"WHat you need to know about the russia and ukraine war" -- Mikha Deleon, 9th grade
What is going on:
On the morning of February 24th of 2022, Russia sent more than 160 missiles to Ukraine and later that day set in motion a large-scale invasion. Health Administer Viktor Lyashko reported that at least 57 people had been killed after the invasion was launched. An article on CNN states that the UN estimates that at least 1.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion on February 24th of 2022.
On February 25th, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that so far 137 civilians and military personnel have been killed in the Russian invasion of his country. Zelenskyy calls the fallen Ukrainians “heroes” and he also says that more than 300 people were injured in less than 24 hours of fighting. “ми втратили за сьогодні вже 137 наших героїв – наших громадян, з них 10 офіцерів, поранено – 316.” English: “We have already lost 137 of our heroes and citizens, 10 officers, and 316 have been wounded”. More than 1,000 Russian soldiers were killed on the second day of the invasion of Ukraine and as Russia continued to fire missiles to Ukraine, the people took shelter in the subways. NATO doesn’t want to be attacked by Russia so they are doing what they can to indirectly help Ukraine while not giving Russia a cause to declare war on NATO countries.
On March 9th of 2022, Statista Research Department posted “The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) verified a total of 516 civilian deaths during Russia's military attack on Ukraine as of March 8, 2022. Of them, 37 were children. Furthermore, 908 people were reported to have been wounded. However, OHCHR specified that the real numbers could be higher.”
On the morning of February 24th of 2022, Russia sent more than 160 missiles to Ukraine and later that day set in motion a large-scale invasion. Health Administer Viktor Lyashko reported that at least 57 people had been killed after the invasion was launched. An article on CNN states that the UN estimates that at least 1.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion on February 24th of 2022.
On February 25th, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that so far 137 civilians and military personnel have been killed in the Russian invasion of his country. Zelenskyy calls the fallen Ukrainians “heroes” and he also says that more than 300 people were injured in less than 24 hours of fighting. “ми втратили за сьогодні вже 137 наших героїв – наших громадян, з них 10 офіцерів, поранено – 316.” English: “We have already lost 137 of our heroes and citizens, 10 officers, and 316 have been wounded”. More than 1,000 Russian soldiers were killed on the second day of the invasion of Ukraine and as Russia continued to fire missiles to Ukraine, the people took shelter in the subways. NATO doesn’t want to be attacked by Russia so they are doing what they can to indirectly help Ukraine while not giving Russia a cause to declare war on NATO countries.
On March 9th of 2022, Statista Research Department posted “The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) verified a total of 516 civilian deaths during Russia's military attack on Ukraine as of March 8, 2022. Of them, 37 were children. Furthermore, 908 people were reported to have been wounded. However, OHCHR specified that the real numbers could be higher.”
Sources: NBC News, State Statistics Service of Ukraine, and Natural Earth Graphic: Jiachuan Wu and Joe Murphy / NBC News UPDATED MAP: Where Russia has attacked Ukraine: http://nbcnews.to/3BN0qBc
Who is involved:
We can start with the obvious: Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, are involved and so are the people of their countries. NATO is not currently heavily involved but their involvement -or lack thereof- should be mentioned.
For those who don’t know, NATO, also known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or the North Atlantic Alliance, is a political and military alliance that was established in the aftermath of World War II. NATO was formed to provide and ensure collective security against the Soviet Union which no longer exists, due to the Cold War, since it collapsed in 1991. The Cold War was a war between the Soviet Union (Russia) and the United States, although they never actually fought each other, but instead fought in many proxy wars (like Vietnam and Afghanistan).
Now, “NATO’s purpose is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means” says NATO.int. As of right now (2022), there are 30 countries in NATO - countries from Europe and North America.
We can start with the obvious: Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, are involved and so are the people of their countries. NATO is not currently heavily involved but their involvement -or lack thereof- should be mentioned.
For those who don’t know, NATO, also known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or the North Atlantic Alliance, is a political and military alliance that was established in the aftermath of World War II. NATO was formed to provide and ensure collective security against the Soviet Union which no longer exists, due to the Cold War, since it collapsed in 1991. The Cold War was a war between the Soviet Union (Russia) and the United States, although they never actually fought each other, but instead fought in many proxy wars (like Vietnam and Afghanistan).
Now, “NATO’s purpose is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means” says NATO.int. As of right now (2022), there are 30 countries in NATO - countries from Europe and North America.
Image from: https://www.abc.net.au
Why this is happening:
As you can see in the images above, NATO is slowly expanding eastwards starting to surround Russia.
As stated before, NATO contains 30 countries from different areas around the world. Being an alliance of thirty countries makes them very powerful and therefore very threatening. If one country goes to war they will have the support of twenty-nine other countries.
Now, Ukraine is attempting to join NATO so that it can have a stronger defense- if they get attacked they will have allies to help them out. Putin feels threatened by this and wants to get rid of Ukraine, he will do so by taking control of Ukraine. Putin doesn’t want Ukraine to join NATO because if Ukraine becomes a part of NATO then he won’t be able to take control. NATO doesn’t want to start a world war so they are doing what they can to help Ukraine without having Russian forces attack and forcing them to fight in the war.
When asked why he is making the choices he has, Putin has responded with some interesting excuses as to why he is attacking Ukraine. According to BBC News, in an article by Paul Kirby, Putin claims that his goal is to protect people who were subjected to bullying and genocide and aim for the "demilitarisation and de-Nazification" of Ukraine. Despite Putin’s words, there has been no genocide in Ukraine. As Kirby says, Ukraine is a “vibrant” democracy, led by their president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is Jewish.
As you can see in the images above, NATO is slowly expanding eastwards starting to surround Russia.
As stated before, NATO contains 30 countries from different areas around the world. Being an alliance of thirty countries makes them very powerful and therefore very threatening. If one country goes to war they will have the support of twenty-nine other countries.
Now, Ukraine is attempting to join NATO so that it can have a stronger defense- if they get attacked they will have allies to help them out. Putin feels threatened by this and wants to get rid of Ukraine, he will do so by taking control of Ukraine. Putin doesn’t want Ukraine to join NATO because if Ukraine becomes a part of NATO then he won’t be able to take control. NATO doesn’t want to start a world war so they are doing what they can to help Ukraine without having Russian forces attack and forcing them to fight in the war.
When asked why he is making the choices he has, Putin has responded with some interesting excuses as to why he is attacking Ukraine. According to BBC News, in an article by Paul Kirby, Putin claims that his goal is to protect people who were subjected to bullying and genocide and aim for the "demilitarisation and de-Nazification" of Ukraine. Despite Putin’s words, there has been no genocide in Ukraine. As Kirby says, Ukraine is a “vibrant” democracy, led by their president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is Jewish.
For those who want additional information on this subject, there are some links and news sources you could use to find information below.
Please note: the hyperlinks of the sources are to the publications themselves, not to specific articles.
Links:
“Ukraine conflict: What is Nato and how has it responded to Russia's invasion?”
“Russia lays siege to southern Ukraine, seizes nuclear plant”
Where to find information:
The New York Times
The Telegraph
ABC News
AFP News Agency
The Kyiv Independent
NBC News
Associated Press
TIME
CBS News
BBC News
Links:
“Ukraine conflict: What is Nato and how has it responded to Russia's invasion?”
“Russia lays siege to southern Ukraine, seizes nuclear plant”
Where to find information:
The New York Times
The Telegraph
ABC News
AFP News Agency
The Kyiv Independent
NBC News
Associated Press
TIME
CBS News
BBC News
