It’s a situation that is only worsening, and could potentially get very bad very fast. For the past few days, Ukraine has been locked in a revolt between the Ukrainian government led by President Viktor Yanukovcyh and the common people supporting Euromaiden, a cultural shift to integrate closer to Western European nations. Since last week, the violence has only escalated, as both protesters and police and army units have fired upon one another. The growing revolt led President Yanukovcyh to initially stand down, then flee the country, reportedly seeking refuge in Russia. With the revolt seemingly over, news has come in that the Russian army has marched into and taken control of the Crimean Peninsula, one of the southern most regions of the country and the direct link to the Black Sea. As the Ukrainian government led by Yanukovych crumbled, pro-Russian supports within the failing system called to Russia for aid, and since then Russia’s Federation Council gave President Vladimir Putin authority to use military force in order to stabilize the region. But concerns are growing over whether the Russian forces are there as peacekeepers or invaders.
Putin claims the usage of the Russian military taking the Crimean peninsula was an effort to protect Russian sympathizers within the country. Like most of the nations created after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, there are still those who wish to remain within the control of Russia. They are opposed by the more Western-affiliated populace, who want to join the European Union and receive benefits that way. This conflict between pro-Russian and pro-Western parties was what initially sparked the revolt, and now it has led to Russia taking direct involvement in the situation. The new Ukrainian government, the Yatsenyuk or National Unity government has openly opposed Russia’s intervention, marshaling an army to prepare for conflict. They have taken Russia’s use of military force to be an act of war, while the Russian government has denounced the new Ukrainian government, believing another revolution to be inevitable with such supposed instability. The United States and the European Union have considered economic and diplomatic answers to Russia’s actions, but the concern that military force may be needed is growing. In short, the situation in Ukraine is deteriorating rapidly, as tensions continue to build, and some are worried that such tensions could lead to war.
For context, major conflicts breaking out in areas steeped in historical issues have yet to occur. North Korea, for example, conducted missile tests and sunk a South Korean boat a few years ago, and concerns about war were raised then. And there has always been tension between the United States and Russia after the Cold War. While the situation is grim, there shouldn’t be panic over World War III breaking out. Military intervention on the United States’ part seems unlikely, and Russia’s military force seems to be more a gesture of power than an actual invasion. While the threat of rebuilding the empire of the Soviet Union remains a constant concern for the Eastern European nations that were formed out of the ashes, an invasion and war doesn’t seem to be developing right at this moment. But the situation is only just beginning, and if things aren’t handled correctly, events could get out of hand very quickly.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/02/world/europe/ukraine-politics/