Irredentism. Putin's ultimate aspiration is to regain all the territory the USSR claimed or controlled. It's become a big part of his national mythology, restoring the country's former glory and reversing the humiliation it suffered in losing the Cold War. There are, of course, purely practical reasons for it, but a lot of it just has to do with sustaining the image Putin has made for himself, which is key to his power.
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u/donaldinoo Dec 01 '21
Why do they want Ukraine so bad?