The Russian Ukrainian war started in 2014, which is unbeknownst to most people. This all began when Russia annexed Crimea, a peninsula that belonged to Ukraine, which led to conflicts involving cyberwarfare and naval disputes for the first 8 years of the war. As a result of these conflicts materializing over the years, a major escalation in the war occurred when Russia continued its invasion Ukraine on February 24, 2022. This was a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as of 2024 the 2 countries are still at war. Back in the 18th century Russia gained land through conquest, annexation, and exploration; considering this, the methods that they attempted to attack Ukraine with are not new. In early 2015, leaders from Ukraine, Germany, Russia, and France had agreed on a peace plan which included the cessation of fighting and the withdrawal of heavy weaponry. Some would assume that this was a step in the right direction; however, this truce was violated. The peace plan was violated and that left about 9,000 dead and 20,000 injured, which obviously was not the expected result. Russia denied any involvement in the presence Russian soldiers at the Ukrainian border that left 2,000 Russian soldiers dead. Russian president, Vladmir Putin, then went on to sign a decree banning the release of information on the death of the Russian soldiers. Additionally, cyber-attacks on Ukraine caused a frozen conflict for the next 6 years.
America has supported Ukraine causing Putin to recently threaten to go to war meaning the next American president will have a significant impact on this war. Putin has said that he is willing to work things out with America no matter who is elected. Since 2022, America has given $9 billion for humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and other countries that were affected. The US congress authorized around 400 million in military aid for Ukraine in 2019 but, Donald Trump held the money and called Volodymyr Zelensky (elected as the president of Ukraine in 2019) up saying the aid would only be released if “he did them a favor” by backing up certain claims about his political opponents. Zelensky received the aid despite not assisting Trump during his campaign. However, Trump’s attempt to pressure a foreign country for a political boost caused the House of Representatives to launch an impeachment campaign against him. On July 11, 2024, Biden launched the Ukrainian Compact which includes 32 allies and partners which will show America’s commitment to Ukraine’s long-term security. The Ukrainian Compact has the goal of meeting Ukraine’s defense and security needs, accelerating efforts to build a Ukrainian force, and if Russia does attack Ukraine following the current hostilities, the Compact will decide on a proper way to address the situation. This year Trump has 2 key advisors who have given him a new idea on how to end the Russian Ukraine war. Allegedly if he wins on Nov 5th, a part of the idea was to tell Ukraine they will only get weapons if they enter peace talks.
In an interview with a member of the social studies department at Randallstown High School, Mr. Seth Billingsley shared some of his thoughts on this ongoing conflict. After asking him if he thinks America chose a side he responded saying “Yes, we have definitely chosen a side giving Ukraine weapons.” As stated previously, America has spent well over 9 billion on Ukraine so there is evidence to back up his claim on that matter. The Department of State says, “We have now used the emergency Presidential Drawdown Authority on 53 occasions since August 2021 to provide Ukraine military assistance totaling approximately $25.6 billion from Department of Defense stockpiles,” meaning we have spent a heavy bill when it comes to aiding this nation. Mr. Billingsley also says, “I hope this conflict doesn’t lead to World War 3.” He further goes on to say that it is interesting to watch a Ukraine fight back and defend themselves against Russia which we all see as this big country which should theoretically be able to defeat Ukraine without much of a problem. To backup this claim, I delved into how big Russia really is. According to Worldometer, Russia is approximately 6.602 million square miles making it the largest country in the world. It extends across 11 time zones and has 16 sovereign nations, having the most borders in the world. On the other end, Ukraine is 233,062 square miles which is about 28 times smaller than Russia. Billingsley later stated what he would do in the next president’s shoes. In summary, he told me that he would still aid Ukraine but, he would also try to avoid World War 3 as much as possible. He believes that the next president needs to stand up against Putin because, as a dictator, he will continue to gain power and cause havoc. This is backed up by what occurred in World War 2, when Hitler went around Europe causing conflict and gaining more power. Putin also tends to be secretive with information as he signed a decree hiding what really happened during the “operations” that killed 2,000 Russian soldiers.
2,000 deaths are a lot but imagine that multiplied by 60. In August 2023, an unnamed U.S official claimed that 120,000 Russian soldiers have been killed because of the invasion in 2022. The most recent report in early July came from an anonymous source from an English-written newspaper in Ukraine, the Kyiv Independent, who confirmed that the Ukraine’s General Staff is reporting that Russia has lost more than 540,000 troops since the invasion in 2022. This number is not exact however, with Russia being secretive about their losses it is a low chance that we will a good estimate from Russia. On Ukraine’s end, president Zelensky privately stated that about 31,000 soldiers have died since the invasion began. As for civilian losses, Zelensky claims that tens of thousands have died in the Russian controlled areas, but the true number remains unknown. Areas like Ukraine and Russia have rarely reported the number of losses, so it is a high chance that these casualties are inaccurate. US officials have reported that Ukraine had 70,000 dead and as many as 120,000 injured. As a result of Putin’s invasion, Russia has lost even more lives, and the economy has taken a big hit as well. The amount of military spending threatens the long-term health of the Russian economy. Some argue that Russia has shifted its entire military spending to war production. Putin’s focus on military spending is noticeable and in early winter of 2024, heating infrastructure broke down all around Russia and even pro-Kremlin (Russian) newspapers reported that 70% of the nation’s municipal infrastructure was decayed. A Russian pollster, who wished to remain anonymous, asked 1,662 people in the beginning of February 2024, if their standard of life increased or decreased. About 35% of the people said their standard of life had decreased meaning that the fatigue of the Russian war is setting in.
On June 11, 2024, Russian warships were spotted less than 30 miles away from South Florida’s coast and America instantly responded via aircraft and warships. This displays how vulnerable the United States can be if the president makes an ill decision regarding military intervention.
