A Ukrainian serviceman keeping watch near the city of Donetsk, at the Ukrainian eastern border, this past Saturday.
Image credit: Anatolii Stepanov / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
November 29-December 3 News
- Possible Russian Attack on Ukraine, Claims the US
At a NATO ministers meeting this past week, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, claimed to have evidence on a possible Russian invasion into Ukraine, stating that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “putting in place the capacity to do so in short order, should he so decide.” Upon such a warning, NATO has stated that it is “prepared to impose severe costs for further Russian aggression in Ukraine” and that it would “reinforce its defenses on the eastern flank.”
Context:
Russia and Ukraine have been at war with one another since the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014. Conflict is situated in Ukraine’s eastern front between the Ukrainian army and supposedly Russian-backed separatist groups. Analysts believe that Vladimir Putin is engaging in an effort to restore Russian territory lost upon the collapse of the Soviet Union, further supported by his refusal to recognise Ukraine as an independent sovereign state.
In light of the situation, the US has declared to be “unwavering in our support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and committed to our security partnership with Ukraine.”
In April and September, Russian forces were said to have performed military exercises near Ukraine’s eastern front, leaving behind a substantial number of troops and supplies upon the operations. The Ukrainian army has now estimated that up to 90,000 Russian troops are situated near the border, with satellites recognizing a concentration of military vehicles at the site. Moreover, Blinken has reported a “massive spike” of anti-Ukrainian social media propaganda over the last few weeks, mirroring the propaganda campaign launched by Russia before its invasion of Ukraine in 2014. As such, evidence of increasing anti-Ukrainian sentiments among the Russian population and escalating military pressure and presence at the neighboring country’s border all indicate a possible invasion.
Despite this, the possibility of an attack is still hypothetical, based on patterns of behavior and historical precedent. President Vladimir Putin has urged negotiations with the US and NATO on the matter, yet nothing decisive has arisen from the situation thus far.
To learn more about this, have a look at the links below:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/01/us-warns-russia-plans-large-scale-attack-on-ukraine
[Research conducted by Global Politics student Catarina Esteves]
EAC PRESS 