Russia Invades Ukraine
AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti
Article last updated March 1, 2022
What began as 190,000 Russian soldiers lining Ukraine’s border has quickly materialized into a full-blown invasion.
On February 24, Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, announced “a special military operation,” widely seen by international observers as an assault on Ukraine and its sovereignty.
Analysts say that after years of tension between Russia, Ukraine, and NATO, the situation is of disastrous proportions, sparking “the greatest threat to security in Europe since World War II,” according to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
Starting with Ukraine’s independence in August 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, leading to Ukraine’s recent consideration to join NATO, Putin’s hunger to reclaim Russia’s influence over Ukraine and other countries has progressed day by day, reports The Guardian.
Analysts say the invasion was primarily a result of Ukraine’s push to join NATO. NATO, short for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, is a group of countries that formed an alliance after World War II, based on the premise of collective security. The alliance now consists of 30 countries, including Canada, the US, the UK, and Germany. The agreement is set up so that in the event one NATO country is attacked, the others will come to its aid. According to Al Jazeera, Russia feels vulnerable having NATO countries right up against its border.
As reported by The Guardian, Russia was, before it invaded Ukraine, attempting to use its troops as a bargaining chip. While Putin denied any plan to attack, as admitting this would spark more conflict, he attempted using his position as leverage over the country.
Experts say Putin was likely trying to force Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to give Russia a say in Ukraine’s potential NATO membership, by putting pressure on its borders. Russia also appears interested in proving that it is still a superpower, trying to re-establish its former status from the previous century.
Although the present Russian Federation and the Soviet Union are two distinct states, Russia has strong national ties to the power and history of the former USSR. According to Vox, Ukraine, and particularly Crimea, was of great importance to the Soviet Union before its independence. Its location along the Black Sea provided trade and resources, boosting the economy. Putin sees Russia’s loss of Ukraine in the Cold War as a symbol of its loss. Therefore, if Ukraine bends to Russia’s demands to pull back from NATO influence, this would prove to the West that Russia has more control.
Additionally, some experts speculate that Russia is taking advantage of the US’s post-Afghanistan withdrawal position to strike now. Due to US President Biden’s campaign promise to end the “forever wars” in Afghanistan and the Middle East, Russia may have believed the US would be unwilling to engage militarily in a foreign state following its defeat last year.
According to The Guardian, Putin’s demands included NATO backing off from supporting Ukraine, as well as never accepting it as a member. He also asked Ukraine to remove its territorial claim over Crimea. Additionally, Putin wanted to prevent the moving of new US medium-range missiles into eastern and southern Europe. However, no country has yet to approve of any of Putin’s terms — precisely what fueled the current conflict.
On February 21, Russia recognized the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, two separatist-controlled territories in east Ukraine, as independent. While many Russian-speaking Ukrainians live there, according to international law they are still part of Ukraine. Russia also sent troops into the regions in what they described as a “peacekeeping” force, a statement strongly rejected by the international community.
As well, Putin’s ominous threat on February 24, after the start of the invasion, still hangs in the air: “Whoever tries to interfere with us, and even more so, to create threats for our country, for our people, should know that Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences that you have never experienced in your history.”
However, Zelenskyy declared on February 25, “Ukraine has been and remains ready to talk about ceasefire and peace,” and has repeatedly said Ukraine intends to defend its sovereignty. Whether Putin will agree to discuss pulling back is unlikely but remains to be seen, report news organizations worldwide. Talks between Ukraine and Russia initiated at the Belarussian border on February 28 appear inclusive as of publication.
Russia’s aggression has drawn swift international condemnation. “The Russian attack on Ukraine is a blatant violation of international law,” stated the Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz. “There is no justification for it.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, and emphasized Canada’s support for Ukraine. “Canada calls on Russia to immediately cease all hostile and provocative actions against Ukraine and withdraw all military and proxy forces from the country,” tweeted Trudeau the day before the invasion began.
Due to the increased security risk more than a dozen NATO countries have ordered their citizens to leave Ukraine, reports the BBC. These include the US, UK, and Germany. Canada too has asked for “all Canadians in Ukraine to make the necessary arrangements to leave the country now.”
The Government of Canada stated Canada “has been steadfast in [its] commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence,” and enacted strict sanctions.
As of publication, Russia’s invasion is approaching Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, as well as outward from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and straight toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, from the border surrounding Chernihiv.
Putin’s justification of the invasion lies in his ‘Nazi’ narrative, in which he started in a speech his goal was “the demilitarization and denazification of” Ukraine. According to NBC, Putin has long attempted to paint Kyiv as a Nazi supportive, antisemitic society with no proof for his claims. Ukraine’s Jewish president responded to Putin’s speech by asking, “How can I be a Nazi?” after having lost three family members in the Holocaust.
Russia has run into significant resistance from the Ukrainian military and civilian militia, and experts say previous analyses overestimated the strength of Russian forces and underestimated the strength of Ukrainian forces.
Around the world and even in Russia rallies have been taking place, beginning only hours after the start of the invasion. In St. Petersburg, Russia, a young crowd shouted “No to war!” and “Ukraine is not our enemy!” as they marched along St. Petersburg’s main street. Over two thousand Russians have been arrested protesting their President’s invasion of Ukraine. “I have no words, it’s just disgusting,” said a young woman at the rally.
On February 26, Vancouverites participated in the “Stand with Ukraine against Russian Invasion” rally, along with citizens in many other major cities around the world during the past weeks.
Recently NATO has activated their response force for the first time in reply to the invasion, reports CNN. As well, the European Union and allies have decided to remove Russia from SWIFT, the primary international payment system.
Germany has decided that “a complete field hospital will be handed over, including the necessary training, all co-financed by Germany to the tune of 5.3 million Euros (CAD $7.5M)” for Ukraine, said German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also announced last Sunday that Germany would more than double their defense budget to 100 billion euros, being what experts have called the largest shift in post-WWII German military policy.
Many countries have been sending weapons to Ukraine, while subnational jurisdictions like Quebec and BC have removed Russian alcohol from government liquor stores, in addition to national and international sanctions. It is clear that many countries are in support of Ukraine, experts say. In response, however, Putin has put Russia’s nuclear weapons on high alert.
As of March 1, there were at least 5,710 people either killed or wounded during the conflict, with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees stating that there have been at least 660,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine. A US official stated that the Biden administration’s information “indicates that Russia plans to threaten [to kill] the family members of Ukrainian soldiers if they do not surrender.”