Russian invasion of Ukraine: Everything You Need to Know
by Kaashvi and Janak
On 24 February Wednesday, Russia invades Ukraine. Everyone is talking and discussing about Ukraine and Russia. In this blog post we will deep dive into Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Why is Russia invading Ukraine?
According to Putin’s state television address, the attack is motivated by the “protection of the people who for eight years suffered from abuse and genocide from the Kyiv regime”.
“Moscow has been left with no choice but to defend itself,” he told citizens. “Whoever tries to stand in our way or create threats for our country and people should know Russia’s response will be immediate and lead you to consequences you have never encountered in your history.”
In response to the speech, NATO’s secretary general condemned Russia’s “reckless and unprovoked attack on Ukraine, which puts at risk countless civilian lives.”
General Jens Stoltenberg called the attack “a grave breach of international law, and a serious threat to Euro-Atlantic security,” before calling on Russia to “cease its military action immediately and respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
What has caused the tension between Ukraine and Russia?
Ukraine officially declared itself an independent country in 1991 as the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War ended. Since then, the country has been forming closer ties with the European Union and with NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). Russia, however, sees these ties as an economic and strategic threat to its security. In 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula and began backing pro-Russian separatists in parts of eastern Ukraine, that want to separate from the country.
Eastern Ukraine consisting of the Donbas region (Donetsk and Luhansk) is controlled by Russian-backed separatists. Donbas region is one of the prosperous industrialized regions of Ukraine.
A brief look into the history
What is now Ukraine, Russia, and neighboring Belarus were born on the banks of the Dnieper River, almost 1,200 years ago in Kievan Rus, a medieval superpower that included a huge chunk of Eastern Europe.
But Russians and Ukrainians parted ways linguistically, historically, and, most importantly, politically.
Putin has, however, claimed repeatedly that Russians and Ukrainians are “one people”, part of the “Russian civilization” that also includes neighboring Belarus. Ukrainians reject his claims.
Ukraine went through two revolutions in 2005 and 2014, both times rejecting Russia’s supremacy and seeking a path to join the European Union and NATO.
Putin is particularly enraged by the prospect of NATO bases next to his borders and says Ukraine joining the US-led transatlantic alliance would mark the crossing of a red line.
Crimea: In 2014, Viktor Yanukovych (then president-Ukraine) was ousted from power in Ukraine because of signing the $15 billion bailout from Russia instead of the E.U trade deal, and to many Ukrainians, it felt like being sold to Moscow.
Crimea is a peninsula which is located in the Black Sea. The peninsula was given special autonomy. It remained home to the Russian military bases.
The Russian military began seizing government buildings in Crimea. Soon the entire peninsula was under military occupation. On 16th March 2014, Crimeans voted to become a part of Russia.
For Vladimir Putin (President of Russia), this was Crimea’s ‘liberation’.
For the rest of the world, this was Crimea’s ‘annexation’.
What are Ukrainians views?
What could the Russian invasion mean for India?
The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict will push energy and edible oil prices higher in India and, in turn, push up inflation.
India imports nearly 80% of its oil needs and faces the risk of inflation hitting consumer demand as global crude prices rose above $100 a barrel to multi-year highs. Reserve Bank of India's analysis shows that every $10 rise in crude prices adds about 0.5 percent to inflation.
Energy prices are directly proportional to global crude costs and, in a spiraling impact, will push up the prices of all products, such as vegetables, fruits, and consumer products. Thus, travel and transportation costs will rise alongside natural gas, fuel, and edible oil.
One thing as a nation we can also learn from this invasion is that, we have to be Self dependent, United and Strengthful. We can’t depend on other nations. Ukraine thought NATO and other European countries would help, but no one is helping Ukraine in the battlefield.
I remember a great quote on Strength by The Missile Man of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Sir
In this world, fear has no place. Only strength respects strength.
Now come let us pray for the peace in the Ukraine
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