If you have been following the news, you may have noticed that there has been a lot of chatter surrounding Russia and Ukraine. With this, you may be wondering what is going on or what this has to do with you, which is why I am going to girlspain this decades-old conflict. Before I begin, however, it is important to note that this situation is developing fast, and there is a lot of misinformation online and even in some media outlets.
The beef between Russia and Ukraine is not new; it dates back to the end of the Cold War. Even though Ukraine is really old (understatement), it was not fully independent and a part of the Soviet Union until 1991, which is when the Soviet Union collapsed. After the Union was over, this somewhat ended the toxic relationship that Ukraine was in and a majority of Ukrainian citizens wanted to be independent.
But as with most relationships, it gets complicated. Russia says that Russian identity was born in the small kingdom named Rus, which is located in the modern-day city of Kyiv, which is Ukraine’s capital. Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, denies that Ukraine is a country and it is instead a part of Russia (possessive much?). In addition to this, Ukraine wants to start another relationship with someone named NATO. NATO is an international organization aiming to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means. But the problem is NATO does not vibe with Russia – they can even be considered enemies – and Ukraine starting a relationship with them can pose serious security threats to Russia.
The Ukrainian government has lowkey been struggling with independence for the past 30 years, not to mention they have been struggling to decide if they want to start a new relationship with NATO/EU or strengthen their relationship with Russia.
You might be wondering, why this old drama is resurfacing now? The truth is it’s been in the works for a while. But according to sources, it is because there have been a few circumstances that have encouraged Putin to keep an eye out. Either way, Putin assembling the troops and getting ready to fight may put an ultimate end to this situation, and perhaps can be the start of a new relationship for Ukraine.
Now, what does America have to do with any of this? The fact is we kinda have a legal obligation to defend the security of all 30 NATO members, and we gotta support our friends.
In all seriousness, this is a very serious situation and much more complex. A war between these countries can result in massive bloodshed. I urge everyone to keep up with this, and do more research if interested.