Episode
‘A Knife to the Throat’: Putin’s Logic for Invading Ukraine
30:23
Published: Wed Feb 23 2022
Description
At 10 p.m. in Moscow on Monday night, Russian state television interrupted its regular programming to air an address from President Vladimir V. Putin about the Ukraine crisis.We look back on what Mr. Putin’s hourlong speech — remarkable for his overt display of emotion and grievance — revealed about his rationale for invading.Guest: Anton Troianovski, the Moscow bureau chief for The New York Times.Have you lost a loved one during the pandemic? The Daily is working on a special episode memorializing those we have lost to the coronavirus. If you would like to share their name on the episode, please RECORD A VOICE MEMO and send it to us at [email protected]. You can find more information and specific instructions here.Background reading: Mr. Putin’s speech sounded like a call to war, the culmination of a propaganda barrage orchestrated by Russian state media in recent days.The United States and its allies swiftly imposed economic sanctions on Russia for what President Biden denounced as the beginning of an “invasion of Ukraine.”Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, subscribe to our newsletter. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Chapters
The podcast hosts discuss Putin's recent speech on Ukraine and its subtext, including his views on the early years of the Soviet Union and present-day Ukraine's boundaries.
00:00 - 04:56 (04:56)
Summary
The podcast hosts discuss Putin's recent speech on Ukraine and its subtext, including his views on the early years of the Soviet Union and present-day Ukraine's boundaries.
Episode‘A Knife to the Throat’: Putin’s Logic for Invading Ukraine
PodcastThe Daily
Putin argues that creating ethnically defined republics in the Soviet era separated and wronged the Russian people, leading to tensions that still exist today, and warns against Ukraine's decommunization process.
04:56 - 15:00 (10:03)
Summary
Putin argues that creating ethnically defined republics in the Soviet era separated and wronged the Russian people, leading to tensions that still exist today, and warns against Ukraine's decommunization process.
Episode‘A Knife to the Throat’: Putin’s Logic for Invading Ukraine
PodcastThe Daily
Putin's mentions of weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine are actually a means of justifying an invasion of the country, similar to the US's invasion of Iraq.
15:00 - 21:50 (06:49)
Summary
Putin's mentions of weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine are actually a means of justifying an invasion of the country, similar to the US's invasion of Iraq. This would be done to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and becoming a threat to Russia's national security.
Episode‘A Knife to the Throat’: Putin’s Logic for Invading Ukraine
PodcastThe Daily
Putin claims that Ukraine is planning an offensive against separatist territories, which may lay the groundwork for major military action in Ukraine, and signs a decree ordering the Russian army to carry out peacekeeping functions in these separatist territories, which Russia has backed since 2014.
21:57 - 29:14 (07:16)
Summary
Putin claims that Ukraine is planning an offensive against separatist territories, which may lay the groundwork for major military action in Ukraine, and signs a decree ordering the Russian army to carry out peacekeeping functions in these separatist territories, which Russia has backed since 2014.
Episode‘A Knife to the Throat’: Putin’s Logic for Invading Ukraine
PodcastThe Daily
The mother of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man who was killed by white men while jogging, criticized the Department of Justice's decision to accept a plea deal with his murderers.
29:14 - 30:17 (01:02)
Summary
The mother of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man who was killed by white men while jogging, criticized the Department of Justice's decision to accept a plea deal with his murderers.