Russia and Ukraine really started a war, once many people thought that Ukraine is also playing lip service, although there is NATO support, there is no qualification to start a war with Russia, so Ukraine does not dare to fight at all; Russia's economic strength is poor, really go to war, the cost is certainly not wrong, Putin is not willing to fight; NATO headed by the United States, that is, shouting at the mouth, handing a knife, let the little brother rush forward, he does not want to participate in the war at all.
Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union
Due to its geographical importance, it was responsible for the forward positions against Europe, when the Soviet Union deployed a large number of strategic weapons, more than a dozen Tu-160 strategic bombers (only a few dozen in the entire Soviet Union), about 1200 intercontinental missile nuclear warheads (supposedly), the Black Sea Fleet, many arsenals, and the Military Design Bureau were also in Ukraine.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited a lot of military heritage, all strategic weapons remained in Ukraine, and these weapons and nuclear warheads alone have become the military powers of the time, and NATO and Russia are very jealous.
Socialism did not make Ukraine rich, under the planned economy of the Soviet period, it was responsible for the grain supply of the entire Soviet Union, once known as the granary of Europe, because it was mainly responsible for the agriculture of the Soviet Union, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine was very poor, the new government was very eager for life in Western Europe, and also very much wanted to join NATO, in order to get rid of poverty, Ukraine asked Russia and Europe for loans, in order to please the Western countries, can only go to "socialization."
Poverty has made Ukraine lose its thinking, and the United States and Russia exchanged a paper treaty and $3 billion for Ukraine's destruction of nuclear weapons, guarantees that Ukraine will not use nuclear and conventional weapons threats, no economic sanctions, and guarantee the security of Ukraine's territory.
It took Ukraine seven years to destroy all its nuclear weapons under Western and Russian supervision. All stationary ballistic missile silos were destroyed, even the rarest strategic bomber, the Tu-160, was dismantled and has not yet joined NATO.
Nord Stream 2 Project
Europe has always been in a shortage of energy, every winter natural gas shortage, Russia's natural gas transported to Europe, mainly through the Soviet Union built in Ukraine brother pipeline, Ukraine needs to charge transit fees and intercept part of the gas.
In contrast to the completed Nord Stream 1 project, the double-track Nord Stream 2 was jointly funded by a Russian company and five European companies, and the gas pipeline from Russia via the Baltic Sea to Germany was completed in September 2021. The United States has been imposing sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 Russian entity.
Regarding the Nord Stream 2 project, the United States, the European Union, Russia have been in a clear battle, Europe needs natural gas imports, Russia needs to export a large amount of natural gas, the United States and the European Union do not want Europe to rely too much on Russian natural gas.
The reason for Russia's war with Ukraine
Ukraine opposes the Nord Stream 2 project, which would reduce the natural gas transiting through Ukraine and face the danger of closing the sister pipeline.
Second, the EU's Britain and France oppose Nord Stream 2 because they are not short of natural gas, and Nord Stream 2 will make other countries overly dependent on Russia.
Third, the United States opposes Nord Stream 2 because the settlement is in euros, so that the dollar settlement system will be threatened, and in the long run Europe will be out of the control of the United States.
Fourth, Germany is very willing to be able to build Nord Stream 2, first of all to solve its own natural gas shortage, excess can be distributed to other countries, with pipeline terminal diversion, can be done more stable in the EU.
In order to avenge the loss of Crimea, Ukraine is eager to show its performance before the European Union and the United States, and acts as a pawn, hoping to gain the trust of the European Union and the United States and then join NATO.
Russia is also in urgent need of a war to resolve its own domestic political and economic contradictions, seemingly powerful Putin, domestic political pressure is also very large, since the collapse of the Soviet Union to the present, Putin has not fulfilled his promise to come to power "give me 20 years, pay you a different Russia", the economy has not changed much, the people's living standards have not improved much.
Seventh, the United States provoked Ukraine, as a buffer zone between Russia and Europe, to confront Russia, and even go to war, so that Russia and the European Union completely broke with the European Union, so that Germany gave up the Nord Stream 2 project, Ukraine must have also been promised by NATO, otherwise it would not have risked its own life to fight Russia, but he forgot the bitter lessons brought about by the last "Nuclear Weapons Elimination" treaty.