Why Putin Blames Lenin for Ukraine's Independence

What Happened Vladimir Putin has consistently used historical arguments to justify Russia’s war in Ukraine, with Vladimir Lenin serving as a central target in his narrative. In speeches and essays, the Russian president argues that modern Ukraine is an “artificial construct” created by the Bolsheviks after the 1917 Russian Revolution. According to Putin’s interpretation, Ukraine never existed as a distinct nation separate from Russia until Lenin granted it formal status as a Soviet republic.