Today's Topics:

1, 2, 3, 4) After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine tasted freedom — but also vulnerability. As the young nation struggled with corruption and fragile democracy, new players stepped onto the stage

Western-backed organizations, wealthy financiers, and foreign political dynasties arrived, promising reform and progress. To their supporters, they were guardians of democracy. To their critics, they were infiltrators — using influence, propaganda, and money to shape Ukraine’s elections and steer its destiny

But while these subtle forces worked in the shadows, Russia prepared its own answer — not with dollars or NGOs, but with tanks and annexation. From the Orange Revolution to Euromaidan, from Crimea to the full-scale invasion of 2022, Ukraine once again became the battlefield where empires old and new wrestled for control