RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE 2022

 

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE 2022

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union (USSR) in 1991, Ukraine and Russia maintained close ties. In 1994, Ukraine agreed to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and become a non-nuclear-weapon state. Former Soviet nuclear weapons in Ukraine were removed to Russia and dismantled. In return, Russia, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US) agreed to uphold the territorial integrity and political independence of Ukraine through the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances. In 1999, Russia was one of the signatories of the Charter for European Security. In the years after the Soviet Union's collapse, several former Eastern Bloc countries joined NATO, partly in response to regional security threats involving Russia such as the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis, the War in Abkhazia and the First Chechen War. In the years leading up to the invasion, Russian leaders described this expansion as a violation of Western powers' informal assurances that NATO would not expand eastward.

At the 2008 Bucharest summit, Ukraine and Georgia sought to join NATO. The response among NATO members was divided; Western European countries opposed offering Membership Action Plans in order to avoid antagonising Russia, while US president George W. Bush pushed for their admission. NATO ultimately refused to offer Ukraine and Georgia MAPs, but also issued a statement agreeing that "these countries will become members of NATO". Putin voiced strong opposition to Georgia and Ukraine's NATO membership bids. On 7 February 2019, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, voted to amend the constitution to state that the country's long-term ambition was to join the European Union (EU) and NATO.

Russia began an invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict that began in 2014. Internationally considered a war of aggression, the invasion is the largest military assault on a European state since World War II. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since that war: more than 3.6 million Ukrainians have left the country and millions more have fled their homes.

Following the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity in February 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, and Russian-backed separatists seized part of south-east Ukraine, starting the war in Donbas. In 2021, Russia began a large military build-up along its border with Ukraine. Russian president Vladimir Putin espoused irredentist views, questioned Ukraine's right to statehood, and falsely accused Ukraine of being dominated by neo-Nazis who persecute the Russian-speaking minority. Putin said the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) had threatened Russia's security by expanding eastward since the early 2000s – a claim disputed by NATO – and demanded Ukraine be barred from ever joining the alliance. The United States and others accused Russia of planning to attack or invade Ukraine, which Russian officials repeatedly denied as late as 23 February 2022.

On 21 February 2022, Russia recognised the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic, two self-proclaimed statelets in Donbas controlled by pro-Russian separatists. The following day, the Federation Council of Russia authorised the use of military force abroad, and Russian troops entered both territories. On 24 February, at about 5:00 EET (UTC+2), Putin announced a "special military operation" to "demilitarise and denazify" Ukraine. Minutes later, missiles and airstrikes struck throughout Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, shortly followed by a large ground invasion from multiple directions. In response, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy enacted martial law and general mobilisation.

Multi-pronged assaults were launched from Russia, Belarus, and the two occupied territories of Ukraine (Crimea and Donbas). Four major war theatres developed: the Kyiv offensive, the Northeastern Ukraine offensive, the Eastern Ukraine offensive, and the Southern Ukraine offensive. The Russian military has also carried out air and missile strikes far into western Ukraine. Russian forces have approached or besieged key settlements, including Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Mariupol, and Sumy, but met stiff Ukrainian resistance and experienced logistical and operational challenges that hampered their progress. Three weeks after launching the invasion, the Russian military had enjoyed more success in the south, while incremental gains or stalemates elsewhere forced them to adopt a strategy of attrition, resulting in mounting civilian casualties.

The invasion was widely condemned internationally. The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution which condemned it and demanded a full withdrawal. The International Court of Justice ordered Russia to suspend military operations, and the Council of Europe expelled Russia. Many countries imposed new sanctions, which have affected the economies of Russia and the world. Various countries provided humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. Protests occurred around the world; those in Russia have been met with mass arrests and increased media censorship, including banning the terms "war" and "invasion". Numerous companies withdrew their products and services from Russia and Belarus. The International Criminal Court opened an investigation into allegations of Russian military war crimes in Ukraine.

Russian Invasion Of Ukraine Effect