Wars do not only revolve around battlefields, battlefronts, and even cities, but also revolve around the narrative and narrative written by the combatants;

Historians say that the first casualty when the war broke out was not the truth, but rather what was left of it.

The history of the country of Ukraine dates back to the migration of the Slavic tribes that established the kingdom of "Kiev Rus" to include, in addition to Ukraine, large parts of Belarus and present-day Russia, and during the 10th and 11th centuries Ukrainian and Russian identities became in the process of formation.

Orthodox Christians in both Russia and Ukraine trace their religious conversion to the Grand Prince of Kiev in 988 AD, the pagan prince known as Vladimir I to the Russians, and Volodymyr to the Ukrainians, who made his principality (Kiev Rus or Kievan Rus) an Orthodox Christian nation, from which it moved to the inhabitants "Khantan Rus" (Eastern Slavic lands) after being baptized by Christian missionaries from Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire at that time, Kiev became the most important religious center for the Eastern Slavs.

After it was destroyed by the Mongols in 1240 AD, Kiev fell into a state of decline even as its northern neighbor Moscow increased in power.

By 1686, Russia occupied eastern Ukraine and Kiev, and in the 16th century Ivan the Terrible - the first tsar of Russia - gathered the Slavic principalities, and the Duchy of Muscovy (Moscow), which was later than its counterparts, developed, and with the arrival of the Romanov family to power in the 18th century St. Petersburg became the capital of Russia Tsarina that became the heir of Tsarina Muscovy.

In the 20th century, a growing nationalist movement called for Ukraine's independence, including church and state.

Although Ukraine became an independent country in 1991, the only internationally recognized national Orthodox Church remained under Moscow.

Slavic peoples

In an article published by the Australian website, The Conversation, Ronald Sonny, a professor of history at the University of Michigan, wrote some clarifications and answers to historical issues related to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which have remained the subject of attraction and manipulation, according to each party's narrative.

The writer says in this report that Russian President Vladimir Putin's view of the Russian-Ukrainian relationship, a view that faces rejection and condemnation from the West, is based on correct historical data from the point of view of the Russian President, who believes that Ukrainians, Belarusians and Russians are one people, united by the same history and the same culture. ;

At the same time, Putin realizes that this people is now divided into separate states recognized by Russia and international law.

Despite this recognition, Putin doubts the historical circumstances that led to the establishment of the modern state of Ukraine, and considers that it was tragic circumstances that prompted a wrong decision by former Soviet leaders, such as Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev.

Putin also questions the sovereignty and independence of the Ukrainian people, although he is, on the other hand, a staunch supporter of Russian nationalism.

The writer adds that Putin considers Ukraine to be a friendly and non-hostile neighbor to Russia, but at the same time he considers its government illegitimate and describes it as fascist.

It is also paradoxical that Putin always says that the condition for coexistence between neighbors is not to threaten the security of each other, but at the present time it is clear that Moscow represents the greatest threat to Kiev, according to the writer.

ukraine historical novel

As for the historical references that Putin mentioned in his speech about the historical account of the establishment of the Ukrainian state, through which he wants to send a message that: "We made Ukraine, and we can take it back," according to the writer.

The writer adds that Putin made strong calls to Ukraine and the West to acknowledge Russia's security concerns, and to provide guarantees that there would be no moves by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) near Russia or inside Ukraine.

But it is ironic that Russia's latest military offensive will push the Ukrainians further into the arms of the West.

As for Russia considering the Donbass region - which includes the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces - as a legitimate part of Russia, this idea is counterproductive, according to the author;

Even during the Soviet era, these provinces were part of Soviet Ukraine, and upon the dissolution of this union, the borders between its various republics became internationally recognized borders, and even Russia recognized them.

As for raising the issue of legitimacy and land ownership, this is a thorny issue that leads to endless controversy. Historically, the Donbass region was inhabited by Russians, Ukrainians, Jews and others, but during the Soviet era and afterwards it was dominated by ethnicity and the Russian language.

When Kiev experienced a revolution in 2014 and moved closer to the West, and Ukrainian nationalists threatened to ban the use of the Russian language in some parts of Ukraine, the rebels in Donbass decided to take up arms against the central government.

After months of fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-allied rebels in Donbass in 2014, the Russian regular army intervened and crossed the border, unleashing an 8-year war that left thousands dead and wounded.

land ownership

The writer acknowledges that the claim to land ownership has been a complex issue throughout history, as is the case with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the conflict between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.

There are various criteria for settling this dispute, including considering that the majority who live on the land have the right to self-determination, and there are those who believe that historical precedence is the most important.

Also, Russia can consider Donbass as belonging to it by adopting the criterion of ethnicity, and Ukraine adheres to this region by adopting the historical criterion.

But all these arguments do not lead to a solution, and this type of disagreement usually ends in destruction and bloodshed.

And about the importance of Russia's recognition of the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics as a turning point in this conflict, the writer believes that Putin, by recognizing the republics of this region as independent states, made a dangerous escalation, which now turned out to be paving the way for a comprehensive invasion of Ukraine.

The writer cautions that this invasion represents a strong and seismic message to Western countries, that Russia will not retreat an iota or accept more armaments and the accumulation of military arsenals near its borders, in Ukraine, Poland and Romania.

The Russian president has now led his country into a very dangerous preemptive war, based on fears that his country will be attacked in the future.

And this pre-emptive war now, no one can predict its outcome.