Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered military forces to attack Ukraine
from February 24. After more than two decades as leader of Moscow, Putin is
known as a dictator that many feared. Putin's political career skyrocketed
after he retired from Russia's intelligence agency or KGB.
Putin was a member of the KGB for about 15 years. He retired from active
service in the KGB in 1990.
On August 9, 1999, the then President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, appointed
Putin as Prime Minister of Russia. It is known that Putin had served as head
of Russia's domestic intelligence under Yeltsin's leadership, as quoted by
CNN.
Previously, Putin's predecessor only lasted a few months in the prime
minister's seat. However, less than six months after Putin took office,
Yeltsin appointed him president on New Year's Eve 1999.
Since then, public support for Putin has been high. According to data from
the independent pollster Levada Center, after Putin took office as
president, public support in January 2000 reached 84 percent.
September 1999: Take advantage of the issue of terrorism by attacking
the Chechens
Putin responded to terrorism in a brutal way. In September 1999, a series of
apartment bombs killed hundreds of people in Russia and terrified the
country.
This issue became Putin's momentum to promise to avenge the terrorism that
occurred in Russia and win the hearts of the people.
"We will chase terrorists anywhere," Putin promised as Russian troops bombed
the capital of the republic of Chechnya.
"If they're at the airport, at the airport. That means, if they're in the
toilet, we're going to destroy them there."
Russian investigators concluded the attack was caused by Chechen Islamic
extremists.
However, Putin's opposition, exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky, and
former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko have echoed conspiracy theories that
claim Russian security services deliberately carried out the apartment bomb
attack as a provocation to carry out military action in Chechnya.
In 2013, Berezovsky was found dead at his home in England and apparently
committed suicide. Meanwhile, Litvinenko was poisoned with polonium-210 in
London, a murder that British investigators say was ordered by Putin.
Regardless of the culprit, this bombing incident became a turning point for
Putin's career, earning him the nation's backing.
2014: Russia annexes the Crimean Peninsula
Before Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, Ukraine first faced protests to topple
pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. The protests began in November
2013, when Yanukovych thwarted an agreement that would have strengthened
Ukraine's relations with the European Union.
The protests left a number of people dead and hundreds injured. Yanukovych
chose to flee to Russia.
On 28 February 2014, a group of armed men without uniform badges seized a
number of important places in Crimea, quoted from Britannica. At first Putin
denied that the group was a Russian soldier, but later admitted it.
The movement of Russian troops is also said to have received no rejection,
considering that the majority of the population is Russian.
On March 3, the pro-Russian prime minister was placed at the head of the
regional parliament. Russia has also managed to gain de facto military
control of Crimea. On March 16, a referendum was held in Crimea and 97
percent of voters sided with Russia.
On March 18, Putin and members of the Crimean parliament signed an agreement
to take over the territory to Russia. The treaty was ratified by the Russian
parliament and signed by Putin as law on March 21.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered military forces to attack Ukraine
from February 24. After more than two decades as leader of Moscow, Putin is
known as a dictator that many feared.
Putin's political career skyrocketed after he retired from Russia's
intelligence agency or KGB.
Putin was a member of the KGB for about 15 years. He retired from active
service in the KGB in 1990.
On August 9, 1999, the then President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, appointed
Putin as Prime Minister of Russia. It is known that Putin had served as head
of Russia's domestic intelligence under Yeltsin's leadership, as quoted by
CNN.
Previously, Putin's predecessor only lasted a few months in the prime
minister's seat. However, less than six months after Putin took office,
Yeltsin appointed him president on New Year's Eve 1999.
Since then, public support for Putin has been high. According to data from
the independent pollster Levada Center, after Putin took office as
president, public support in January 2000 reached 84 percent.
September 1999: Take advantage of the issue of terrorism by attacking
the Chechens
Putin responded to terrorism in a brutal way. In September 1999, a series of
apartment bombs killed hundreds of people in Russia and terrified the
country.
This issue became Putin's momentum to promise to avenge the terrorism that
occurred in Russia and win the hearts of the people.
"We will chase terrorists anywhere," Putin promised as Russian troops bombed
the capital of the republic of Chechnya.
"If they're at the airport, at the airport. That means, if they're in the
toilet, we're going to destroy them there."
Russian investigators concluded the attack was caused by Chechen Islamic
extremists.
However, Putin's opposition, exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky, and
former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko have echoed conspiracy theories that
claim Russian security services deliberately carried out the apartment bomb
attack as a provocation to carry out military action in Chechnya.
In 2013, Berezovsky was found dead at his home in England and apparently
committed suicide. Meanwhile, Litvinenko was poisoned with polonium-210 in
London, a murder that British investigators say was ordered by Putin.
Regardless of the culprit, this bombing incident became a turning point for
Putin's career, earning him the nation's backing.
2014: Russia annexes the Crimean Peninsula
Before Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, Ukraine first faced protests to topple
pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. The protests began in November
2013, when Yanukovych thwarted an agreement that would have strengthened
Ukraine's relations with the European Union.
The protests left a number of people dead and hundreds injured. Yanukovych
chose to flee to Russia.
On 28 February 2014, a group of armed men without uniform badges seized a
number of important places in Crimea, quoted from Britannica. At first Putin
denied that the group was a Russian soldier, but later admitted it.
The movement of Russian troops is also said to have received no rejection,
considering that the majority of the population is Russian.
On March 3, the pro-Russian prime minister was placed at the head of the
regional parliament. Russia has also managed to gain de facto military
control of Crimea. On March 16, a referendum was held in Crimea and 97
percent of voters sided with Russia.
On March 18, Putin and members of the Crimean parliament signed an agreement
to take over the territory to Russia. The treaty was ratified by the Russian
parliament and signed by Putin as law on March 21.
February 21, 2022: Putin Recognizes Independence of Donetsk and
Luhansk
The conflict in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions has started since the
annexation of Crimea in 2014. Some residents in these two areas have long
wanted to leave Ukraine and join Russia.
Following Crimea, these two territories took part in a referendum on
secession on 11 May 2014.
Citing the Associated Press, organizers of the referendum claimed 96.2
percent of Luhansk residents voted for independence. Meanwhile, 89 percent
of Donetsk residents also want to break away from Ukraine.
However, the results of this referendum were never recognized by the world
until Putin decided to recognize the two territories as republics in
February 2022.
"I believe it is necessary to take a long overdue decision, to immediately
recognize the independence and sovereignty of the Donetsk People's Republic
and the Luhansk People's Republic," Putin said while recognizing the
independence of Donetsk and Luhansk on February 21.
This admission came shortly before Putin launched a military operation into
Ukraine.
February 24, 2022: Invasion of Ukraine
On February 24, 2022, Putin decided to launch an attack on Ukraine.
"I have made the decision to deploy a military operation (in eastern
Ukraine)," Putin said in a brief speech quoted by AFP. Shortly after this
announcement, explosions occurred in three cities in Ukraine, one of which
was in Kyiv, the country's capital.
After this speech was issued, Russian troops began to take control of
various cities in Ukraine, including Mariupol. More than 500 people died as
a result of this fighting, including women and children.
Russia brutally attacked various key points in Ukraine, such as the
Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants. Not only that, Russian
missiles are also claimed to often target civilian areas, such as apartment
buildings and hospitals.
Putin claimed that the reason he attacked Ukraine was because the Donbas
people asked Russia for help in overcoming the 'crimes' of the Kyiv
government.
However, many think the real reason is that Putin doesn't want Ukraine to
join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Russia also wants to
prevent NATO expansion in areas that were formerly part of the Soviet Union.
Until now, the war in Ukraine is still not over. Various dialogues have been
carried out in order to reach a ceasefire agreement, but have not yielded
any meaningful results.
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