"Russia is invading Ukraine, and the world is not happy about it." -- Reeghan Walsh, 7th Grade
Please note: This article was being written before and in beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. This situation is rapidly updating, and the information in this article will likely be out of date within a few days of publishing.
Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, but the two countries were previously at war in 2014, and have been hostile towards each other for even longer.
Recently, Russia has been more aggressive towards Ukraine than ever, and it is affecting many other countries as well. This is mostly due to NATO (Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization). NATO is a political and military alliance between the countries Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, The United Kingdom, The United States, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia. If one country in NATO is attacked, it is considered an attack on all countries part of the organization. Ukraine is not part of NATO, but has tried to be in the past.
After The Soviet Union fell, parts of it became separate countries and formed democracies. “The feeling was, and probably still has been, that Ukraine hadn’t completely taken care of political corruption, that it was still developing its democracy,” Stanley Sloan, an expert in transatlantic relations at Middlebury College and a former international security officer, told Mcclatchy News. NATO didn’t want a communist country to be part of the organization, and didn’t allow Ukraine to join. But now that Russia is trying to take Ukraine back, NATO has decided to help them because they want Ukraine to be free. Essentially, NATO is sticking up for the little guy.
According to Al Jazeera, NATO has deployed combat-ready troops to Ukraine’s neighboring countries. Most NATO members have also each independently contributed to helping Ukraine with military funding.
For instance, on February 25th, President Joe Biden instructed the State Department to release up to $350 million in addition to the $260 million already administered in military assistance. The Pentagon said the weapons included anti-armor, various munitions, body armor and related equipment.
Several countries broke their neutrality to assist Ukraine and provide military aid. Switzerland joined European Union (EU) financial sanctions imposed on Russia. “Switzerland reaffirms its solidarity with Ukraine and its people; it will be delivering relief supplies for people who have fled to Poland," the government stated. Finland, a country part of the EU that works closely with NATO but prefers to not be a member, expressed their disapproval for the war. On February 17th and 24th, the Finnish government decided to give a total of €14 million ($15.6 million), and on the 27th, decided to send military equipment including 2,000 bulletproof vests, 2,000 composite helmets, 100 stretchers, and two emergency medical care stations.
The Prime Minister of Sweden (part of the EU), Magdalena Andersson told reporters, “My conclusion is now that our security is best served by us supporting Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russia.” Sweden announced February 27th that they would be sending military equipment to Ukraine, breaking its doctrine of not sending arms to countries in active conflict.
Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, but the two countries were previously at war in 2014, and have been hostile towards each other for even longer.
Recently, Russia has been more aggressive towards Ukraine than ever, and it is affecting many other countries as well. This is mostly due to NATO (Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization). NATO is a political and military alliance between the countries Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, The United Kingdom, The United States, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia. If one country in NATO is attacked, it is considered an attack on all countries part of the organization. Ukraine is not part of NATO, but has tried to be in the past.
After The Soviet Union fell, parts of it became separate countries and formed democracies. “The feeling was, and probably still has been, that Ukraine hadn’t completely taken care of political corruption, that it was still developing its democracy,” Stanley Sloan, an expert in transatlantic relations at Middlebury College and a former international security officer, told Mcclatchy News. NATO didn’t want a communist country to be part of the organization, and didn’t allow Ukraine to join. But now that Russia is trying to take Ukraine back, NATO has decided to help them because they want Ukraine to be free. Essentially, NATO is sticking up for the little guy.
According to Al Jazeera, NATO has deployed combat-ready troops to Ukraine’s neighboring countries. Most NATO members have also each independently contributed to helping Ukraine with military funding.
For instance, on February 25th, President Joe Biden instructed the State Department to release up to $350 million in addition to the $260 million already administered in military assistance. The Pentagon said the weapons included anti-armor, various munitions, body armor and related equipment.
Several countries broke their neutrality to assist Ukraine and provide military aid. Switzerland joined European Union (EU) financial sanctions imposed on Russia. “Switzerland reaffirms its solidarity with Ukraine and its people; it will be delivering relief supplies for people who have fled to Poland," the government stated. Finland, a country part of the EU that works closely with NATO but prefers to not be a member, expressed their disapproval for the war. On February 17th and 24th, the Finnish government decided to give a total of €14 million ($15.6 million), and on the 27th, decided to send military equipment including 2,000 bulletproof vests, 2,000 composite helmets, 100 stretchers, and two emergency medical care stations.
The Prime Minister of Sweden (part of the EU), Magdalena Andersson told reporters, “My conclusion is now that our security is best served by us supporting Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russia.” Sweden announced February 27th that they would be sending military equipment to Ukraine, breaking its doctrine of not sending arms to countries in active conflict.
Many countries have also cut off ties with Russia. Canada, the US, Albania, Norway, and the EU have all banned Russian planes from entering their airways. The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) provides secure financial messaging services. The US, UK, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, and the European Commission announced the removal of selected Russian banks. This means that Russia will now have a harder time trading with other countries and will have a more isolated economy.
While Ukraine has lots of help, Russia has very little. They have 1 confirmed ally which is Belarus. Belarus has proven to be a useful ally for Russia. They allowed for Russia to cross Belarusion territory and enter Ukraine from the North. They also held military exercises together, and have allowed for Russia to store nuclear weapons and troops in their country. Some speculate that China and North Korea—both communist countries—have plans to ally with Russia, but neither have been confirmed. North Korea has a large military of nearly 1.3 million active personnel, plenty of nuclear weapons, and missiles. China could provide money (from their large economy), weapons, and military troops. The teaming of Russia, China, and North Korea could prove to be a serious threat to Ukraine, even with the help of NATO and other countries. But, China has condemned Russia’s actions of invading Ukraine.
While Ukraine has lots of help, Russia has very little. They have 1 confirmed ally which is Belarus. Belarus has proven to be a useful ally for Russia. They allowed for Russia to cross Belarusion territory and enter Ukraine from the North. They also held military exercises together, and have allowed for Russia to store nuclear weapons and troops in their country. Some speculate that China and North Korea—both communist countries—have plans to ally with Russia, but neither have been confirmed. North Korea has a large military of nearly 1.3 million active personnel, plenty of nuclear weapons, and missiles. China could provide money (from their large economy), weapons, and military troops. The teaming of Russia, China, and North Korea could prove to be a serious threat to Ukraine, even with the help of NATO and other countries. But, China has condemned Russia’s actions of invading Ukraine.
Many people have begun to speculate that this could be the beginning of World War III. What started out as a joke, has now spiraled into some people actually fearing it could actually happen. Similar to what happened in the beginning of World War II, when Hitler made Germany feel that it was them against the world, and that they shouldn’t apologize for what they did in World War I, Russia feels that they are against the rest of the world. And, as Putin has aggressively shut down any free press, as well as prohibited the press from calling his attacks on Ukraine as “war,” Russians are even more isolated.
Additionally, during the Cold War, other countries boasted their freedom and scrutinized the Soviet Union for its communism. This resulted in parts of the Soviet Union seeing the corruption and deciding to break off and form other countries with democracies. Previously mentioned, Ukraine had tried to form a democracy, but still had some issues. Some could say that all this made Russia feel ostracized, like Germany did after the first world war.
President Vladmir Putin of Russia is justifying the Ukraine invasion by saying that Ukraine is currently being led by a Nazi, and that the Ukranians need to be saved. Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has disputed these claims, and is Jewish.
Even if World War III does occur, it is highly unlikely that it will escalate to the severity of the other wars. There are many more countries on Ukraine’s side than Russia, and the likelihood of Russia joining forces with China and North Korea is low. Still, former prime minister of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatsenyuk says, “If he decides to invade Ukraine, this is a copycat scenario of Adolf Hitler in 1939.” This interview with Yatsenyuk was before Russia had invaded Ukraine, but can still be used as a warning of what could happen if Russia continues to push into Ukraine, and tries to take it back.
Additionally, during the Cold War, other countries boasted their freedom and scrutinized the Soviet Union for its communism. This resulted in parts of the Soviet Union seeing the corruption and deciding to break off and form other countries with democracies. Previously mentioned, Ukraine had tried to form a democracy, but still had some issues. Some could say that all this made Russia feel ostracized, like Germany did after the first world war.
President Vladmir Putin of Russia is justifying the Ukraine invasion by saying that Ukraine is currently being led by a Nazi, and that the Ukranians need to be saved. Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has disputed these claims, and is Jewish.
Even if World War III does occur, it is highly unlikely that it will escalate to the severity of the other wars. There are many more countries on Ukraine’s side than Russia, and the likelihood of Russia joining forces with China and North Korea is low. Still, former prime minister of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatsenyuk says, “If he decides to invade Ukraine, this is a copycat scenario of Adolf Hitler in 1939.” This interview with Yatsenyuk was before Russia had invaded Ukraine, but can still be used as a warning of what could happen if Russia continues to push into Ukraine, and tries to take it back.