With Trump once again dragging Ukraine and Zelensky into political debates, the Ukraine crisis has re-entered the global conversation. But to truly understand what’s happening today, we need to rewind to 2014—a year that changed the course of modern geopolitics. Before the full-scale invasion of 2022, there was the Maidan Revolution, a corrupt president’s downfall, and one of the smoothest territorial grabs in history: Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

This episode unpacks the origins of the conflict, starting with Ukraine’s impossible balancing act between Russia and the European Union. When President Viktor Yanukovych suddenly ditched an EU trade deal in favor of a Russian bailout, Ukrainians took to the streets in protest. The government’s violent crackdown only fueled the revolution, leading to Yanukovych’s dramatic escape in the dead of night. But while Ukrainians celebrated their victory, Putin saw an opportunity—and within weeks, Russian forces had taken Crimea without firing a shot.

We’ll break down:

Ukraine’s East vs. West dilemma – Why the country has always been caught between Russia and Europe

The Maidan Revolution – How student protests escalated into a full-blown uprising

Putin’s Crimea Playbook – The military deception strategy (“maskirovka”) that caught the world off guard

The West’s response (or lack thereof) – Why sanctions failed to deter Russian aggression

The Road to War – How these events set the stage for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine

If you love history podcasts like The Rest Is History and Revolutions, you’re in the right place. The Ukraine crisis didn’t start in 2022—it started here. And if we want to understand what happens next, we need to understand how it all began.