Cropped 18th Century Portrait of Empress Catherine II of Russia, reigned 1762-1796. Introducion. Russia went to war with Ukraine 24.2.2022. In our “peacefully enlightened” world, it seems strange. The historical background is that the Mongole Empire attacked Ukraine (Kyev Rus). Later the Russian Empire attacked it. Under the Russian Empress Catharina the Great they took … Continue reading The Ukraine war seen in historical context, from a Nordic point of view.