In one sense, the war did not really begin in 2022. It did not even begin in Ukraine. It started the first time Vladimir Putin invaded one of Russia’s neighbours and got away with it. That was 15 years ago, in Georgia. And in the same place Joseph Stalin, author of the Soviet empire’s darkest chapter, was born.  New episodes released on Saturdays. For full access to print, digital and audio editions, as well as exclusive live events, subscribe to The Economist at economist.com/moscowoffer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.