Russia, Ukraine & Kyiv: A Common History That Goes Beyond Names (Vladimir & Volodymyr)

Kyiv: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Grand Prince Volodymyr, the ruler of Kievan Rus from 980 to 1015, have more in common than just their first names (Volodymyr is Vladimir in Russian).

The Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians, all of them trace their lineage to Kievan Rus, which was home to the Slavic people. Kyiv was its capital. There was a time when Kyiv was more powerful than Moscow.

* In the last century, both Russia and Ukraine were part of the 15-state Soviet Republic. Russia was the most powerful and Ukraine the second-most powerful state. In fact, at the height of the Cold War, the US and Ukraine were arch-rivals.

* After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, both Russia and Ukraine become independent nations. Ukraine inherited much of the Soviet N-arsenal but gave it up to Russia in 1994. In exchange, Moscow guaranteed Ukraine protection and sovereignty.

* In 2013, Viktor Yanukovych, the pro-Moscow former Ukraine President, rejected a EU trade deal. Instead, he accepted a $15 billion bailout package from Russia.

* Protests broke out in Ukraine as demonstrators demanded that Ukraine sign the EU deal and Yanukovych step down. Yanukovych’s government was toppled in 2014. He fled to Russia. This further created divisions among Ukraine’s pro-West and pro-Russia groups.

* An angry Russia annexed Crimea, which was part of Ukraine. Russian-backed separatists started seizing territory in east Ukraine. Russian troops moved into Ukraine in 2014, fighting alongside the rebels and seizing large swathes of territory. The war in the east has claimed more than 14,000 lives.

* Last year, Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged US President Joe Biden to let Ukraine join NATO.

* An angry Russia started sending troops to Ukraine’s border for “training exercises”, leading to the present flare-up.

* Russia wants the West to guarantee that NATO will not hold any military activity in eastern Europe and Ukraine. Putin claims Ukraine is a puppet of the West.