On the 24th of February 2022 Vladimir Putin launched a full fled invasion on the neighboring country of Ukraine. Many people were shocked and had no knowledge of an earlier dispute to cause this. Many questions can be asked about the ongoing event happening with in the Ukraine.

The first question to be asked is why did Russia invade Ukraine and use military force? According to journalist and author Tara Kuzio from the Atlantic Council, “the Russian ruler made clear that he is committed to taking full control of Ukraine”[1]. The question of why he used military force is answered in this question because it can be inferred by that Russia has a strong intent and truly wants complete control of the Ukraine. Putin announced to his people that his reasoning was “demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine”[2]. This is a strange claim for Putin to make as Ukraine’s government is classified as a republic when the Nazi’s were considered to be a dictatorship in which he participates.

The second question that many people are asking is why the countries are involved in the alliance called NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) helping Ukraine even though the Ukraine is not in the alliance. Although NATO has not deployed any troops to that area they are offering help through Russian sanctions, and providing supplies and ammunition to Ukrainian forces. The reason for this is because they were offered to become a part of NATO but the, “Ukraine made joining a priority. But this hasn’t happened, mainly because of Russia’s long-standing opposition. Ukraine made joining a priority. But this hasn’t happened, mainly because of Russia’s long-standing opposition”[3]. From this it could be seen that in NATO’s eyes Ukraine is basically seen as a member of NATO and that is the reason for their support.

The next question that could be asked is what the effects of the US sanctions on Russia are. The answer is that Russia is struggling, and they are truly feeling the effect of these sanctions. Russia’s stock market has hit an all-time low because of these sanctions[4]. These sanctions are very useful to Ukraine because it allows them to have a fighting chance against the more dominant Russia. The goal of these sanctions is to make Russia pull out of the Ukraine because they cannot financially support the war anymore.

What affect would NATO troops have if they were sent to Ukraine? According to NATO’s website they, “would bring NATO forces into direct conflict with Russia. This would significantly escalate the war and lead to more human suffering and destruction for all countries involved”[5].This statement from NATO shows that they are too interested in joining but if they do it will be a full-fledged war against Russia. This is a large commitment coming from NATO because there are so many countries and involved and this could ultimately begin a third world war.

The Ukraine has called up all of their reservists ageing from 18-60, what could be the effects of a large number of casualties from the reservist and other military members? According to the New York Times the Ukraine has 170,000 soldier’s active duty, 100,000 reservist, and thousands more enlisting[6]. If a large number of casualties occurred due to this war, then Ukraine’s population of 44 million would have a small effect but in terms of leaving them defenseless this is a tremendous issue. If Russian forces to wipe out the Ukrainian forces, they will be left without a military and have nearly no people with combat experience. This has to be a thought going through Ukrainians heads. This would be a major issue for the Ukraine could cause many issues in the future for them.

The last question that could be asked about this issue is how far will Russia have to go in order for NATO to engage into the war? According to a statement made by NATO they are trying to prevent an expansion of this war or escalate anymore[7]. This allows for one to believe that NATO wants this war to stay inside the Ukraine and will offer help if any of the neighboring countries that are part of NATO were attacked or had any sort of engagement with Russian forces. It seems that NATO is taking Ukraine’s side but is doing everything not to get involved because if involved there will be a huge escalation.

This topic being current and ongoing opens up so many questions to people. The issues of the Ukraine and Russia are having effects on all parts of the world and it is important for people to understand what is going on in that area so they can understand what and why there are effects of the actions of every country.

[1] Tara Kuzio,”Inside Vladimir Putin’s criminal plan to purge and partition Ukraine” Atlantic Council, March 3, 2022, https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/inside-vladimir-putins-criminal-plan-to-purge-and-partition-ukraine/

[2] Paul Kirby, “Why has Russia invaded Ukraine, and what does Putin Want” BBC, last modified March 29, 2022,

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56720589

[3] “Why isn’t Ukraine a NATO member” BBC, last modified March 25, 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18023383

[4]Phil McCausland, “Russia sanctions are a ‘big deal,’ experts say. But effects could take years.” NBC, February 24, 2022, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/russia-sanctions-are-big-deal-experts-say-effects-take-years-rcna17380

[5] NATO, “Why isn’t NATO sending troops or closing the skies over Ukraine” Accessed March 21,2022, https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_192648.htm

[6] Eric Schmitt, “How Ukraine’s Military Has Resisted Russia So Far” New York Times, March 3, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/03/us/politics/russia-ukraine-military.html

 

[7] NATO, “Why isn’t NATO sending troops or closing the skies over Ukraine” Accessed March 21,2022, https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_192648.htm

Bibliography:

Kuzio, Tara, ”Inside Vladimir Putin’s criminal plan to purge and partition Ukraine” Atlantic Council, March 3, 2022, https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/inside-vladimir-putins-criminal-plan-to-purge-and-partition-ukraine/

Kirby, Paul, “Why has Russia invaded Ukraine, and what does Putin Want” BBC, last modified March 29, 2022,

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56720589

BBC, “Why isn’t Ukraine a NATO member”, last modified March 25, 2022,

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18023383

McCausland, Phil, “Russia sanctions are a ‘big deal,’ experts say. But effects could take years.” NBC, February 24, 2022, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/russia-sanctions-are-big-deal-experts-say-effects-take-years-rcna17380

NATO, “Why isn’t NATO sending troops or closing the skies over Ukraine” Accessed March 21, 2022, https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_192648.htm

Schmitt, Eric, “How Ukraine’s Military Has Resisted Russia So Far” New York Times, March 3, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/03/us/politics/russia-ukraine-military.html