Russia Ukraine News

Ukraine is now the subject of deadly tensions across Europe. The Russia-Ukraine war has turned bloody and destructive. Now some common questions are revolving in people's minds.

How is it that Russia has the power to wage war in Ukraine in front of the United States, the United Kingdom, and other world powers? Why did Russia suddenly gather troops on the border with Ukraine? Why did Ukraine invade in the end? Is the Russia-Ukraine war the only event today? Or is there a vast history behind this war?

What does Russian President Vladimir Putin want? After occupying Crimea from Ukraine, does he now want to occupy the whole of Ukraine? Or is Russia trying to achieve its own political goals by invading Ukraine?

What is the cause of the crisis in Ukraine?

To find out the cause of the war we have to go back to the old background. In 2014, Russia occupied Crimea. The context started from there. But why did Russia occupy Crimea? There is another history behind this. It is important to know this history. "There is no more embarrassment than giving up rights and claiming rights."

Ukraine has been a part of the Soviet Union for almost 200 years. The Russian-owned Crimean peninsula was then ceded to Ukraine. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev then relinquished "Crimean rights." Little did he realize then that in just a few decades, the Soviet Union would collapse and Russia would lose control of Crimea.

At one point the Soviet Union collapsed and Moscow lost control of Crimea. After that, the crisis started with Ukraine as it was trying to re-establish "rights".

When Ukraine seceded from the Soviet Union, two different ideologies emerged among its people. Ukraine is a neighbor of Russia, so many ethnic Russians live in Ukraine. These Russians have always wanted to be close to Russia

But pro-Western people want Ukraine to join the European Union and NATO. Russia could not accept Ukraine's desire to join NATO. So since then, Ukraine-Russia relations have reached a tipping point.

In 2014, then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych sought a major trade deal with the European Union. Most of the people of Ukraine were satisfied with his move. They thought that if this agreement was signed then the economic prosperity of the country would happen quickly.

While most Ukrainians are happy, Putin is not happy about the move. Because Russia thought that with such a large-scale trade agreement, Ukraine could easily become a member of the European Union. And if Ukraine becomes a member of the European Union, it could easily join Russia's enemy, NATO.

It is from this notion that the Putin administration continues to exert pressure on the Yanukovych government. As a result, Yanukovych withdrew from the trade agreement negotiations. The people were outraged at the loss of such a great opportunity, and when Yanukovych fell in the face of Ukrainian protests, he was forced to flee the country.

Many believe that Putin instigated anti-government protests in Ukraine, where ethnic Russians lived after the fall of the government. The rebels formed a strong movement against the Ukrainian government. Putin sent troops to support the rebels. They annexed Crimea from Ukraine, and Vladimir Putin declares Crimea part of Russia.

Only then did the real embarrassment of holding on to 'rights' begin. NATO has stepped up troop deployments in the region to counter Russian domination. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many countries joined NATO, such as Hungary, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Romania, Lithuania, Albania, and Slovakia.

These countries were once members of the Soviet Union or the Warsaw Pact. Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine want to join NATO. But pro-Russian militias have strongholds in those areas and Russia is providing them with all kinds of support. It is not possible to join NATO because of these militias.

What kind of damage would Russia do if Ukraine joined NATO?

Ukraine's accession to NATO is detrimental to Russia. So Russia has been very strict in preventing Ukraine from joining NATO. Due to political and geological reasons, Russia has occupied Crimea.

Although Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of area, it has no hot water port. But Russia has built a strong naval base in Sevastopol, Crimea. It is useful for warm water here. Moreover, this port is the only entrance to the Russian Black Sea. Therefore, due to its geographical location, Crimea is very important to Russia.

Therefore, Russia would never want Ukraine to become a member of NATO. Russia has previously been invaded by other foreigners, including Poland, Sweden, France, and Germany, almost all of them using European plains. Therefore, Russia is attaching more importance to those regions

But what is the reason for sending Russian troops to Ukraine?

Russia is the first country in Europe since World War II to launch a large-scale three-pronged attack on Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin himself announced a Russian operation in Ukraine. But why did Russia choose the path of conflict? From what fears did the Russian president decide to invade Ukraine?

Researchers say NATO is the main cause of the Russia-Ukraine war. About 30 countries are members of NATO. These include France, the United States, and the United Kingdom. And Ukraine wanted to be part of this group. With this incident, tensions between the two countries started.

Relations between Russia and the United States have long been strained over a wide range of issues. The United States is also a NATO member. Ukraine wanted to join NATO with countri-es like France and the United States. But Russia is reluctant to accept Ukraine's relationship with the hostile United States. But NATO is keen to have Ukraine join them. Russia was not happy about this.



But why does Russia not want Ukraine to join NATO? Why is Russia trying to thwart this decision of Ukraine? At the heart of this is the conflict of power. A NATO country is helped to avoid foreign aggression. And if Ukraine, which is close to Russia, becomes a member of NATO, then other member states will help this country. And Russia is concerned about this.

Russia first entered Ukraine in 2014. At the time, pro-Russian rebels had seized large swathes of eastern Ukraine in support of Putin. They have been fighting against the Ukrainian army ever since. Although the Minsk Agreement was signed to end this war, the war did not stop. For this reason, the Russian president says he has sent so-called peacekeepers to the region.

Putin's problem with Ukraine

Ukraine wants to join the European Union and NATO. Russia has serious objections to this. President Putin believes that Ukraine is a puppet of the West and has never been a real country. Putin's main demand is to get assurances from Western countries that Ukraine will never join NATO.

NATO is a military alliance of European countries and this alliance consists of 30 countries. But as a country of the former Soviet Union, Russia and Ukraine have great social, cultural, and linguistic similarities. But since 2014, relations between the two countries have faded. Russia overthrew the pro-Russian government in 2014 and the people of that country, and at that time Russia started aggression in Ukraine. More than 14,000 people were killed in that battle.

Recognition of separatist areas

Russia is governing the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk republics. Russia recognizes these two regions as independent states. As a result, Russia will be able to send troops there freely. They will even be able to set up military bases there.

The ceasefire is constantly happening in these areas. At the same time, the position of the Russian army will make the war situation worse. But the fear is that the rebels are claiming the occupied territories as well as Donetsk and Luhansk.

Russia is preparing for a war in eastern Ukraine over allegations of genocide. Russia has distributed more than 700,000 passports in the region. So if it launches an operation in the area, Russia will be able to claim that it is conducting an operation to protect its citizens.

How much success Russia has had

Russia has been waging war in Ukraine for some time now. They have already taken over a few territories. Initially, Russia described it as a special operation, but gradually it turned into a war. Although Russian forces advanced on the capital, they met stiff resistance from Ukrainian forces. So far, Russia has not been able to capture the Ukrainian capital. Attempts to seize the capital have failed and Russia has now adopted a different war strategy. They have occupied another important region, Kharkiv.

What are the chances of solving this problem diplomatically? Russia's initial offensive has failed. The Ukrainian army has become much stronger in recent times. That is why Russia is facing strong opposition.

The steps of the western countries

Western nations have strongly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called Ukraine's sovereignty a violation. However, Ukraine has made it clear that NATO will not send any troops to the war. The United States fears that if NATO gets involved in the war, World War III will break out. Although NATO is not directly involved in the war, it is providing various military assistance to Ukraine.

Many countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have imposed sanctions on Russia. Russia is now the country with the most sanctions in the world.

What is Putin's main purpose?

Putin is clear. And that is that Ukraine will not be able to join NATO. He sought a meeting with Western leaders to reassure them that no new countries from the region would join NATO. Western leaders have not agreed to the proposal. Russia thinks the West will surround Russia with NATO forces. Russia also believes that NATO will become stronger in the region in terms of position, which will jeopardize Russia's security.

Where is Putin's strength?

Russia has continued its offensive in Ukraine, despite sanctions imposed by European countries. Where is Russia getting so much power? Russia's main economic power is energy. Russia supplies gas to Europe. If Russia stopped exporting fuel, many European countries would not be able to even burn stoves due to a lack of gas. Russia is one of the largest gas importing countries in the European Union.

It also imports some gas from Norway, Algeria, and Qatar. Many European countries import about 41.1 percent of their gas from Russia. That is about half a percent. In addition, various countries import about 26.9 percent of crude gas from Russia. Russia imports about 48.7 percent of its timber and coal.

Slovakia, Estonia, and Latvia depend 100% on Russia's energy. Germany imports about half of its gas from Russia. Gas pipelines from Russia to various European countries pass through Ukraine. The pipeline supplies about 40 percent of Russia's gas. If NATO and the United States act hostile to Russia, Russia may retaliate by cutting off the supply of these gases. This will lead to a gas crisis in the whole of Europe.

In this context, Russia has several demands:

• NATO needs to be assured that it will not expand. Ukraine cannot be included in NATO in any way.

• President Putin has said that Ukraine has never been a real estate. This was the territory of ancient Russia.

• The Russian president also demanded that no heavy weapons or offensive weapons be deployed near the Russian border.

• Since 1997, troops and military equipment have had to be withdrawn from NATO countries.

• That is, NATO withdraws troops from Eastern Europe, Europe, and the Baltic Sea. It will be.

What is NATO's comment?

Now the number of NATO countries is 30. They always keep the door open for interested countries. NATO will not agree to change its policy. Ukraine has already said it will not join NATO. No NATO member state will leave the alliance.

Is it possible to solve it through diplomatic activities?

Despite repeated talks between the Russian and Ukrainian representatives, no lasting solution has yet emerged. The two countries are trying to maintain their strong position. France, however, attempted a meeting between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin. But it did not succeed. The key to the success of the talks is to end the war in the east and reach an agreement on arms control.

The United States has offered to discuss limiting short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. At the same time, there could be new agreements on intercontinental ballistic missiles. Russia has shown a positive attitude towards visiting each other's missile bases. As a result, a joint team will regularly visit two bases in Romania and Poland and two in Russia.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has commented that the door to dialogue must always be open, even in the language of arms. Russia has recognized Donetsk and Luhansk, adjacent to Ukraine's Donbas, as independent states.

Surprisingly, it is true that Russian and Ukrainian representatives also met on the Belarusian border. It may not have made much progress yet, but the meeting proposal. Putin's agreement indicates that he has accepted the possibility of a ceasefire through negotiations.

French President Emmanuel Macho has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin several times. Russian and Ukrainian representatives have met on the Belarusian border. No progress was noticed in that meeting. But President Putin agreed to the meeting Which suggests that Putin was willing to negotiate a ceasefire. Diplomats say Russia must exchange to get rid of Western sanctions.

So where is the solution?

U.S. policymakers believe the war could end if Putin steps down. Many have also started talking about a change of power in gestures. New York Times correspondent Ross thinks Putin will not be spared if the country's economy suffers.

To stay in power, he has to rely not only on military support but also on the prominent 'oligarchy' affluent class. Now, if Russia is cornered from all sides and becomes a 'Parisian' state, no one will like it. It would not even be a surprise if Putin's departure bell rang through them. US policymakers are discussing such a possibility.

But Westerners know the easiest way to solve it. If harassing Russia is not the only goal, it will not be difficult to find a diplomatic solution. Western economic sanctions are embarrassing to Russia. The main purpose of the sanctions is to keep Russia at bay. But Russia could make significant concessions if sanctions are used as a negotiating tool instead of cornering.

Ilya Kusa, a Ukrainian expert, believes that Russia can be persuaded through bargaining. But it is up to the West to take the initiative to give Putin a chance to defend himself, arguing that it is a "humanitarian catastrophe."

Will Putin be ousted?

This is a serious question. Will Vladimir Putin be able to survive in the end? "We are ready for any consequences," he said at the start of the campaign in Ukraine. But if the result is that Putin loses power! Many may think the matter is unthinkable. But now the situation has changed. No possibility can be ruled out.

Why is Putin being ousted? The war that Putin is waging could have far-reaching consequences. Thousands of Russian soldiers could be killed. Russia's economy could collapse as a result of economic sanctions. Ukraine's government may collapse, and Putin may lose power.

However, it does not seem that anything can happen so soon. But something like that could happen if those who benefited from Putin turned against him. War is always destructive. War never brings good. The peace-loving people of the world expect that all problems should be resolved through dialogue.