Phil Towers

1. He wants to rebuild the Soviet Union

Russia, Ukraine, and other countries in the region were part of the Soviet Union which was broken up in the early 1990s. Controlled from Moscow and heavily Russia-dominated, the Soviet Union was a collection of nation states that collectively were powerful and influential in a world plagued with conflict. As it ended, so did the standing and power that Russia had, and Putin may want to regain this as a show of strength towards the rest of the world.

2. He wants to protect Russian trade

Geographically, whilst Russia is huge it has challenges when it comes to trading with the rest of the world. To the north, its coastline is frozen for most of the year. Most of the rest of its border is with other countries. Their invasion through the east and south of Ukraine towards Crimea gives them access to potential warm water ports, opening up more trade opportunities rather than having to transport goods through potentially hostile foreign countries.

3. He fears NATO being on his doorstep

Putin reportedly sees NATO as an alliance of the West that wants to eventually destroy Russia. He has previously accused NATO of breaking promises, saying that they pledged not to expand eastwards towards Russia and then did so anyway. Ukraine has signalled its interest in recent times to join NATO themselves, which would place a NATO member along a large stretch of Russia’s border.

4. He’s unwell

Having just turned 70, there are rumours about Putin’s health, including suggestions it is deteriorating rapidly. This may be impacting his judgment and leading him to make irrational decisions.

5. He’s just a dick

Often the simplest reason is the real one, and inflicting suffering on innocent civilians maybe can’t be explained rationally. He has previously been accused of meddling in the politics of other countries with the aim of destabilising them. Maybe he just enjoys the chaos.