The direct declared war between Russia and Ukraine has been going on about for the last one fortnight causing an untold loss of resources- human as well as material, and as it was continuing on Ukraine’s soil, it has left dozens of its cities/towns dilapidated with no exceptions for schools and hospitals. The people across the world view their television and read newspapers and reach out to social media in the hope that it will bring some good news for humanity about a durable ceasefire or end of intense war. In return, they found nothing except indefinite running of war news and casualties on both sides.
Both countries are acquainted with each other as before disintegration Ukraine was a part of the undivided USSR and became independent in 1991 along with other republics of the present Soviet Federation and even after separation they maintained a good relation for decades, while their differences on nuclear arsenal and signing of different agreements continue till date to aggravate the situation.
In general, the Russian Federation remained dominant among the erstwhile Soviet republics, but it was too hard for Ukraine to accept the reality. This conception led Ukraine to form an almost anti-Russian front called the GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development 2001 which included Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Moldova.
In fact, practically, it was a challenge for Russian dominance especially in the sphere of trade. The situation aggravated further by 2004 with the launch of the Orange Revolution which resulted in the installation of a pro-European regime in the country and by that time Ukraine began preferring European countries and NATO in place of the Russian Federation for future dependency and security purposes against Russia.
Meanwhile, a pro- Russian government formed in Ukraine in 2010 wherein Russia found an opportunity to renew its several treaties/ agreements with Ukraine. It however pushed Ukraine to move towards the European Union swiftly, making Russia more security- conscious. Ukraine’s plan of drifting away from Russia was implemented after 2014 when an anti-Russia regime took over in the country.
In the post-2014 phase, while the Russian Federation wanted a good understanding with Ukraine, the latter always tried to remain near the European Union and NATO, which the former considered a security threat for itself and in the period,
Russia warned Ukraine several times not to move with Western countries and ignore the Kremlin. From all points of view; economic, political, security, strategic, and diplomatic; Ukraine became a zone of concern as Western influence in the country was on the rise and anti-Russian steps were in the pipeline.
Even the country itself was divided into pro-Russian and anti-Russian areas. The Russian-speaking regions of east and south Ukraine sympathized with the Kremlin and launched a separatist movement against the government of Ukraine with the full support of Russia, while the rest part of the country was in favour of joining the European Union and NATO to protect itself from the authoritarian rule of the Russian Federation.
As a result, from 2016 onwards Russia began financing the separatists of Ukraine who captured many buildings and other establishments to pave the way for an armed conflict between the forces of the Ukrainian government and Russian-supported separatists.
Earlier the Russian Federation had strengthened its position by annexing Crimea in 2014 which was a clear signal for Ukraine, and in following years, it speeded up the move to join the European Union and become an active member of NATO. On the other hand, the separatists found huge support of armed forces and arms and ammunitions from the Russian side for a long time till date, although Western powers,the European Union and NATO were also active in Ukraine to stop the influence of Kremlin, perhaps, due to the strategic significance of the country itself.
In the middle of military conflict, tension and chaos on both sides, in December 2019 Russian President Vladimir Putin, the French President, the Chancellor of Germany and the President of Ukraine met in Paris to resolve the crisis as more than 110 soldiers had been killed in the one year of conflict (2019) with the separatists. Now fear psychosis prevailed in both sides, and while Ukraine feared Russian annexation like Crimea any time, Russia apprehended Ukraine’s joining European Union and its entry in the security network of NATO which is a clear threat to Russian sovereignty, security and territorial integrity in the present circumstances.
It led Russia to move a large number of military personnel and armaments from western and central Russia by March-April 2021 and thousands of armed forces were deployed on several posts of the Russia-Ukraine border. In response, in September 2021, Ukraine conducted military exercises with NATO forces. In the same month, the Russian Federation, apart from arranging a joint military exercise with Belarus, warned Ukraine about its expanding military relations with NATO as it would be crossing the “red line”. In November 2021 Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed annoyance over the increasing presence and deployment of NATO’s long-range missile which is capable of targeting Moscow and its missile defence system.
From early 2022 all concerned parties remained involved as Russian military deployment continued to be on the rise and it directly threatened the security of Ukraine and its nearby countries. Throughout the period ussia had accused NATO of ignoring the Kremlin’s security considerations and as a last resort, on 22 February 2022) President Putin stated to speed up diplomatic efforts to solve the problem and charged the USA with supplying sophisticated weaponry to Ukraine. Keeping in view the deteriorating situation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a 30-day emergency for the whole of Ukraine on 23 February.
Ultimately, President Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine because he considered modernthe present Ukraine, a major security threat for Russian Federation and it is neither safe nor secure until Ukraine is made free from the impacts of European Union and NATO. Following the declaration of war Ukraine’s airports, military headquarters, nuclear plants, hospitals, schools, dams and other establishments of public importance and government offices in the whole country were destroyed one by one and for more than a week, its capital Kyiv, has been struggling hard to defend itself from Russian warheads ready to capture the capital, stationed in its surroundings.
