Abstract. Ukraine plays a key role in the American strategy of containing Russia in the post-Soviet space. The militarization of the Ukrainian state in the recent years, the military development of its territory by the United States and NATO, as well as the attitude of Kiev and Washington to the integration of Ukraine into the North Atlantic Alliance pose an increasing threat to Russia’s vital interests. Moscow has repeatedly tried to ensure indivisible security on the continent – common to all participants – but has constantly encountered resistance from the West. In December 2021, the Russian leadership made a last attempt to change the rules of the game that were unfavorable to Russia by offering Western “partners” to conclude appropriate contractual obligations. Having failed to achieve this goal by political means, Russia was forced to launch a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of demilitarization and denazification of the Ukrainian state. This was also facilitated by Kiev’s preparation for an attack on Donbass. However, the West, in the interests of maximum weakening of its geopolitical competitor, has transferred limited military actions to the format of a total hybrid war. As a result, the conflict moved to a qualitatively different level, where the issue of changing the existing world order came to the fore.