As you well and truly know, Russia has launched a full-scale assault on Ukraine. To get you across the background to this, it's time to get to know NATO - the military alliance that is the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. It's at the centre of the stand-off between Russia, Ukraine and the West. So in this Squiz Shortcut, we’ll get you across why NATO was established, how it has operated in times of conflict, and what it has to do with this crisis.

Squiz Shortcuts is your backstory to the big news stories.

Squiz recommends:

Smiley's People by John le Carré - https://www.booktopia.com.au/smiley-s-people-john-le-carr-/book/9780241322529.html

A map of NATO's expansion since 1997 - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18023383

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