With the war in Ukraine evolving into a protracted ground-based war of attrition, the true origins of the conflict remain contested. Undoubtedly Putin's will was the defining factor, but what motivated that will? And does the Russian imperial spirit have a deeper origin? Lasha Tchantouridzé argues that the current conflict is a result of an unresolved Russian chauvinism that once provoked fear in the hearts of Soviet leadership.
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