“Slava Ukraina”- Long live Ukraine!
A phrase heard everywhere, but why? As war broke out in Ukraine the entire world was lit aflame by the images and videos seen from the front lines. This conflict marks a changing point in live documentation with the advancement of cell phone devices. Videos are constantly being updated to the point where governments are relying on these civilian social media websites to verify and provide accurate troop movement and information. The topic itself is a complicated and intricate affair that has roots back to the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s.
During the Soviet Union, Ukraine was the powerhouse of agriculture and steel outside of Russia itself. They produced 4 times all the smaller Soviet states combined and were essential in feeding the Soviet people. The World realized the USSR’s Collapse was near when its strongest foundation----Ukraine----voted for independence and left. Their leave was not easy though, and many families were separated from each other and Soviet forces heavily opposed the succession with combat between both sides. What resulted was a somewhat fractured but proud nation that had its goals set on setting aside the past and having a promising future.
The 2000s marked an era for a newly independent Ukraine. Even though they wanted freedom their economy heavily relied on the Russian government which caused incredible economic stress and for those living close to the borders and in rural areas, poverty became widespread.
In 2005 Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was seen by Citizens as a Russian Puppet leader. This is someone who is secretly carrying out Russia’s political agenda despite being affiliated with a different government. As a result, a political revolution was held and he was overthrown and exiled to Russia. This marked a shift in the Russian government’s attitude to Ukraine.
Russia enacted more strict policies towards the neighboring country and after protests known as the Revolution of Dignity occurred, Russia decided to annex the southernmost region of Ukraine known as the Crimean Peninsula. This marked the start of active combat between Ukrainian soldiers and Russian-backed separatists who were provided munitions and supplies. Although Russia did not officially support the separatists, they gave them the means to fight against the Ukrainian government which resulted in a slow and dragged-out conflict.
This conflict in Crimea started to heat up more. Russia began mounting soldiers at the Russo-Ukrainian border in what was described by Vladimir Putin as a safeguard to defend Russia against western aggression. In late 202, the number of Russian troops deployed to the border numbered about 150,000 which caused the Ukrainian Defense Force to go to full alert.
Tensions that had been building up for years boiled over when on February 24th, 2022 Russian President Vladimir Putin enacted a “Special Military Operation” into Ukraine. Immediately after, missile strikes were reported all over the country. The capital city of Kyiv(Kiev) was heavily bombarded by long-range cruise missiles and unguided rockets. This marked the first land invasion in Europe since World War II and has set forth events in motion that are unpredictable even to the brightest minds.
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