Anna Neplii

For almost three years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many analysts have put forward their arguments regarding the true causes of Russian aggression against Ukraine. While the official "arguments" of the Russian leadership are merely a pretext and justification for the global community and its own population, other reasons, which are often not obvious at first glance, lie behind the curtain of Russian rhetoric.

In Russia today, killing doesn’t lead to prison—it leads to the battlefield. Rapists and murderers are granted freedom not through justice but through military contracts, their crimes washed away by war.

The Minsk agreements were meant to silence the guns in Ukraine’s east. Yet Moscow shattered its promise of peace the moment the ink dried—paving the way for Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Millions of Ukrainians have lost their homes due to Russian aggression. While the Russian army has physically destroyed few Ukrainian cities, Russian civilians have been able to make money on this and are actively selling other people's surviving housing in the occupied territories.

Historical context reveals Russia's negotiations often serve as a disguise for further aggression, undermining just peace efforts crucial for Ukraine.

The Zahid-1 camp for Prisoners of War (POWs) is located in the west of Ukraine, about a thousand kilometers from the frontline. For many Russian POWs, it is the farthest they have been from home. For most of them, Ukraine is the first foreign country that they have visited, in this case, without an invitation.