The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought the world to the brink of all out war, with devastating consequences if NATO were to intervene. How did we get here? Why did Russia invade Ukraine? What was the role of the American empire in the 2014 coup in Ukraine and the ensuing 8 year civil war? How could this war have been avoided? What should anti-imperialists be demanding from our government? We answer all this and more as we lay out the context for this world historic event underway now.