As Ukraine prepares to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its renewed independence on August 24, there is unease that Russian President Vladimir Putin will use the opportunity to further antagonize a nation he believes should never have been an independent, democratic country separate from Russia. A massive joint Russian and Belarusian military exercise is set to take place September 10-16 just north of Ukraine’s border. That drill, called Zapad 2021, includes a rehearsal of Russian-led operations against forces from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), according to the Jamestown Foundation’s Eurasia Daily Monitor.
Russia's War Against Ukraine
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The Ukrainian Weekly: Wolves on the doorstep
A drone picture shows an aerial view of Khreshchatyk Street and the Monument of Independence on Oct. 15, 2020, at Maidan Nezalezhnosti Square in Kyiv.
