Putin thinks Ukraine is an illegitimate country that doesn't deserve to exist — a rogue province of Russia that needs to be forcibly (re)unified with his empire.

If you don't understand this, you don't understand the Ukraine War. https://t.co/Yp8FBuYzAu

— Noah Smith 🐇🇺🇦 (@Noahpinion) May 24, 2023

Many people seem not to realize this, even though it’s blatantly fucking obvious.