Luke Grant is joined by Dr Robert Horvath, Senior Lecturer in Politics at La Trobe University and respected scholar on Russian Politics, to help us understand a little more about this appalling egomaniacal bully and murderer, Vladimir Putin.

As we know, the war with Ukraine is well underway. Yesterday, in a televised address, Putin said his aggression comes in response to threats coming from Ukraine.  He warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to “consequences they have never seen”.

Mr Putin said Russia doesn’t have a goal to occupy Ukraine, and that the responsibility for bloodshed lies with the Ukrainian “regime”. He accused the US and its allies of ignoring Russia’s demand to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and offer Moscow security guarantees.

He said the Russian military operation aims to ensure a “demilitarisation” of Ukraine.

Dr Horvath is the author of ‘Putin’s Fascists: Russkii Obraz and the Politics of Managed Nationalism in Russia’

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