Beginnings of War: Russia Sends Missiles into Ukraine

As of Feb. 24, war has begun between Russia and Ukraine as Russia launched missiles and the military pushed forth into the state. Russia had over 100,000 troops to the border initially, inciting panic across Ukraine.

The Russian military began placing troops at the border in 2021 as well with small droves of military headed to the border of Ukraine. This crisis between these two began in 2014 when Russia invaded Ukraine and seized its territory.

Ukraine began training their military in early January, while women and children were fleeing the country just days before the invasion. Those who have chosen to stay believe that Russia was using scare tactics for Ukraine to give up parts of their country.      

Western Europe has asked for their citizens visiting Ukraine to leave the country. The United States has sent troops overseas to Germany, Romania and Poland. The latter two share borders with Ukraine, as Vladimir Putin, Russia’s President, began his invasion on Feb. 24.          

Some are asking why Russia wants to invade Ukraine and what benefits would they receive from this invasion. To be clear, the only benefit Russia would receive is getting land back that used to be theirs. 

Ukraine was once part of Russia during the era of the Soviet Union. In 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed after the nuclear power plant incident in 1986 in Chernobyl. This left Ukraine to become its own country with its own culture and policies. 

Putin claims that Ukraine belongs to Russia; to the Soviet Union that does not exist anymore. Putin does not want Ukraine to “fall victim” to the NATO and EU policies. Putin has also claimed that his actions are peaceful; after the attack began early this morning, it proved he was misleading the world.         

Putin had a list of demands that would put an end to the standoff at the border. This list involves keeping Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia out of NATO, a defunct of the Warsaw Pact, Kyiv to relinquish its ownership of Crimea, limit the number of missiles brought into western Europe and redesign Europe’s security architecture, according to The Guardian.

Removing the number of missiles brought from the United States to Western Europe is a huge red flag; this means that, regardless of what Putin says, he may have bigger plans for the war. If Putin is threatened by having extra missiles nearby, it leads one to believe that he wants them gone so he can truly start World War III.

Most countries, including the United States, are not complying with his demands. This allowed the standoff to continue until the first attack.

With war ensuing, one can hope it will end faster than it began. Putin is the only one in this fight who wanted this war. Countries all around the world have access to nuclear weapons. That being said, they know how to use them. when to use them and will have strategies in place for them to be used. Should any nuclear weapons be deployed, mass casualties will ensue.