An analysis of the The Russo-Ukrainian War, an ongoing conflict
Author: Alexa Lupsor
Russian Infantry Stationed in Crimea
Separatist Militias in the Eastern Ukraine Don Basin
This disastrous Russo-Ukrainian War is an ongoing political conflict that started in February 2014, involving Russia and pro-Russian forces on one side and on the other side is the Ukrainian government supported by the NATO alliance and the European Union. This conflict primarily started when Russia invaded the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula. The Ukrainian government is very distressed as Russia has a far more advanced military army and holds much more advanced machinery and weapons that could easily take out the Ukrainian army. The conflict has been developing rapidly in the last couple weeks. An invasion seems to be almost imminent at this point as multiple countries are ordering evacuation of the embassy staff’s families. Despite Ukraine’s effort to remain calm and calling the US actions to withdraw American citizens "premature" and "a display of excessive caution”, American and Canadian officials are telling Americans and Canadians traveling to Ukraine, to return to their country of origin. Furthermore, Britain and Ireland withdrew diplomats contributing even further to a negative outlook of the situation.
Pro-Russian Militia at the Donetsk International Airport
Even if Russia is denying any accusations that they are going to take military action, Russian troops could potentially invade at any given moment. According to NATO, it’s estimated that there are around 100,000 Russian troops on the Ukrainian border. The Ukrainian Government doesn’t have the proper amount of resources and troops to fight and win an invasion this big. Various countries all over the globe do not want this take over to happen. Canada has donated Ukraine approximately a $120 million dollar loan aimed at boosting the Ukrainian economy and military in case of an attack. Members of the NATO alliance such as Denmark, Spain and France are sending essential aid to Eastern European countries that may be affected in this conflict. These countries are providing more fighter jets and warships to improve defenses in that region. The USA is also contributing by stationing 8500 troops in Ukraine by the Russian border as the alert between the countries are heightening. The US secretary made the call as it can be an immediate counter-attack force. The western liberal democracies and NATO are now ramping up war information on both countries. This number of troops is still too little compared to the 100,000 Russian troops stationed at the Ukrainian border.
This war is not between Ukraine and Russia, it is between Russia and the NATO alliance. In early December, Russia sent a Kremlin’s proposal to Washington. The proposal was a security treaty including uncompromising demands that NATO ends expansion and all military activity in the Eastern European block. Unfortunately, NATO refused this proposal which quickly led to the conflict we are experiencing today. According to numerous interviews, Putin wants these tensions with the western democracies to decrease. He also stated that Russia feels threatened by the NATO alliance, as there has been an increased military presence in Eastern Europe for the last 20 years in countries like Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria. In Romania, NATO has opened the first Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Facility placed in operation providing support to NATO’s overall ballistic missile defense (BMD) system. According to Putin, it will only take 15 minutes for a missile to reach Moscow from Romania and if a similar facility is open in Ukraine it will take only 6 minutes to reach Russia. In conclusion, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is a war in waiting, but ultimately we need to hope for the best no matter the outcome.
Sources:
Turner, Lauren. “Ukraine: Boris Johnson Warns Russian Invasion Would Be Disastrous.” BBC News, BBC, 24 Jan. 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60113271.
“NATO Reinforces Eastern Borders as Ukraine Tensions Mount.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 24 Jan. 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/24/nato-reinforces-eastern-borders-as-ukraine-ten sions-mount.
Markovic, Opinion by Olesia. “Opinion: In Ukraine, One Question Looms: What Will We Do If Russia Attacks?” CNN, Cable News Network, 24 Jan. 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/23/opinions/ukraine-russia-daily-impact-markovic/index.html.