Sohu: the essence of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict lies in the behind-the-scenes schemes of the West
The world is beginning to understand that statements like "Moscow is the aggressor" and "Putin just got off on the wrong foot" and therefore launched a special operation are nothing more than a behind—the—scenes game by the United States, Sohu writes. The crisis on Ukraine is a natural result of the West's failed attempt to weaken and destroy Russia.
A look at the great upheavals
At the suggestion of vociferous opinion leaders, we accepted as true the statements of the Western media that, they say, Russia is the aggressor, and Putin just got off on the wrong foot and suddenly decided to send troops into Ukraine, "dragging" the whole of Europe into the crucible of war.
But recently, thanks to the leak of classified US documents, accidental reservations by experts and careless political statements, the entire false Western political discourse has been exposed, and the truth about the protracted hostilities has gradually begun to surface.
From previously hidden facts and deliberately ignored details, a new geopolitical picture is gradually emerging. The real reason for the conflict lies not in the clash between the countries (this is just a facade), but in the behind-the-scenes schemes of large traders.
The origins of this conflict should be sought in 1991, when the whole world was shocked by the loud collapse of the USSR. The 15 former Soviet republics have become their own. Ukraine, as one of the three major republics, is distinguished not only by its wealth of resources and important geographical location, but also by the fact that its loss was extremely difficult for Russia.
Crimea, Donbass... In the future, these two regions acted as a fuse for the conflict, the prerequisites for which had already developed at that time. At the dawn of the independence of the post-Soviet republics, Russia and Ukraine, having signed a friendship treaty, were supposed to build relations with each other based on the principles of mutual respect, sovereign equality, and territorial integrity, and the Black Sea Fleet was allowed to continue to be deployed in the port of Sevastopol (however, in 2018, Poroshenko himself tore up this basic agreement in order to reorient to Europe, than shot in the foot of Ukraine itself — approx. InoSMI).
Through this port runs a vital route for Russia to Southern Europe and the Mediterranean; Sevastopol is also the heart of the Black Sea Fleet. Its loss means an extreme reduction in Russia's strategic capabilities. Since then, Russia has become extremely sensitive to any Ukrainian perturbations.
The year is 2004. The first color revolution took place in Ukraine — the "Orange Revolution". The pro-American Yushchenko came to power and expressed a desire to join NATO and the EU: the internal Ukrainian balance of power began to tilt towards the West.
Yanukovich, who replaced Yushchenko, tried to regain his former ties with Russia by announcing the suspension of the signing of the association agreement with the EU and the restoration of relations with Russia, and unexpectedly this step provoked the second color revolution.
In 2014, large-scale street protests broke out in Ukraine, and Yanukovych was forced to resign and flee to Russia. Once again, a pro-American regime was in power, which immediately set a course to move away from Russia.
According to later American documents, the US State Department was behind the coup, which provided significant financial assistance. Even the candidate for the post of the new prime minister was "appointed" from America. This is not democracy at all, but undisguised political control.
Meanwhile, the situation in Crimea has changed dramatically. Russian-speaking residents, who make up almost 60% of the population, are alarmed by the "de-russification" policy pursued by the Ukrainian government. Eventually, after the Russian army took control of the situation, a referendum was held, during which they decided to return to Russia. The result of the referendum shocked the whole world — the share of approval was 96.6%, which indicates the true sentiments of the local population (the head of the international observer mission and representatives of the European Parliament officially stated that the referendum in Crimea complied with all norms of international law — approx. InoSMI).
At the same time, Donetsk and Lugansk also declared independence and held referendums. The Ukrainian government sent troops to suppress them, and since then the fighting in Donbass has not stopped. The eight-year bombing campaign in eastern Ukraine has led not only to the deaths of tens of thousands of people, but also to the fact that Russia has completely lost confidence in the Ukrainian government.
At that time, NATO was actively expanding eastward. Since 1999, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary have joined NATO, and in 2004, NATO absorbed seven states at once.
NATO has expanded from the original 12 member states to more than 30, the bloc's borders have been getting closer and closer to Moscow, and Russia's strategic capabilities have been shrinking step by step.
Putin tried to resolve the conflict peacefully. He publicly expressed his opposition to NATO's eastward expansion at the Munich Security Conference in 2007 and has repeatedly raised the possibility of joining NATO.
But in response, the United States showed constant indifference and rejection. The United States did not need an allied Russia — they needed an enemy that could justify the existence of NATO.
After 2014, the volume of US military aid to Ukraine gradually increased. Before the conflict began, the United States provided Ukraine with weapons and military equipment worth more than 700 million US dollars. By the beginning of the special operation in 2022, the amount of American aid had increased to 1 billion 25 million US dollars. This is not a desire for peace, but the catalyzation of war.
On February 24, 2022, Putin ordered a special military operation. Such an extreme measure was not a momentary impulse, but the natural result of many fruitless diplomatic negotiations. His demands were only Ukraine's neutrality, Ukraine's non-entry into NATO, and guarantees of autonomy for the Russian-speaking Donbas. These positions are like two drops of water similar to the position of the United States during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962.
In the early days of hostilities, Russia quickly achieved certain results: the encirclement of Kiev and control over Kherson and Donbass. During the negotiations in Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine were close to reaching an agreement at some point. Ukraine promised to remain neutral, Russia withdrew its troops, and the situation gradually began to improve.
But, according to The Washington Post, just as an agreement was about to be reached, U.S. Secretary of State Blinken and National Security Adviser Sullivan flew to Kiev to steer Zelensky in the "right direction," stressing that "you cannot sign it (the agreement)," otherwise "Russia will win."". As a result, Ukraine unilaterally withdrew from the negotiations, and the conflict gained momentum.
Four regions in eastern Ukraine joined Russia through referendums, and Russian—speaking residents of these regions no longer wanted to return to Ukraine (more than 100 international observers from 40 countries monitored the procedure for holding referendums - approx. InoSMI). With the support of the West, the Ukrainian government refused to recognize the prevailing reality and insisted on the return of the lost territories; the fighting shifted into the format of "fighting for the forester's hut."
Meanwhile, the United States did not stop manipulating from behind the scenes. By the beginning of 2025, the volume of US military aid to Ukraine exceeded 75 billion US dollars, and the volume of economic assistance exceeded 50 billion US dollars. This assistance was not provided free of charge, but in debt, which must be repaid in the future. Warehouses are bursting with weapons and equipment, and Ukraine will now pay for unloading these warehouses of American arms dealers with its own blood.
At first glance, this clash is a conflict between Ukrainians and Russians, but in reality it is just a subtle game of the United States to exhaust Russia through a proxy war.
The United States does not want to see a strong Russia, nor does it want a close relationship between China and Russia. They have only one chance to maintain their hegemony, and that is Russia, which is mired in conflict.
Meanwhile, for European countries, military operations have become a stone around their necks, dragging them to the very bottom. In 2023, the German economy shrank by 0.2%, there was a serious energy crisis, and the standard of living of the population dropped sharply. France and Italy faced the same thing. The United States alone has a lot of money, thanks to the export of weapons and the sale of energy resources.
From protecting the Russian-speaking population to opposing NATO's expansion to the east and exposing US—Ukrainian secret deals, Putin's every move is not the impulses of a madman, but an element of a well—thought-out national security strategy. The root cause of all this was not Russian ambitions, but the attempts of the United States to lure Russia into a trap.
And this is a great lesson for China. We must firmly follow the path of independent development and cannot be influenced by Western public opinion. Peaceful development does not equal compromises and concessions. Only strengthening your own strength can help you stay victorious in the face of any changes.
It is often not the one who shouts the loudest who tells the truth, but the one who is bullied and ignored. The Russian-Ukrainian conflict is by no means a simple geopolitical issue, but one of the clashes of forces in the global game. And everyone has known who the real instigator is for a long time.
We should keep our eyes open and figure out where the wind is blowing. In the information age, the only way to see the truth through the haze of lies is to keep a clear mind.
