Many of us are familiar with the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, but I have been curious and a bit confused about the actual logistics of the war and human rights violations which have happened since its start, so I decided to make the war the topic of my second civic issues blog post. So, I did a deep dive into the history of Russia’s relationship with Ukraine to understand the crux of the conflict at hand, what is actually going on now, and the specific human rights violations occurring at the hands of Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin. Of course, the war we all know about began when Russia aggressively invaded Ukraine in February of 2022. However, there was a large and stretched out build up to this invasion, which I felt was important to understand while trying to understand the present conflict.
Russia’s military presence in Ukraine. Image Source
Ukraine was part of the Russian empire long ago throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. However, in 1917, the Russian Revolution brought down the Russian empire, due to a civil war which was occurring in the nation. Ukraine gained brief independence during this time, but when the Soviet Union was formed, they lost their independence once more. In the early 1990s, certain states began to declare their independence from the USSR, as the cold war had just ended. Many Western states at this point were part of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which the USSR resolutely opposed. In 1994, Ukraine became a NATO partner, along with many pre existing members in western countries. Ukraine did not join the EU, so tensions remained stable until Ukrainian citizens began protesting against the government’s decisions which supported Putin’s policies. Once Putin realized he was losing influence in Ukraine, there were many small-scale invasions of the country in hopes of changing the narrative. These invasions had been occurring throughout the years leading up to February of 2022.
But the large scale invasions we see in the news today occurred due to an unsuccessful request from Putin. Vladimir Putin’s request was that he did not want any NATO member countries to be close to the Russian border, to which NATO disagreed. From there, on February 24th, 2022, the true Russia Ukraine war began. Unfortunately, due to Russia’s military power and economic status, it has been difficult for other states to interfere and end the conflict. The most they can do is impose economic sanctions on Russia and send military aid to Ukraine.
Civilians impacted by the atrocities committed throughout the war. Image Source
Throughout the tragic war, Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes and become refugees, and Russian soldiers have performed executions, rapes, and other acts of unnecessary violence on Ukrainian civilians. Ukrainian homes, lives, and families have been destroyed due to this inhumane and unnecessary war. We all want these human rights violations to end. But realistically, what can we do? Raising awareness, and contacting our representatives to take more action are the most effective ways we can help. These injustices must be stopped, and we are responsible for doing our best to end them.