On March 18th, 2014, Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula/region of Ukraine. It was a blow for many Western countries that at that time had deep economic ties with Russia. Russia held a referendum for the Crimean citizens which was claimed to be rigged and biased by the Western countries. It cannot be gainsaid that this was an act of war which had cut off two million people from the rest of Ukraine. Russia replied with many trade tariffs and sanctions from the Western world. The trade sanctions were found futile as they had brought no change into the mindset of the Russian regime, which continued to keep the Ukrainian territory. This led to widespread resentment and anger for Russia. Still, Russia didn’t capitulate to their demands and started funding the pro-Russian separatist forces in the Donbas region of Ukraine to separate from it. In February 2022 Russia-Ukraine war began.
What Began the Russia-Ukraine War?
Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union back in August 1991. Since its independence, it maintained good diplomatic ties with Russia. In 2010, Victor Yanukovych, the president of the Ukraine was Eurosceptic and pro-Russian. He had given the Crimean naval base to the Russians for a 25-year lease. Crimean naval base is the only warm port that is accessible for twelve months to the Russian Navy. This was against the Western interests in Russia which wanted to further weaken the nation geographically. Due to many Western-backed protests, Victor fled to Russia to seek asylum. Petro Poroshenko replaced the existing leader under whom the Russians captured Crimea. This blatant act of war was seen as a sign of land encroachment by the world. Soon afterwards a peace treaty was signed between both the nations. In 2019, Volodymyr Zelensky became the president of Ukraine who had made an oath to protect his nation from further land invasion and keep its country’s interests.
Foreign Interests and Influence
The Donbas region of Ukraine has a significant Russian-speaking ethnic group than the rest of Ukraine. Donbas region encompasses two important regions namely Donetsk and Luhansk. Donetsk has a 38.2% Russian ethnic population and the Luhansk consists of 47%. To fight the US and NATO military expansion near Eastern Europe, the Russian regime gave full support to the Russian separatist forces to counter the Western influence. Russia is thirty-five min away from the NATO-deployed Tomahawk rockets on the Turkish soil and many such missiles pose a danger to the Russian soil and its interests in the region. To deter the West from further encompassing countries into its NATO alliance, Russia had to do something significant to set an example for the rest. Russia is surrounded by NATO. Ukraine is the only nation left that has not joined any alliance. So it deemed it necessary to attack Ukrainian soil. Its primary objective was to cut Ukraine’s coastal line, make it a landlocked country, and capitulate unconditionally to its demands. Moreover, the West supports Ukraine by providing it with military aid, hardware, and logistic support. The US has given aid to bolster the Ukrainian forces against Russia.
Economic Repercussions on Both Nations Due to War
Russian military budget stood at 61 billion in 2018 and has reached an all-time high of 109.45 billion dollars. Similarly, Ukraine’s military budget was a meager 4.7 billion dollars in 2018 and now is a stupendous sum of 64 billion dollars to fight against Russia. Economically Ukraine has fallen into Western country’s debt. It is now beholden to the western countries. This staggering sum which both the countries have used to fuel their military expenses has taken a toll on their economy. Ukraine’s 2023 GDP estimation is around 178 billion dollars which has shrunken 10% since the war began. The Russian economy has shown resilience. Despite sanctions, tariffs, and war, the Russian economy grew 3.6% in the 2023 fiscal year. Russia’s forex has risen from 270 billion dollars in 2014 to 420 billion dollars in 2024. The GDP has stagnated from 2.13 trillion in 2014 to 2.21 trillion in 2024. The unemployment rate in Ukraine is an astounding 10%.
Conclusion
The war between Ukraine and Russia, which began in 2014 and escalated dramatically in 2022, has raised a myriad of moral questions and reflections on global peace, human rights, and sovereignty. Nations must respect each other’s sovereignty, prioritize human dignity and life above all else, and work tirelessly to avoid the devastating consequences of war. Ultimately, the war in Ukraine is a reminder that the pursuit of peace, justice, and human dignity must guide the actions of individuals, nations, and global institutions. We should strive towards a world where diplomacy prevails over violence and cooperation supersedes confrontation.