The Russian government, under President Vladimir Putin, has stepped up repression at home and aggression abroad in an effort to consolidate power within the country and on the world stage.
New Zealand’s geographical distance will be no defence against the consequences of a protracted crisis. So why has there been so little discussion about the threats?
Resistance: a Ukrainian reservist during a military exercise at a training ground near Kiev.
EPA-EFE/Sergey Dolzhenko
With the failure of talks, a Russian incursion into Ukraine has become more likely. But any invasion would face fierce resistance.
Ukranians hold a ‘Day of Dignity’ in Kyiv to commemorate the eighth anniversary of the ‘Euromaidan revolution’ that toppled the former Russian-backed regime.
EPA-EFE/Stepan Franko
Given the disconnect between Russia and the US and its NATO allies, it is puzzling why the talks happened at all, and what might possibly be gained from them.
A military patrol detains a protester in Kazakhstan.
Valery Sharifulin\TASS via Getty Images)
Negotiations between Western democracies and Russia over the fate of Ukraine took place against a backdrop of Russia troops entering Kazakhstan. It’s a reminder that Russia is willing to play tough.
Vladimir Putin at a concert in March 2021 marking the seventh anniversary of its annexation of Crimea.
Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Image
As Ukraine wrestles with the latest threat from its larger neighbor, two scholars explain how the independent country is often viewed as part of a greater Russia – and why that inflames tensions.
Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, visiting troops on the frontline with pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas region.
EPA-EFE/Presidential press service handout
When the Soviet Union collapsed in December 1991, Russia formed a bloc with Ukraine and Belarus. The region is now at the centre of escalating tensions between Russia and the west.
New age: the flag of the Soviet Union is taken down for the last time as the Russian flag is raised over Moscow for the first time.
EPA/ Vassili Korneyev
European leaders have accused Belarus of using civilians as weapons along the EU border in a ‘hybrid war’. And Russia, they say, is the mastermind behind it.