Putin's war on Ukraine

Putin called this a "special military operation". But it's clear, this is a full-scale invasion.

Russian troops and tanks have entered Ukraine on all fronts. All cities are under attack, including the capital of Kyiv which has become Putin’s main target.

Many are sheltering in basements and metro stations across Ukraine. There have been hundreds of casualties and over half a million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes.

This is one of Europe’s largest wars since World War II.

Europe’s map has been shaped by political alliances. But now, Putin wants to redraw Europe’s map by force. Putin has long claimed Ukraine belongs to Russia and they are one people.

"We're not just close neighbors, we're one nation."

But Ukraine is a sovereign nation with its own language, culture, and political system. And while the two countries do have a shared history Ukraine has fought hard for its own identity. 

Ukraine was part of the Russian Empire in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In 1917, the Russian Revolution brought down the empire and the region spiraled into a civil war. Ukraine briefly gained independence from Russian rule but was quickly taken over by the newly created Soviet Union as one of its first republics.

Over the next decade, the Soviet Union brutally expanded its control. And by the end of WWII, it forged a sphere of influence over here.

Essentially dividing Europe and marking the beginning of the Cold War.

The Soviet Union installed communist governments on their side which were easy for them to control. But the west developed into democracies with capitalist economies.
The deep ideological divide fueled distrust and tensions between the two sides. And soon these spheres hardened into military alliances.
In 1949, these countries along, with the US and Canada formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, and promised to defend each other from invasion.
A few years later, these countries joined the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact alliance.
And each side built up its military to protect itself from the other.

Europe remained this way for decades until one side finally collapsed.
By late 1991, republics like Ukraine began declaring independence from Soviet domination.
The Soviet Union dissolved into 15 independent countries, including a much weaker Russia. And the Soviet sphere of influence disappeared as many countries overthrew their communist governments, even though the Cold War ended.

The alliance on the other side of Europe was still going strong. It was expanding.
In 1999, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic joined NATO. In 2004, seven more countries joined. That moved NATO into the old Soviet sphere of influence. Making NATO's border with Russia the longest it's ever been.

Belarus, Ukraine, and Georgia were the last post-Soviet countries

Belarus, Ukraine, and Georgia were the last post-Soviet countries left between Russia and NATO. But Ukraine and Georgia both wanted to join NATO for a long time. And that made them prime targets for Russia.

Ukraine became a NATO partner in 1994 which brought them a step closer to becoming a member.

And in 2013, they were going to sign an association agreement with the European Union. But when it came time to sign the deal Ukraine’s pro-Russian government refused. Instead, they chose to strengthen ties with Russia. 

After the decision was announced, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets to demand the agreement be signed. After months of peaceful protests, the Ukrainian president cracked down and killed more than 100 people. Sparking more protests which eventually drove the president out of the office and the country.

Putin's main demand was that NATO stop expanding

This meant Putin would lose political influence over Ukraine. So he decided to use force instead. 

First, he invaded and annexed Ukraine’s the Crimean Peninsula. Then, Russia-backed separatists captured the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk and declared them independent of Ukraine.

For nearly eight years, Putin has held on to these regions destabilizing Ukraine and keeping it from moving closer to the west.

But in November 2021, Putin decided to go all in. Satellite images showed at least 100,000 Russian troops and military equipment piling up along the border of Ukraine. 

Putin repeatedly denied any plans to invade. But weeks later, he presented his demands to the west.

His main demand was that NATO stop expanding and move its military borders back to where they were in 1997  

away from Russia’s. Western leaders rejected his demands. Instead, they put forces on standby and reinforced their military presence in Eastern Europe.

The threat of war became real

Back at Ukraine’s border, Russian troops continued to gather. And along its border with Belarus, Russia began conducting huge military drills.

On February 21st, the threat of war became real. His troops immediately crossed the Ukrainian border into Russian-backed separatist regions under the pretense of peacekeeping.                                                                                                             

Ukraine announced a state of emergency and President Zelensky made a direct appeal to the Russian people.                                                                                                               

Hours later on February 24th, Putin launched a full-scale invasion in Ukraine.  Since then, Ukraine has been locked in a conflict with Russia that has killed 14,000 people and displaced nearly 2 million people.

Anti-war protests have broken out around the world

World leaders have spoken out against Russia’s invasion.

“We condemn this barbaric attack and the cynical arguments to justify it."

“This hideous and barbaric venture of Vladimir Putin must fail."

“Putin chose this war and now he and his country will bear the consequences.”

Anti-war protests have broken out around the world. Including in Russia, despite the risk of arrest. Neighboring nations have opened their borders as hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians attempt to flee.

NATO’s response force has been activated for the first time in history. And the US has sent additional troops to eastern Europe.

Ukraine is fighting back.

But in many ways, the world is treading carefully. 

Putin controls the world’s largest arsenal of nuclear weapons and has already threatened anyone who might interfere.

So countries around the world are imposing some of the harshest economic sanctions to slow Putin down. And sending tons of military aid to support Ukraine.

For now, Russian forces keep pushing deeper, but Ukraine is fighting back.