"No one and nothing will stop Russia..."-- Vladimir Putin In March 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine, triggering a wave of exasperating concern across the world. Originally the concern was how to defend Crimea and Ukraine against Putin's forces, but the concern has since changed. Overnight, Putin managed to introduce his troops into Crimea and dominate part of Ukraine. But where does this expansion of power stop? Trying to delegate and monitor a power-hungry politician is now the priority of almost every government in the Western world. In an article by the Guardian's Ian Traynor, Putin said that if he wanted, "Russian forces could conquer the Ukrainian capital in two weeks." This level of confidence is very troubling given Russia's track record of simply showing up and invading a country seemingly out of nowhere. This specific action and behavior was associated with Russian leader Joseph Stalin during the Cold War and is now a continuing and growing concern of Vladimir Putin. Vladimir Putin's aggressive actions towards the Western world, particularly Ukraine, are inspired by the actions taken by Joseph Stalin. during his rise to power by developing a cult mentality, using brute force to invade countries like Greece and Turkey, and making threats against any countries that did not agree with his expansion of power and communism during the Cold War. It was Stalin's increasing aggressiveness towards Europe and the United States during the Cold War that made him one of the most feared and unpredictable individuals of the era. Today, Putin is adopting an identical behavior following in Stalin's footsteps and making threats in addition to ignoring what Europe and the United States have to say. middle of paper ......5788398/ 2D5751C189D04504PQ /10?accountid=14902Ian Traynor, “Putin says Russian forces “could conquer Ukrainian capital in two weeks.” » The Guardian, September 2, 2014. Web. May 5, 2015. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/02/putin-russian-forces-could-conquer-ukraine-capital-kiev-fortnightJulie A. Cassiday, Emily D. Johnson, “Putin , Putiniana and the question of a post-Soviet cult of personality”, The Slavonic and Eastern European Review 88 (2010): 680-707. Kennedy-Pipe, Caroline. Stalin's Cold War: Soviet Strategies in Europe, 1943 to 1956. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995. Robert Skidelsky, “In Ukraine, Putin May Be Hastening His Own Demise.” » The Daily Star Lebanon, September 3, 2014. Web. May 5, 2015. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Commentary/2014/Sep-03/269383-in-ukraine-putin-may-be-accelerating-his-own-demise.ashx#axzz3COhHc9EU