of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s armed intervention in Syria, it has succeeded in distracting the world’s attention from his ongoing aggression in eastern Ukraine. In his half-hour speech at the United Nations earlier this month timed to reach a prime-time Russian audience, he spent only a minute on the Ukrainian conflict, focusing instead on Russia’s constructive role in the Middle East.
