For decades, Moscow controlled Kyiv through corrupt puppets like Yanukovych. Tha dominance ended in 2014, when Ukrainians rose up during the Maidan Revolution. Yanukovych fled straight to Moscow – proving beyond doubt where his loyalties were. From that moment, Ukraine had a chance to walk its own path.
And that is exactly what Putin could not allow. Because Ukraine’s trajectory looked strikingly similar to Poland’s: A society breaking free from Moscow’s grip, embracing Europe, building a democracy, and creating economic growth on a scale that could transform the country within a generation.
Poland multiplied its economy tenfold in 30 years inside the EU. Ukraine could do the same. It has the people, the resources, the industry, the digital edge. Given stability, it could thrive in freedom.
That is the nightmare for Putin. Not NATO expansion, but the risk that Russians themselves might one day ask: If Ukraine can succeed, why can’t we?
So he chose war. Not to protect Russia’s borders, but to protect his own power.
As The Wall Street Journal put it: “Why Putin can’t afford to let Ukraine prosper.” And as Dan Rice summed up: Ukraine’s success is Putin’s greatest fear – because it exposes the weakness of his mafia state.
This is the real root cause of the Russian invasion. Everything else is Fake News. It’s the Economy, stupid.