Europe has a long and bloody history of wars, of borders brutally contested, of nations and empires carving destructive furrows far from home. But a sad harvest of sorrow and loss after the Second World War was followed by decades of relative peace and prosperity, even during a Cold War that did not become hot.
Last summer in a 20-page document citing centuries of blood-spattered history, Putin laid claim to Ukraine, which in 1991 regained its independence following the Soviet Union's collapse, stating"Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians are all descendants of Ancient Rus, which was the largest state in Europe."
Having already invaded Crimea in 2014, fears Russian troops will again cross the border have never been higher. Two days later, after NATO talks in Brussels, another deputy foreign minister, Alexander Grushko, threatened force if they don't get what they want."We have a set of legal military-technical measures that we will apply if we feel a real threat to [our] security, and we already feel [it]," he said.
The same day, Ukrainians woke to a massive cyberattack taking down government websites. Russia hasn't claimed responsibility, but Europe's top diplomat Josep Borrell left little doubt who he thinks was behind the attack, saying,"It's difficult to say [who is behind it]. I can't blame anybody as I have no proof, but we can imagine."
Lavrov has stated he believes NATO needs to make the next move,"We are waiting for answers from our colleagues, written answers, put on paper."
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