Russian Geopolitics and Ukrainian War
Journal: Palgrave Macmillan US eBooks
Year: 2015

This chapter reviews relations between the EU-NATO tandem and Russia during the period leading up to the latest Ukrainian crisis. President Yanukovich was overthrown following his decision to join the Eurasian Customs Union and power in Kiev has passed to Western Ukrainian nationalists. After Russia annexed Crimea, a rebellion was set off in the Donbas against the new power in Kiev. The decision to restore Kiev’s authority in the East by force of arms has led to civil war. Successive stages of t