WHY VLADIMIR PUTIN MATTERS

Russia's recognition of Ukraine's separatist Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics was the precursor to attacks by Russian Forces on targets across Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin vowed to "demilitarize" the country and replace its leaders. This has dramatically raised the stakes in the already volatile region, riveted by conflict since 2014. Western officials have responded with sanctions, putting the self-proclaimed republic at the heart of Europe's biggest security crises since the Cold War