As calls for closer ties with the EU failed to be met, Ukrainians took to the streets in November 2013. As the movement, later known as the Euromaidan or “Euro Square,” pulled western Ukraine closer to its European neighbors, another powerful force threatened to tear away the country’s eastern half: Russia. Putin’s pushback against European expansionism has the West wondering: If Putin’s Russia isn’t afraid to take an aggressive stance against Europeanization in Ukraine, what does that mean for the rest of Russia’s neighbors? Professor Serhii Plokhii explains the origins of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict and its implications for the geopolitical situation in Europe today. (Photo: "2014-03-01. Митинг в Донецке 0015" by Andrew Butko. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org)