An Update on the War in Ukraine

In February of 2022, Russia finally invaded Ukraine. The Russian government has been challenging Ukraine’s sovereignty for years. Ever since the breakup of the Soviet Union in the mid-to-late 1980’s and Ukrainian independence (in 1991), Russian President Putin has wanted to restore his country to its so-called former glory. Most notably, in 2014, Russia invaded and annexed Crimea: a region of Ukraine with a large ethnically Russian population. In February of 2022, Russia recognized two “breakaway” regions of Ukraine, and invaded shortly after. President Putin justified the invasion as a mission of the “demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine, claiming that ethnic Russians were being persecuted by the Ukrainian government. Further, Putin has framed the war as a retaliation against Western aggression, specifically the expansion of NATO: a Western military alliance led by the United States and originally created to combat the Soviet Union.

Most of the world, especially the Russians themselves, expected a quick victory. However, nearly seven months into the conflict, the world has been proven wrong. Russian forces met with initial success, with several offensives from both the northeast and southeast taking important regions in the east of the country. Missile strikes on both military and civilian targets wreaked havoc on the Ukrainian people. Larger cities including Khersan and Mariopal fell in the spring as well. At the same time, the rest of the world retaliated against Russia in every possible way that didn’t include military action. Most importantly, economic sanctions have damaged the Russian economy while foreign aid to Ukraine, in the form of military and humanitarian assistance, has helped with their war effort.

As the war progressed, the Russian military offensive seemed to slow. Logistics became more difficult and Russian soldiers were left without adequate support or supplies. The Russian army has also suffered from serious morale issues, as many soldiers allegedly were not told their reason for being in Ukraine in the first place. To make matters worse for the Russians, the Ukrainian army has both a home field advantage and the support of the local populations and the wider world. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who refused to be evacuated from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv early in the war, has become a hero around which the Ukrainian people have rallied.

Thus, as the war progressed into the fall, Ukraine began to launch counter-offensives. Most recently, Ukrainian forces have captured the city of Lyman: a railroad hub which had served as a Russian center of operations. President Putin had claimed that Lyman had been annexed by Russia, so Ukraine’s capture of the city proves that Russian forces are able to hold their ground. At this point, Ukraine seeks to regain as much of its territory as possible before winter, when it will be harder for the Russians to launch offensives. 

Despite the success of the Ukrainians, there is still a long road ahead for Ukraine and the rest of the world. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have died in defense of their country. Millions of Ukrainian citizens who fled the country are spread throughout Europe, unsure of when they will be able to return home. The invasion has also disrupted food supply to much of the world, especially Europe, since Ukraine is a large exporter of grain. The Russian government still seems unwilling to let Ukraine go; in fact, President Putin has even touted the idea of using low-yeild nuclear weapons in Ukraine, saying that Russia would use “all available means” to achieve its goals in the region. Recent explosions in the Nordstream gas pipeline, which runs from Russia to Germany, have prompted suspicion of Russian sabotage. Putin has even called up Russian military reserves, leading many Russians to flee the country.

The next few months will be pivotal in the result of this war. Additionally, the invasion of Ukraine has people wondering if China will make a similar move to invade Taiwan: a move that would almost certainly result in a large-scale, international conflict. One can only hope that Ukraine’s courage in the face of the invasion would deter such invasions in the future.

Image Source: (Creative Commons)