There is thunder in the east. Hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers march across the border into Ukraine, the thunder of artillery and the roar of jet engines sounding beyond their advance. All the while, the people of Ukraine attempt to stem the tide and break the wave of Russian steel charging toward them. 

For the last couple of weeks the news and social media have pushed out story after story of desperate last stands by Ukrainian forces, Chernobyl being claimed as a strategic zone, and the possible threat of an all-out nuclear conflict with the Russian Federation. But many at NHS and all over America wonder why this conflict is even going on in the first place and why we as a country are even involved. 

The Origin 

Let’s begin with the Why of the situation. The reasons for this conflict go back to the fall of the Soviet Union back in the latter period of the 1980s. During the cold war, Ukraine was a key Nuclear base for the Soviet Union due to its close proximity to NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) territory. 

After the fall of their former masters both NATO and the new Russian Federation worked hard to denuclearize the young nation. After signing several treaties with Russia ensuring that Ukraine would not be invaded by its Eastern Neighbor most if not all WMDs returned to Russian soil. However, the Pro-Russia stance of the Ukrainian government alienated the nation from its western neighbors. In 2014 after mass protests and the resignation of Viktor Yanukovych, a very pro-Russian and pro-Putin president, the Nation of Ukraine was invaded by the Russian Federation. 

This led to mass sanctions from the United States who had openly supported the protests against Yanukovych and who went on to send weapons and funding to the Ukrainian military. 

This led to a long-drawn-out war of attrition against Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas region. This much smaller conflict would be crucial in giving the Russian federation an excuse to invade  

The Response 

Initially, before the invasion, President Joseph Biden promised “a swift and decisive response that would impose heavy costs upon the Russian federation.” Which seemingly he has held to as the sanctions imposed by both the United States and its NATO allies all across Europe have so far. Along with fierce sanctions, most NATO nations along with the United States have begun to send massive amounts of arms, supplies, and ammunition.

According to Politico, Germany has broken a long-standing ban on sending any form of lethal weaponry outside its borders. Germany alone has sent over 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 stinger anti-aircraft weapons to Ukraine. Germany is far from alone as most NATO nations are now sending massive amounts of weapons and other material to the small nation-state. 

On the homefront, President Biden has decided to refuse any petroleum imports from the Russian Federation which will likely raise the price of gas here in the United States but will likely cripple or at least put a significant strain on the federation. In a much more crippling way, Russia has been officially removed from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication or SWIFT which according to CNN Business is a “Nuclear move.” The Russian Federation being kicked out will ensure that any Russian international accounts can not be accessed and will further put a strain on the already burdened Russian economy. 

On top of economic sanctions, the United Nations has officially condemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine and there was a strong emphasis on the seizure of the Zaporizhzhia power plant. 

But the big question is: Is this a correct response from NATO and more importantly the United States? According to NHS History teacher Mrs. John, the US response is, at least so far, sufficient.

“I feel like the United States is making the only response that it can and the economic sanctions are pretty damaging and so personally I see it as an effective strategy and I am also gratified that we are not going to be involved in a land war in Ukraine which would be a bad idea and a very unpopular idea.  I feel like NATO’s response is interesting since they don’t seem to be sending any troops but they are sending a lot of weapons so it seems they want to help militarily but still do not want to commit” she said.

As for what the Western powers in Europe can do it’s also unclear as to the threat of a massive large-scale shooting war between NATO and Russia and worse the possibility of a Nuclear strike from either side is also at least partially real. 

According to DefenseOne, Vladimir Putin may order many nuclear-capable forces to be put on “a special regime of combat duty” and while this is most likely a bluff it most definitely reminded the world of the biggest reason why NATO and the United States cannot take a more aggressive and combative role in the Russian Federation. 

The Frontline 

While NATO and the United States attempt to cut off Russia’s blood supply and provide aid to the Ukrainians, the people of Ukraine fight hard against the wave crashing against them. Despite early projections of a swift Russian blitzkrieg over a meager Ukrainian defense were dashed as the Russian wave has already begun to break down. 

So far, Russian forces, despite superior numbers and weaponry, have failed to capture the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv despite the mass bombing and shelling and have met fierce resistance from both Ukrainian military and civilian elements. Issues with logistics and fuel supplies for vehicles have been reported and despite a significantly larger air force they have yet to gain total air superiority over Ukraine due to the slow progress of their ground campaign. And while nothing is definitive yet it seems as if the people of Ukraine will make the Superpower fight for every inch of land. 

Despite this, the Ukrainian defense is still only barely holding back the tide, losing the key port city of Kherson in southern Ukraine a week after the initial invasion. Ukrainian forces have also lost Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant which is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and one of the largest in the world was bombed and set on fire by Russian forces before it was seized. This led to the fear that Russian forces may intentionally overload the reactor or during the assault accidentally set off the reactor leading to a radiation fallout not unlike the Chernobyl power plant disaster. 

Despite the whole world seeming to side with the Ukrainians, things are not looking up for the young democracy and NHS history teacher Mrs. Crimmings believes that this war will not go Ukraine’s way 

“I feel like it is going very badly for the Ukrainians. They really stood strong for a lot longer than anyone really expected they defended their country very well but just standing up to the superpower and super strength of the Russian military is just kind of a no-win situation for the Ukrainians and the Russians seem to be pushing their advantage right now and things seem to be going downhill for the Ukrainians” she said. 

During this entire conflict, according to CBS, over 1.5 million Ukrainian civilians have fled the country which has led to a great strain on European nations around Ukraine and the need for humanitarian aid has only increased since the beginning of the Invasion. And while there was a temporary ceasefire agreed to in order to provide humanitarian aid in the port city of Mariupol Russian forces then launched mass artillery and air bombardment of the city and killed many in a blatant attack on civilian targets. 

Most recently, a pediatric hospital was bombed in Mariupol in an attack that injured 17 people and killed three, including a young girl. This attack, much like many others, was highlighted around the world as Russia’s favor with the rest of the world continues to drop lower and lower as this war continues. 

The Possibilities

In terms of what could happen because of this war, things are uncertain and unstable. New developments are happening every day with constant speculation on what will Russia’s next move be? What are NATO and the United States’ ultimate plans? And more importantly how long will this war take?

According to NHS Psychology and History teacher Mr. Andalo,  The last thing anyone expected was for the supreme military power of Russia to falter in the face of Ukrainian resistance. 

“We got the impression that Putin would pull out because it wasn’t going as well as he was hoping and that’s not the case and so I think he’s showing some intent in terms of he’s not going to make this easy. And if he has to draw this out I think he’s prepared to do it. And then that will put things into NATO or the US’s court with what they do going forward” he said.

With the aforementioned threat of nuclear annihilation and a possible world war, things are certainly tense between east and west. There is also the very large fact that Russia seems to be denying both military and humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people by way of mass shelling and airstrikes which has killed many non-combatant civilians and has only raised the ire of the world against the Russian regime. The real question is how bad could these attacks against civilians be and what lengths will Russia go to in order to achieve victory on the battlefront? 

Conclusion 

In summary, why should Americans or the United States care about or even be involved in this war across the Atlantic when the United States has plenty to deal with at home? 

At the end of the day, this war is much more than one nation invading a smaller one or a botched resurrection of the Soviet Union, or even the swan song of a dying dictator. It's a story of slaughtered innocents and wanton needless destruction. It is a song that civilization has sung raw through the annals of history; it is a song of death and desolation. It is War and it has come again.