People (world leaders, politicians, journalists and alike) have expressed shock and surprise at what’s happening in Ukraine and yet, as a documentary first shown on the BBC in March 2018 seems to show, it was only a matter of time.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b09vb7m3/putin-the-new-tsar
Although I was vaguely aware of most of
the events highlighted in documentary, I freely admit that I had largely swept such
issues aside (yes, I know most of us have had ‘our fill’ of sickening
images of the Russian army bombarding Ukraine). BUT I really would recommend
that you watch the documentary in an effort to put things into context… and to
underline that we shouldn’t have been surprised by Putin’s actions.
Despite his
lowly KGB colonel credentials, Putin became President in May 2000. Between
2000-2004, Putin set about the reconstruction of the impoverished condition of
the country - apparently (according to
Wikipedia) winning a power-struggle with the Russian oligarchs, reaching a
'grand bargain' with them, which allowed the oligarchs to maintain most of
their powers, in exchange for their explicit support for Putin's government (and,
it seems, direct financial compensation/contributions/back-handers). Indeed,
according to the documentary,
Putin was regarded as “the world’s richest man” – in 2015, outspoken critic Boris
Nemtsov circulated pamphlets pointing out that Putin’s wealth included 58 jets,
2 yachts and a summer palace (Nemtsov was assassinated soon after). Corruption
and institutionalised corruption in the country is now considered rife.
In 2008,
there was a crisis in Georgia (with Russian tanks sent to the country and a
5-day war resulting); in 2014, there were several Russian military incursions
into Ukraine and, as a result of a Russian-organised, widely-criticised referendum,
Crimea (then part of Ukrainian territory) was annexed to join Russia.
In the
documentary, Sergei Pugachev (who helped Putin come to power) described Putin
as a “weak man… an envious and greedy man… and he’s a man who always lies”. Nemtsov
described Putin’s attitudes demonstrated the “extreme narcissism of the emperor”.
Former Foreign Secretary, William Hague, maintained that Putin “has invented
new kinds of warfare which Western countries are still struggling to come to
terms with… “with its full spectrum capability”.
But, for
me, the most telling words of the documentary came from Gary Kasparov (former
World Chess Champion and who, in 2008, had announced his intention to run as a
candidate in that year's Russian presidential race - but, after encountering
logistical problems in his campaign, for which he blamed "official
obstruction", he withdrew).
Kasparov said: “It’s not IF Putin would
attack, it’s only when and where”.
Sobering and telling words from four
years ago.
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