The February 2022 military invasion of Ukraine by President Vladimir Putin, which overturned the very foundations of the world order, was not the result of a recent change in Putin’s thinking or personality; rather it was the inevitable outcome of the Russian policy of imperialism ongoing since the early 2000s. The assertions of former reformist leaders who ingratiated themselves to Putin after 2003, such as Anatoly Chubais, are accurate predictions of Putin’s behavior today. In particular, the Putin administration’s policy shift in June 2006 from an emphasis on “territorial integrity” to an emphasis on the “right to self-determination” is the basis for the subsequent war in Georgia, the annexation of Crimea, and today’s Ukraine problem. The West and Japan did not realize the seriousness of the policy shift in 2006 and continued their policy of appeasement toward Russia, resulting in the current situation. There will be no radical change in Russia after Putin.

2022 年 2 月，弗拉基米尔·普京总统对乌克兰发动军事入侵，颠覆了世界秩序的根基，这并不是普京近期思想或个性发生变化的结果。相反，这是自 2000 年代初以来俄罗斯帝国主义政策的必然结果。2003 年之后讨好普京的前改革派领导人的断言，如阿纳托利·丘拜斯（Anatoly Chubais），正是对普京今天行为的准确预测。尤其是普京政府在 2006 年 6 月从强调“领土完整”到强调“自决权”的政策转变，是后来格鲁吉亚战争、吞并克里米亚和今天的乌克兰问题的基础。 . 2006年西方和日本没有意识到政策转变的严重性，继续对俄绥靖政策，造成了现在的局面。在普京之后，俄罗斯不会有根本性的变化。