Russia and Ukraine

 On February 24, 2022, Vladimir V. Putin ordered Russian forces to invade Ukraine. This is the largest mobilization of human forces that Europe has seen since 1945 when the world was dealing with the second World War.

Although Russia struck hard and fast, it has not been making its way through Ukraine with ease. At first, Russia was unable to capture Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Russia, however, is not giving up their attack on Kyiv. In fact, today, March 15, 2022, Russia attacked a residential area in Kyiv. 

While Russia continues inching into Kyiv, three European Union prime ministers are visiting the capital to show their support for Ukraine. The prime ministers from Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovenia traveled to Kyiv.

Countries around the world did not expect Putin to launch an invasion, but he did, and he is continually proving the world wrong by taking aggressive steps to reach his ultimate goal. Putin hopes to capture Kyiv and collapse Ukraine's democratically elected government so that Russia may obtain complete control over the country.

It is further evident that Putin is trying to influence The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military alliance that, among other tasks, has helped keep the Soviets in check. Russia actually shared extensive plans to restructure NATO before invading, which NATO and the United States vetoed. 

One of the major consequences of this war is the humanitarian toll it has taken on Ukranians. Along with taking thousands of lives, an estimated 2.8 million people have fled Ukraine. Many of the refugees have fled to Poland, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and several more.

This war has already had devastating consequences for local people, but if the war expands, which is not of the question, the effects could be far more expansive that previously thought.

Sources

https://www.nytimes.com/article/russia-ukraine-nato-europe.html

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-janez-jansa-jaroslaw-kaczynski-europe-95780a078715eb271edec313bfc683e7

https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-03-14-22/h_d8fc01a1be960c396c658cd4a7f65fcc#:~:text=March%2014%2C%202022-,More%20than%202.8%20million%20refugees%20have%20fled,Here's%20where%20they%20are%20going.