This book proceeds from a simple question - "What prompted the Russian-Ukrainian war?"

The answers are presented here in the words of primary sources: public statements and reporting from political actors, journalists and commentators addressed to Russian-speaking audiences. Much of this content is published in book form in English for the first time.

The picture that emerges is that the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 was preceded not just by preparatory actions of the Russian military - joint exercises in post-Soviet space and the buildup of troops at the Ukrainian border - but by years of propaganda and persuasion targeted at the Russian elite and ordinary citizens. These rhetorical efforts emerged particularly strongly with the outbreak of the "Revolution of Dignity" (2013-2014) and continue with increasing insistence to this day.

Our aim is not to espouse or glorify the narrative of the Putin regime. Instead, we present it for academic study, along with immediate reactions to it, both laudatory and critical.

Most of the articles, speeches, interviews and reports featured here originally appeared in East View's English-language periodical The Current Digest of the Russian Press. Coverage starts during the 2014 Russian occupation of the Crimea and continues right up to the invasion.

We hope that this compendium of primary sources - many of them published in English for the first time - will offer scholars and other interested readers fresh insight into the power of words to move nations.