What caused this heinous war, and what were Ukraine's internal conflicts? [special edition pt. 3]

"On the Barricades" — s04e05 #onthebarricades

In this third installment of our six-part discussion with Pat Byrne, a political analyst, socialist activist, and historian of the European left, we continue to examine the processes that led up to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, as well as internal contradictions that existed in that country and the ways western imperialism attempted to exploit them in the past. We mention the 2004 colored revolution, the plight that Russia and Ukraine faced following the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and the economic and social problems that arose as a result, becoming a major trauma in both of those countries (and other former soviet republics).

Pat Byrne and the show's host, Boyan Stanislavski, also discuss the problem of far-right elements and their role in Ukrainian politics before and after 'the Maidan,' as well as how the US used this extremist factor to launch this regime change operation. They then go on to discuss why Vladimir Putin decided to launch the invasion right now, as well as the reasons for his popularity in Russia.