The Current for Feb. 24, 2022
Today on The Current.:
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine last night, after weeks of increasing tensions and Russian denials of an imminent attack. For more from on the ground in Ukraine, Matt Galloway is joined by Mark MacKinnon, a reporter for the Globe and Mail who's currently based in Kyiv.
Then, more than a million people of Ukrainian descent in Canada are watching Russia's invasion of Ukraine with their worst fears of an imminent invasion confirmed. We hear what the community is feeling — and fearing — with Alexandra Chyczij, the national president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.
Also, Putin's launch of an invasion of Ukraine came just as the United Nations Security Council was meeting to find a last-minute plan for peace. We discuss the implications of those actions with Bob Rae, Canada's ambassador to the United Nations; and Roland Paris, a professor of international affairs at the University of Ottawa and a former senior advisor on foreign policy to the prime minister of Canada.
And CBC producer and documentary maker Alex Shprintsen grew up in Kharkiv, Ukraine — and has covered Russia and Ukraine for decades. He discusses what family and friends in Ukraine and Russia are feeling and seeing.
Plus, Putin claimed Ukraine is not just a neighbouring country, but also an integral part of Russian history, culture and spiritual continuum. We discuss Ukraine's roots and the implications of Putin's address for other former Soviet republics with Paul D'Anieri, a professor of political science at the University of California Riverside — and the author of Ukraine and Russia: From Civilized Divorce to Uncivil War.
