From Kursk to Ukraine: Russia's 21st century timeline
Vladimir Putin’s presidency of Russia has seen major crises — from the Kursk submarine disaster to wars in Ukraine. How did these impact his style of rule?
Image: Vladimir Putin / Kursk: 10 Days That Shaped Putin
On 12th August 2000, Russian nuclear submarine Kursk exploded, causing all 118 of its crew members to lose their lives. Vladimir Putin had taken over as Russian president just months earlier, but the Kursk crisis had a significant impact on the style of his rule. This is all explored in a new Sky HISTORY series, Kursk: 10 Days That Shaped Putin.
In fact, Putin has exploited a lengthy string of interconnected events — from the Kursk submarine disaster to foreign elections — to cement his political power. Below, Sky HISTORY looks closely at how Putin’s nefarious reactions to all these events culminated in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Kursk submarine disaster (2000)
In August 2000, the Kursk exploded and sank to the bottom of the Barents Sea. NATO powers offered to help rescue any survivors from the sub, but did not get the go-ahead from the Russian government for several days. After first hearing news of the crisis, Putin even neglected to cut short his seaside holiday on the Black Sea.
The Russian press fiercely criticised Putin’s handling of the Kursk tragedy. The president responded with anger, insisting that journalists were lying about how long it took for his government to accept help from overseas nations.
It turned out Putin wasn’t bluffing when he threatened to punish the press for their disparaging reports. Putin’s many moves to suppress dissent in Russia have included shuttering independent media outlets.
Orange Revolution (2004-05)
Ukraine was long part of the Soviet Union but became independent in 1991. However, being located between Russia on one side and the rest of Europe on the other, Ukraine’s loyalties have swung between the two.
This awkward halfway-house situation has been typified by Ukrainian conflicts like the Orange Revolution. This particular upheaval started in late 2004 when the Ukrainian presidential election initially appeared to hand victory to Viktor Yanukovych, a pro-Russian candidate.
The election was widely perceived to be fraudulent, with protests eventually leading the contest to be rerun. This time, pro-Western candidate Viktor Yushchenko was declared the winner.
The United States supported the Orange Revolution, a stance which did not go down well with the Kremlin.
The Russo-Georgian War (2008)
Georgia — like Ukraine — once belonged to the Soviet Union. However, since going independent in 1991, Georgia has allied itself much more with the West than Russia.
This trend strained Georgia’s relations with Russia. The situation dramatically worsened when, in 2008, the region of South Ossetia sought to break away from Georgia. Russia dispatched troops of its own to support this separatist province, resulting in the Russo-Georgian War of August 2008.
The war ended with Russia recognising South Ossetia as a standalone state. The Georgian war allowed Russia to flex its military muscles with little lasting adverse effect on Russia’s relations with the international community.
With hindsight, it could be argued that this conflict emboldened Russia to wage war against another longstanding target, Ukraine, several years later. Since the West had largely left Georgia to fend for itself against Russia, why wouldn’t the same happen again with a different former Soviet republic?
Annexation of Crimea (2014)
Unsurprisingly, Ukraine shifted in favour of the European Union (EU) after Yushchenko’s election triumph. Even Yanukovych, after finally becoming president in 2010, came to the brink of signing an association agreement with the EU.
However, he reneged on the deal, resulting in public protests (today known to history as the Maidan protests). Yanukovych was consequently ousted from power and fled to Russia. Unable to accept Ukraine’s pro-Western direction, Russia subsequently invaded and annexed Crimea in 2014.
Full-scale invasion of Ukraine (2022)
In February 2022, Putin announced the start of a 'special military operation' in Ukraine. The ensuing invasion has been condemned across the world, sent prices of commodities soaring, and persisted for the rest of the early 2020s.
Brooklyn College professor of history Brigid O’Keeffe believes Ukraine’s status as a former republic of the Soviet Union has been problematic in the modern age.
With Ukraine, 'what we have seen is a sovereign people charting its own path against the backdrop of a complex Soviet legacy', O’Keeffe remarks. She cites events ranging from the Orange Revolution to the Maidan protests and the Ukrainian people’s extraordinary resistance against Russia’s aggression.
O’Keeffe adds that this all helps to explain 'why Putin has been so obsessed, alarmed and repulsed by modern Ukraine'.
By subscribing to the Sky HISTORY Newsletter, you can learn about many other events that have played crucial parts in Russia’s historical development.
