By Michael Izzo
War on Ukraine Report
As the world approaches the second year of Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation,” announced on February 24th, all wonder: what will happen? The war has caused massive destruction and death, and left many displaced and fearful of what is to come. Although it is impossible to cover everything, some major topics that will be addressed are: when did the conflict really start? How did it affect civilian morale? How does it affect world tensions and views on both countries? What is to come in the future? With so many questions, let's tackle them one at a time.
Although it only hit mainstream media recently, the Russo-Ukrainian war was considered to start in February 2014, following a Ukraine revolution (Revolution of Dignity). Russia sent unmarked Russian soldiers to help pro-Russian separatists where they captured government buildings as well as strategic locations. Shortly after the Russian federation annexed Crimea, the first 8 years of fighting began with minor fighting, cyber warfare, and major beginnings of tensions between Ukraine and Russia. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine starting on the 24th of February, 2022.
The war has done terrible things to civilian morale in many different ways. Peoples’ homes were destroyed, children were kidnapped and forced into Russia (which is considered genocide by the Geneva conventions, article 35) and people were executed and put into mass graves. People who were liberated showed much gratitude. Over 5.1 million people have been displaced, and about 17.6 million people are in need of humanitarian aid. But even with all of these difficulties, the stride and motivation of the Ukrainian people were extraordinary as they were fighting for their families and their country’s freedom .maybey more here)
The Russo-Ukrainian War has affected international tensions in a few key ways. Russia justified their invasion of Ukraine as a means to prevent NATO expansion; soon after Russian soldiers entered Ukraine, Finland, and Sweden, these countries began their applications into NATO. Both Ukraine and Finland had no previous intentions of joining NATO, but after seeing Russian aggression, even though they had treaties in place, they feared conflict due to their proximity to Russia. Another example of international tensions is how most of the world has sanctioned Russia: Russia has lost business with major companies such as McDonalds and Starbucks, and has lost access to supplies used to create weapons of war. Finally, this has affected international tensions as countries all over the world have provided humanitarian aid, water, food, and military supplies to Ukraine. Supplies such as guns, artillery shells, infantry fighting vehicles, bulletproof vests, and tanks were donated as well. A main contributor has been the United States, which has provided around 45 billion dollars in aid,including previously listed items, as well as providing training of Ukrainian pilots in the United States F-16 fighting Falcon - a multi-role fighter jet. These are just a few examples of how world tensions have affected the Russo-Ukrainian conflict.
Regarding what is to come in the future of the Russo-Ukrainian war, we can all hope for the best and for Ukraine to get a clear and decisive victory. With more and more help from the world, this victory becomes more realistic day to day. Within the past months Ukraine has shown an incredible ability to conduct counter-offensive operations, showcasing how a Ukraine victory becomes more attainable day by day.
Overall, as the second year of the war in Ukraine comes to an end, it serves as a reminder of the specifics of the war,nranging from massive aid from other countries to the displacement of tens of millions of people.With the good and the ugly of the war, it is apparent that the Ukrainian people will persevere, but only with the help of everyone across the world. Slava Ukraine!
Works Cited
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/1-year-after-the-invasion-began-a-timeline-of-russias-war-in-Ukraine