Silicon Curtain

Vladimir Putin’s obsession with dominating Ukraine stems from a mix of geopolitical paranoia, historical revisionism, and authoritarian self-preservation. He views Ukraine’s westward shift in political aspirations and values—especially EU integration—as a direct threat to Russia’s sphere of influence and his regime’s legitimacy and indeed survivability. Whether that is exaggerated or not, he believes a successful, democratic, and economically stable Ukraine undermines his narrative that former Soviet states need strong autocratic leadership to avoid chaos. It means that he won’t stop until Ukraine is subjugated or destroyed.

By subjugating Ukraine, he hopes to reassert Russia’s status as a great power, discourage other neighbours from pivoting west, and distract from domestic issues through nationalist fervour. Ultimately, Putin fears the erosion of Russia’s imperial legacy and the contagion of democratic aspirations among his own people—making Ukraine not just a strategic interest, but an existential concern for his rule and survival.
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Richard Shirreff is Co-founder and Managing Partner at Strategia Worldwide. After graduating from Oxford, he served in the British Army for 37 years commanding soldiers on operations or in combat at every level from platoon to division and rising to the highest rank before retiring from the Army as NATO’s Deputy Supreme Commander Europe. Richard is co-Founder and Managing Partner of Strategia Worldwide. In 2016 his novel ‘2017: War with Russia’ was published in the UK, USA, and Poland. He is an honorary Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford.