It’s often been said in the past two weeks that the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine most clearly marks the “end of the end of history”. I disagree with this interpretation. The basic drivers of the “end of history” have not stopped, at least, in the case of Russia. Putin’s regime has consolidated to a greater degree than ever before, but that says nothing about the future of Russia’s political institutions. And the Russian conquest of Ukraine is not the beginning of a new conflict, but the end of one nearly twenty years old.
How exactly is Russia invading Ukraine necessary to save the Russian nation?