11 World News

By: Shayna Griffith

While terrified Ukrainians undergo missile attacks from Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky records a minute-long video to President Putin in the streets of Kyiv on the night of Friday, February 25, 2022. “We are here,” he said. “We are all protecting our independence, our country and we are going to continue to do so… Glory to Ukraine.”

To fully understand the events that led to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, it is crucial to look back on the long and exhaustive RussoUkrainian history. Ukraine, once part of the U.S.S.R., has long been connected to Russia, both culturally and politically. In the aftermath of World War II, several countries established the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in protection against aggression of the Soviet Union. The treaty stated that if one nation was attacked by a third party, each NATO nation would come to its defense. Since 1949, the NATO alliance has been joined by 30 countries, including several that were once part of the U.S.S.R. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Ukraine’s pro-Russian government maintained its defiance of NATO. Ever since, Ukrainian’s people have sought to join NATO in alliance with other Western European countries.

Protests began in 2013 when Ukraine’s pro-Russia government attempted to stop Ukraine’s integration with western Europe. Furious Ukrainian citizens flooded the streets of Kyiv in protest.

Later in the same month, after President Yanukovych fled Ukraine ahead of an impeachment vote, Ukraine was closer to the west than ever before due to incessant protests at government buildings. However, soon after a proEuropean government was integrated in Ukraine, Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula. This caused an outcry in Ukraine, especially in the east.

The feud that was established in 2013 between Russia and Ukraine has been ongoing ever since, with over 14,000 casualties on either side. The conflict reached a boiling point on February 21, 2022 when Russia sent over 100,000 troops to Ukraine’s border, instilling terror among its citizens. Only three days later, a full-scale invasion took place, as well as a full-scale attack on Ukraine after President Putin declared a “special military operation.” Explosions reigned over Ukraine and its capital in the early morning hours of February 24. Citizens would awake to sirens wailing and explosions thundering. Many people have and continue to flee to Poland, traveling by bus, car and even foot to seek shelter beside their families.

Now, the world watches as the war between Ukraine and Russia unfolds — the worst conflict Europe has seen since World War II. President Biden spoke on the attacks upon Ukraine, saying the attack by Russia was unjustified. “President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering. Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its Allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way. The world will hold Russia accountable,” President Biden stated on a February 23 address. President Putin, in his relentless quest at redeeming the global superpower that was the U.S.S.R., demands that Ukraine be permanently barred from ever joining NATO. In an interview with NPR, former U.S. ambassador to NATO and current president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Ivo Daalder, remarked: “Ukraine is not a member of NATO, which makes the entire idea of Putin invading Ukraine in order to counter NATO kind of idiotic when you really think about it. The reality is, what Vladimir Putin is about - he wants to control Ukraine. He wants to control its government. It looks like he wants to actually incorporate part, if not all, of its territory into Russia. That is what this is about, not about NATO.” Others have made similar remarks regarding Putin’s demand for power, saying that the President’s fears are not of NATO, but of a prosperous and democratic Ukraine.

As of February 28, 2022, President Putin met with international officials to discuss the turmoil regarding his attack on Ukraine. However, a ceasefire has not yet been placed. President Biden is set to hold a State of the Union address on March 1 where he will comment on the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The world will be watching as more events in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict unfold, and the people of Ukraine will continue to pray for peace and unity with the rest of Eurpoe. President Zelensky urges the European Union to allow Ukraine’s immediate admission into NATO. In a February 24 speech, he stated, “Today, I have asked 27 European leaders whether Ukraine will join NATO. I have asked directly — everyone is afraid, no one answers. But we are not afraid, we are not afraid of anything. We are not afraid to defend our country, we are not afraid of Russia.”