By Kate McLaughlin
It has been 20 days since the initial invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. However, this conflict has existed since 2014.
In 2014, Russia took control of Ukraine’s Crimean region. Crimeans voted to join the Russian Federation, officially making the peninsula part of Russian territory. Tensions heightened, and as a result, Ukraine held a referendum in hopes of gaining independence from Russia.
Since 2014, there has been an increase of Russian troops on Ukrainian borders. A few years later in 2016, NATO sent troops to neighboring countries, in hopes to settle any potential future conflicts between Russia and Ukraine.
Recently, the long-lasting conflict between Ukraine and Russia intensified. On Thursday, February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, announced a special military operation that’s goal was to demilitarize Ukraine. This started with airstrikes and missiles, followed by ground invasion from many directions. Ukrainian cities (including capitol Kyiv) are still under attack.
Many Ukrainians have evacuated their homes since the beginning of the invasion in February. However, some are standing their ground and have to witness the shelling of their home cities. Because of the attacks in public areas, civilians in Ukraine have been deeply impacted by Putin’s actions. It is predicted that this will cause major damage to the economy and overall reputation of Russia post-war.
