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Why is Russia attacking Ukraine? what we know
The question of why Russia is attacking Ukraine is a hot one right now. The truth is that it’s a bevvy of long-standing squabbles that…
The question of why Russia is attacking Ukraine is a hot one right now. The truth is that it’s a bevvy of long-standing squabbles that have deteriorated into little more than a fear of a third World War.
You may recall Vladimir Putin‘s denial of any preparations to attack Ukraine; however, it now appears that this was just a bluff.
On Thursday, he announced a “special military operation” in Ukraine’s Donbas area. Following the live televised statement, there were reports of explosions in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, and other parts of the nation.
Mr Putin’s new steps come only days after tearing up a peace treaty and sending troops into two rebel-held eastern regions to “maintain the peace,” as he phrased it.
Russia has stationed at least 200,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders in recent months, prompting fears of a new invasion. What happens next might put Europe’s entire security system in jeopardy.
Why is Russia attacking Ukraine?
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine, a former Soviet republic, had been simmering for some time, but finally began to boil over in early 2021. In January of last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed US President Joe Biden to enable Ukraine to join NATO.
This enraged Russia, which started sending troops near the Ukrainian border for “training exercises” in the spring of last year and increased the number in the fall. By December, the US had begun to publicize Russia’s force deployment, and Vice President Joe Biden had threatened Russia with severe retaliation if it attacked Ukraine.
Russia has demanded a legally binding guarantee from NATO that it will not conduct military operations in eastern Europe or Ukraine.
Russia has demanded a legally binding guarantee from NATO that it will not conduct military operations in eastern Europe or Ukraine. Ukraine is a puppet of the West, according to Vladimir Putin, and was never a true state in the first place.
This isn’t the first time that tensions have risen between Russia and Ukraine. Since 2014, when pro-Putin separatists gained large swathes of eastern Ukraine, Russia has been attacking Ukraine’s troops. At the time, Russia had annexed Crimea.
Ukraine has substantial social and cultural ties with Russia, and Russian is widely spoken there; but, since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, those ties have deteriorated.
Russia launched an invasion after Ukraine’s pro-Russian president was deposed in early 2014. The struggle in the east has claimed the lives of almost 14,000 people.
The Minsk peace agreement was signed by Russia and Ukraine to end the armed conflict in east Ukraine, including the Donbas region. As the violence increases, Russia has announced the deployment of “peacekeepers” to the region.
Moscow is allegedly using it as an excuse to seize sovereign territory, according to the West.
The rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine, which shares a border with the European Union, have an impact on the European Union. As a result, the EU has joined the US in imposing sanctions on Russian firms, the vast majority of which are NATO members.
What does Putin want?
Russia has long been a vocal opponent of Ukraine’s membership in European institutions such as NATO and the European Union. Mr Putin now claims that Ukraine is a puppet of the West and that it was never a real country, to begin with.
He wants guarantees from the West and Ukraine that Ukraine will demilitarize and become a neutral state rather than joining Nato, a 30-nation defensive alliance.
Ukraine has substantial social and cultural ties with Russia, and Russian is widely spoken there; but, since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, those ties have deteriorated.
Russia launched an invasion after Ukraine’s pro-Russian president was deposed in early 2014. The struggle in the east has claimed the lives of almost 14,000 people.
What Will Happen?
It’s possible that President Putin will be content to break up the eastern peace treaties. If he doesn’t get what he wants, he’s only suggested “military-technical” measures in the past, and Moscow has previously confirmed that “there is no Russian invasion.”
However, diplomatic solutions are unlikely, and the West is worried that he may go even further. “We expect them to attack Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, which has a population of 2.8 million innocent people,” US Vice President Joe Biden stated.
More so, since Putin initiated Russian military action in Ukraine, world financial markets have collapsed, and oil prices have risen by roughly $6 per barrel.
European and Asian market benchmarks fell, while U.S. futures fell considerably. On Thursday, Brent crude oil surpassed $100 a barrel, owing to concerns over Russian supply disruptions.
In terms of the dollar, the ruble lost 7.5 per cent of its value, hitting more than $87. The S&P 500 index plummeted 1.8 per cent to an eight-month low after the Kremlin stated separatists in eastern Ukraine had requested military support.
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