“Why Nations Fight?”: An Analysis of the Causes of the Russian Federation-Ukraine War from Russian Perspective within the Framework of Richard Ned Lebow’s Approach

The annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation (RF) on March 18, 2014, and the declaration of the People’s Republics in Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine are considered by many international relations experts as one of the most important developments of the post-Cold War era. In this respect, the ongoing RF-Ukraine War, which started on February 20, 2022, after the developments in 2014, can be interpreted as a reflection of the power struggle between the RF-West (Euro-Atlantic Alliance) rather than RF-Ukraine relations in the period from the Post-Cold War Period to 2022. There are many reasons for the RF-Ukraine War, especially the tension in RF-West relations. Richard Ned Lebow’s perspectives on the nature and causes of the war make it possible to address the causes of this war holistically. Therefore, the study aims to understand why the RF wants to go to war with Ukraine within the framework of Lebow’s approach. The study will utilize the process analysis method in this framework through primary and secondary sources.