‘A Knife to the Throat’: Putin’s Logic for Invading Ukraine

<p>At 10 p.m. in Moscow on Monday night, Russian state television interrupted its regular programming to air an address from President Vladimir V. Putin about the Ukraine crisis.</p><p>We look back on what Mr. Putin’s hourlong speech — remarkable for his overt display of emotion and grievance — revealed about his rationale for invading.</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/anton-troianovski?smid=pc-thedaily">Anton Troianovski</a>, the Moscow bureau chief for The New York Times.</p><p>Have you lost a loved one during the pandemic? The Daily is working on a special episode memorializing those we have lost to the coronavirus. If you would like to share their name on the episode, please RECORD A VOICE MEMO and send it to us at <a href="mailto:thedaily@nytimes.com">thedaily@nytimes.com</a>. You can find more information and<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/03/podcasts/daily-memorial-covid.html"> specific instructions here</a>.</p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>Mr. Putin’s speech<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/22/world/europe/putin-invading-ukraine.html"> sounded like a call to war</a>, the culmination of a propaganda barrage orchestrated by Russian state media in recent days.</li><li>The United States and its allies swiftly imposed economic sanctions on Russia for what President Biden denounced as<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/22/us/politics/us-russia-ukraine-sanctions.html"> the beginning of an “invasion of Ukraine.”</a></li></ul><p>Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline">subscribe to our newsletter</a>. </p><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p>