Key Causes of the War Between Russia and Ukraine

The Ukrainian War has been in effect since 2014 and will probably last at least another few years, with no end in sight. The conflict was started by a number of different causes and it’s difficult to get an accurate picture of what happened between the two countries, especially if you’re not from Ukraine or Russia. This article will take you through 9 key causes of the war between Russia and Ukraine and try to understand why the conflict exists, who’s fighting who, and why it’s so important to both countries that they want to keep it going on.

1) Contested territory

The main cause for conflict is contested territory. The long simmering war between Russia and Ukraine stems from a territorial dispute over Crimea. Russia claims that it is protecting ethnic Russians in Crimea from discrimination by pro-Western Ukrainians, but many Ukrainians believe that Russia just wants to annex Ukrainian territory. An independent poll found that 46 percent of Crimeans said they’d prefer secession from Ukraine with Russian protection to remaining with Ukraine under current conditions; another 37 percent would like some form of broader autonomy. A referendum was held March 16, 2014, with 96 percent voting in favor of seceding from Ukraine; 83 percent favored joining Russia. Both Russia and Crimea deny any involvement by Moscow in stirring up discontent among ethnic Russians in Crimea prior to seizing control in Feb.

2) Competition for resources

The loss of economic power isn’t so much to blame for escalating tensions between Russian-speaking eastern Ukrainians and Ukrainian-speaking western Ukrainians as competition for resources. Eighty percent of water, coal, iron ore, manganese ore, timber, arable land and other resources lie in eastern Ukraine. Yet most cash is based in western Ukraine. A little over 10 years ago, more than 15 percent of all taxes collected by Kiev went to paying off debts owed by east Ukrainian industries. East Ukrainians have traditionally felt marginalized by their central government in Kiev; they argue that they contribute more to overall revenue than they receive back from it.

3) Historical reasons

The roots of Russo-Ukrainian tension date back centuries, as they are embedded in religious differences. While Russia is historically a part of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Ukraine was part of Western Catholicism until 1686 when an Orthodox minority overthrew Catholic Poland to establish what became modern Ukrainian identity. These tensions culminated during World War II, when both countries ended up on opposing sides—Russia allied with Germany while Ukraine joined forces with France and Britain. They remained rivals after WWII ended, a grudge that reemerged following Russian expansion into Crimea in 2014.

4) Fear of becoming a minority

One of many causes for conflict in Eastern Europe is that most of these countries are ethnically diverse. Most notably, Russia has many ethnic minorities within its borders, including Chechens, Circassians, Tatars, Bashkirs and Meskhetian Turks. These groups often have historical grievances from mass killings carried out by Tsarist Russians (circassians), Joseph Stalin's policies (Chechens) or government suppression under autocratic regimes that declared them fifth columnists (Bashkirs). Minority populations also feel threatened by a decline in their population's share as a percentage within their country. If one group fears becoming an ethnic minority within its own state, they may be motivated to fight back against perceived oppression or repression by members of other ethnic groups or majorities.

5) Economic issues

The origins of tension between Western-leaning Ukrainians and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine date back to before independence from Soviet rule. Following World War II, Stalin ordered many factories owned by Germans to be returned to their Soviet owners. He also deported hundreds of thousands of Germans from what is now eastern Germany, though some remained behind in eastern Poland (present-day western Ukraine). During a 1991 referendum that sealed Ukraine's independence from Moscow, ethnic Russians agreed by a wide margin that they wanted to remain part of Russia — not become an independent country. That referendum was conducted separately in Crimea and other Russian-majority regions that later broke away as independent states following Moscow's annexation of Crimea.

6) Lack of compromise/nebulous government/lack of action by West

If there’s one thing you can say about Ukrainian politics, it’s that they’re more confusing than a David Lynch film. The country is in a state of political limbo: It has no president, but it does have a caretaker prime minister who’s been unable to unify his nation—which is split between regions that favor joining with Europe and others that want to re-unite with Russia. As unrest grows over whether to align with Europe or Russia, anti-government protests (some violent) continue in Kiev. The U.S., EU and G8 nations say they won't recognize Crimea's secession from Ukraine or the annexation by Russia; instead, sanctions are being drawn up against Moscow.

7) US meddling in Ukraine and subsequent protests, 2014 revolution, coup, etc.

Any large-scale political change is sure to inspire strong opinions, both positive and negative. The political revolution in Ukraine in early 2014 was no exception. Let’s take a closer look at what happened—and how it might influence other countries. First, we’ll start with a little background: Political unrest started in November 2013 when Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych (who was democratically elected) reversed his decision on an association agreement with the European Union (EU). If you don’t know much about EU-Ukraine relations, that might sound random—but it wasn’t.

8) Misunderstanding over historical events, such as WW2 loss, Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact & Great Patriotic War.

When one country is defeated in a war, there are two very common ways to react: celebrate or continue fighting. In many cases, countries will celebrate their victories for long periods of time. However, some countries will mourn their losses for decades afterward. It’s hard to say whether these are healthy or unhealthy ways to react - but they do have an effect on relationships between former enemies.

9) Ethnic conflict in Donbass (Eastern Ukraine).

Donbass is an industrial region of southeastern Ukraine around Donetsk and Luhansk, close to Ukraine’s border with Russia. Donbass has been a major coal-mining area since Soviet times, when most mines were state-owned. Nowadays, it is home to some of Ukraine’s largest heavy industries including steel mills and energy plants (most notably nuclear power stations). The two main cities in Donbass are Donetsk, which has about 1 million inhabitants, and Luhansk with approximately 400 thousand people (2013). Both cities have large industry sectors and therefore represent important income sources for Ukrainian government.