Why does Russia keep exerting pressure on Ukraine?

Russia’s reasons for exerting pressure on its smaller neighbor are deeply rooted in economics, history and culture. 1. Russia has designs on Ukraine’s natural gas pipelines Gas has long been an explosive issue between Russia and Ukraine.

What does Russia really want from the EU?

What Russia truly wants in terms of territory is a sphere of control in its neighbourhood – mainly, the six countries that lie between the EU and Russia and comprise what the EU calls its Eastern neighbourhood: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.

Why does Moscow want to control other countries?

Moscow expects these countries to be sensitive to Moscow’s wishes; it wants to have the ability to manage, arbitrate, and veto their relations with the West, and to prevent the expansion of Western organisations into that part of the world, based on the assumption that any Western actions there should have Russia’s approval.

Can destabilising the west bring Russia closer to its aims?

Some in Moscow do believe that destabilising the West can bring Russia closer to its real aims (and on those, see below). But others think that a confused and paranoid West would make the world more dangerous, and thus cause problems for Russia, too.

Why did the annexation of Ukraine happen?

The annexation was described as a revolt against “Nazis” and “fascists” in Kiev who had staged a coup d’etat; in fact, Ukraine’s pro-Russian president had fled the country after ordering his troops to fire at people demonstrating against his increasingly corrupt and authoritarian rule.

Is Russia preparing for military deployment in East Ukraine?

“According to our intelligence assessment, Russia is [preparing] deployment of regular units of the armed forces of the Russian Federation [in east Ukraine], citing the need to protect Russian citizens [there]”, Ukraine’s EU ambassador, Mykola Tochytskyi, told EUobserver.

What would closer ties between Ukraine and Russia mean for gas?

Ukraine is also a major market for Russian gas, and arguments over how much it should pay have prompted Russia to turn off the taps, disrupting supplies to the rest of Europe. Closer ties between the two countries would in theory at least give Russia more secure access to the former Soviet satellite’s pipeline network and the European market.