Ukrainian scientist Volodymyr Vernadsky was ahead of his time. His encyclopedic knowledge led him to posit a view of matter and the Earth as uniquely alive, with humanity as a guiding force.
Prior to Russia’s invasion in February 2022, few westerners knew much about Ukraine, and even less about Kazakhstan. We all suffer from Moscow-centred perceptions and the bad habit of equating the Soviet Union with Russia. But now we know that Putin is driven by spurious historical theories, in which Ukraine has no right to exist,