Russian and Ukrainian War, Not Over

By Victoria Mays

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine officially began on February 20th, 2014, and has been ongoing ever since. Russia annexing of Crimea began the war in 2014. In 2021, Russia began to build a “large presence” of military forces near the border. Then, on February 24th, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. 

Currently, according to the New York Times, “Russia is deploying hundreds of thousands of newly mobilized soldiers, in small groups, to probe for vulnerabilities in Ukrainian defensive lines.” As the anniversary of the invasion started to approach,  offensive attacks from Russia started to emerge; however, according to The New York Times, neither side has had any large gains in territory in months. 

Putin invaded Ukraine with the intention of stopping them from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) according to a wthr.com article called “Why did Russia Invade Ukraine”. However, according to an article published by “BBC News”, Putin’s reason for invading Ukraine was that they needed to “demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine.” Ultimately, Putin’s reason doesn’t have any “basis”. 

NATO is an alliance between European countries and the United States. Its purpose is to give security and protect the allies’ freedom. Currently, Ukraine is only a partner of NATO, meaning there is no guarantee when it comes to protection.

 According to NATO’s website, since Russia annexed Crimea they have been helping to “reform Ukraine’s armed forces and defense institutions, including with equipment and financial support” and “Allies have also provided training for tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops”. 

Since the invasion in 2022, NATO has been helping Ukraine in many different ways. Countries a part of NATO have sent billions of dollars worth of military weapons and humanitarian aid. Once again, according to NATO’s website, the allies have agreed to “help Ukraine transition from Soviet-era equipment to modern NATO equipment, boost interoperability with Allied forces, and further strengthen Ukrainian defense and security institutions.”

In the past year, the U.S. has given about 50 billion dollars to Ukraine according to the Ukraine Support Tracker. This includes Humanitarian, military, and financial aid. 

As of February 14, 2023, Russia has launched a new offensive military operation. According to a CNBC article called “A big bang or a grinding assault? What to expect from Russia’s new offensive in Ukraine”,  it’s expected that Russia is going to attempt to “gain full control of the Donetsk and Luhansk region,” the goal being a “land corridor to Crimea” according to CNBC.