As Putin’s war in Ukraine continues, it has been widely reported that Putin expected a quick war in which Ukrainians would welcome “liberation” by the Russians. Putin has said on many occasions that the Russian and Ukrainian people are “one”. Without looking too deeply into the history of nationalism in Ukraine, I thought it’d be worthwhile to discuss why Ukraine wants to be free of Russian influence (even before the invasion) and why they may see the European Union as a more attractive future, despite their deep ties to Russia. The map below is of the results of the Ukrainian independence vote in 1991. As it clearly shows, Ukrainians voted to be free of any post-Soviet union with Russia by overwhelming margins in pretty much every region. So here are three reasons why Ukraine wants to be free from Russian influence, followed by a few random thoughts about what’s been happening.