Notes and Essays -- John Brown

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine destroys half of Russia's 'key' Pantsir air defense systems, security service says February 15, 2026 9:19 pm;  original article contains an illustration •  13 min read by  The Kyiv Independent news desk   Key developments on Feb. 14-15: Ukraine destroys half of Russia's 'key' Pantsir air defense systems, security service says Ukraine hits Russia's BK-16 landing craft in Crimea and other targets in Russian-occupied territories, military says Zelensky, Rubio discuss air defense for Ukraine, possibility of leader-level peace talks Territorial concessions by Ukraine won't bring peace, Zelensky says in Munich Ukraine сonfirms strike on oil terminal in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, hits air defense system in Crimea Over 177,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine identified by media investigation The Alpha unit of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) destroyed half of Russia's stockpile of the coveted Pantsir air defense system, t...

from Quora   Elena Gold  ·  Follow Media analyst  13h Why is Ukraine so important to Vladimir Putin? Ukraine is important for Vladimir Putin because he wants to enlarge the territory of the Russian Federation and make Russia an Eurasian empire . The Russian “Eurasianism” paradigm shaped by Alexander Dugin states that Russia cannot be an Eurasian Empire without owning Ukraine. This is what Putin dreams about: “The Russian World from Lisbon to Vladivostok” is the official goal of the Russian state under Vladimir Putin. For the last 200 years, Russia never won a war against a foreign enemy, without the Ukrainians fighting together with the Russians. Ukraine is the largest country in Europe, with the territory fully located in Europe: 603,000 square km. (Russia’s territory in Europe is larger, but Russia is an Eurasian country, with territory both in Europe and Asia.) Geopolitically, Ukraine is the “buffer” separating the countries of the European Union from the aggress...