Thread by @pulitzercenter

THREAD: As Russia invades Ukraine, here are some resources and articles that are helpful in setting the historical context for Russian belligerence and conflict in the region.

1/ Earlier this year, grantee James Verini reported for @nytmag on the growing tensions in the Donbas region of Ukraine, a part of Russia’s greater strategy to further their political aims through military action, sponsored insurgency, and cyber warfare. bit.ly/33KNtuU

2/ “Nationalism comes in all different disguises.” For a deep dive into what is motivating Russian President Vladimir Putin, read the detailed 2019 account by grantee @satopol for @nytmag, “What Does Putin Really Want?” bit.ly/3vfYOz0

3/ Grantee @wiczipedia covered Russian disinformation in Ukraine’s 2019 elections, “the home of Europe’s hot war,” for @TheAtlantic and various outlets: bit.ly/3BPeVEO

4/ For @NewsHour, grantee @SimonOstrovsky investigated the split between the Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox churches following the Russian annexation of Crimea, “what amounts to the greatest split in eastern Christianity since the Great Schism.” bit.ly/33Ngl66

5/ In her photojournalism project, “Ukraine’s War: Lives Frozen By Conflict,” grantee Paula Bronstein captured the human toll of the ongoing armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, particularly for the elderly who stayed behind when violence broke out in 2014. bit.ly/3hezMrF

6/ Grantee @lindakinstler profiled the stories of Belarusian activists in exile in Ukraine as they protested the authoritarian policies of their own president. bit.ly/3vjZlQf

7/ In 2020, grantee @MegJonesJS followed U.S. military aid to Ukraine, investigating how many of those dollars were being invested in training Ukraine’s army to become better fighters. bit.ly/3pdAUAm

8/ “It’s very boring. I’m just going through the motions. Sometimes I get depressed. I fold my arms and want to give up on the war,” a Ukrainian soldier told grantee James Verini for his recent @NYTmag project, “The Stalemate.” bit.ly/35svvhq

“The first step in confronting the most dangerous European crisis since World War II is understanding the people, places, and motivations that led to the current dreadful moment,” says Pulitzer Center executive director @jonsawyer.

Economic devastation and unstable governance have followed Ukraine’s separation from the USSR in 1991. Read the over 150 reports on Ukraine supported by the Pulitzer Center in recent years here: bit.ly/3sikA3a