A member of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Brigade during a military exercise outside of Kyiv on February 5th.
Image Credit: Celestino Arce / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Starting on February 24th of this year, Russia launched a so-called ‘military operation’ in Ukraine upon having stationed troops at the country’s borders last September. Although Russia itself attests that this invasion is not a war, the rest of the world says otherwise, deeming it as such and comparing its seriousness to that of World War II (especially given its impact on Europe). As a response, serious economic sanctions have been employed by Western nations, especially the USA, banning oil and energy imports from Russia especially. Belarus has also received backlash due to its affiliation to the state and the authorized movement of Russian troops within it, used to attack Ukraine through its shared border. Nevertheless, these sanctions have so far not had the desired effect as President Vladimir Putin has continued on with the invasion.
Now entering the fourth week of this conflict, the United Nations (UN) attests that more than 600 Ukrainian civilians have died as troops target regions in Eastern Ukraine, near the border of Belarus, port areas around Crimea (which was previously annexed by Russia), and the capital of Kyiv. Ukraine has been shown to maintain resistance against the Russians, in fact making them lose up to 7,000 soldiers so far, but has also suffered greatly in terms of military capacity and infrastructure as well. Moreover, more than 3 million Ukrainians have fled the country so far as a result of the invasion, with many of them going to the neighboring country of Poland.
As the Russian military continues advancing into Ukraine, world leaders are unsure of how long the conflict will continue to last and what steps to take next. So far, Vladimir Putin’s most evident demand to put an end to the invasion has been banning Ukraine from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which the president sees as a threat to Russian sovereignty and security. Until these terms are agreed upon or challenged by NATO members, though, it is likely that the conflict will continue throughout the next month and, likely, onwards.
To learn more about this, have a look at the links below:
https://www.vox.com/22917719/russia-ukraine-invasion-border-crisis-nato-explained
[Research conducted by Global Politics student Catarina Esteves]
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