WAR ON UKRAINE:THE BEGINNING OF THE ENDLESS WAR.

Russo-Ukrainian War

The Russo-Ukrainian War is an ongoing war which began in February 2014 between Russia (together with pro-Russian separatist forces) and Ukraine. Both nations are former members of the now dissolved communist Soviet Union prior to its dissolution in 1991. Various agreements were made when they separated in 1991 and each started transitioning towards market-oriented economies.

By 2013, much of Ukraine and it's national parliament wanted closer ties with Western Europe. On the other hand, others including the then-President Viktor Yanukovych and his cabinet, wanted closer ties with Russia. Before the conflict was resolved though, a series of large-scale, mostly peaceful protests began. Soon, violence broke out, especially in January and February 2014, resulting in the overthrow of the pro-Russian Yanukovych. As a result of this, the parliament appointed an interim government seeking greater ties with Western Europe. Soon Russia initiated military action, initially focused on the status of Crimea and the Donbas, internationally recognised as part of Ukraine. The firThst eight years of the conflict included the Russian annexation of Crimea (2014) and the war in Donbas (2014–present) between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists, as well as naval incidents, cyberwarfare, and political tensions. Following a Russian military build-up on the Russia–Ukraine border from late 2021, the conflict expanded significantly when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.

Following the Euromaidan protests and a revolution resulting in the removal of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014, pro-Russian unrest erupted in parts of Ukraine. Russian soldiers without insignia took control of strategic positions and infrastructure in the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, and seized the Crimean Parliament. Russia organized a widely criticised referendum, whose outcome was for Crimea to join Russia. This led to the annexation of Crimea. In April 2014, demonstrations by pro-Russian groups in the Donbas region of Ukraine escalated into a war between the Ukrainian military and Russian-backed separatists of the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk republics.

In August 2014, unmarked Russian military vehicles crossed the border into the Donetsk republic. An undeclared war began between Ukrainian forces on one side, and separatists intermingled with Russian troops on the other, although Russia attempted to hide its involvement. The war settled into a static conflict, with repeated failed attempts at a ceasefire. In 2015, the Minsk II agreements were signed by Russia and Ukraine, but a number of disputes prevented them being fully implemented. By 2019, 7% of Ukraine was classified by the Ukrainian government as temporarily occupied territories.

In 2021 and early 2022, there was a major Russian military build-up around Ukraine's borders. NATO accused Russia of planning an invasion, which it denied. Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the enlargement of NATO as a threat to his country and demanded Ukraine be barred from ever joining the military alliance. He also expressed Russian irredentist views, questioned Ukraine's right to exist, and stated wrongfully that Ukraine was created by Soviet Russia. On 21 February 2022, Russia officially recognised the two self-proclaimed separatist states in the Donbas, and openly sent troops into the territories. Three days later, Russia invaded Ukraine. Much of the international community has condemned Russia for its actions in post-revolutionary Ukraine, accusing it of breaking international law and violating Ukrainian sovereignty. Many countries implemented economic sanctions against Russia, Russian individuals, or companies, especially after the 2022 invasion.

The consequences of the war in Ukraine will be far-reaching.

The Russian invasion into Ukraine will have far reaching consequences in a variety of areas: the situation has evolved into a humanitarian crisis, has turned food and energy security volatile and raises questions about the architecture of global security.

These challenges will not be limited to Ukraine, but due to the globalised world we live in, will pose challenges across the globe.

Both short- and long-term solutions must be found to ensure these consequences won't result into castastrophes upon catastrophes.

The Russian invasion into Ukraine was a tipping point for world security, the international economy and our global energy architecture. It is not possible to narrow down a war like this to one region while we live in a globalized world. We cannot keep radiation in one country's geographical borders, or eliminate one country from the fragility of supply chains.

This new type of hybrid war including its grave humanitarian crisis, the cyber attacks and economic hardships as well as disinformation and propaganda campaigns, geopolitical tensions about energy supply plus the threat of a nuclear war will have far-reaching effects.

The ripple effects of Russia's war in Ukraine are changing the world

Far from Russia's war in Ukraine, stores are running out of cooking oil, people are paying more at the gas pump, farmers are scrambling to buy fertilizer and nations are rethinking alliances.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has triggered seismic repercussions: a fast-moving refugee crisis, unprecedented sanctions against a major economy and a shakeup of global relationships, including a reinvigorated NATO. Below, we zoom in on some of the ways the world has changed since the war began on Feb. 24.

Ukraine and Russia are key exporters of wheat, barley, corn and cooking oil, particularly for African and Middle Eastern countries. Russia is also a major producer of fertilizer and petroleum. Disruptions to the flow of these goods are compounding other supply chain and climate challenges, driving up food and gas prices, causing shortages and pushing millions of people into hunger.

A key source of the friction has been Ukraine’s desire to join NATO – something President Putin strongly opposes.

Russia vehemently opposes NATO’s expansion to include Ukraine, and has demanded a formal veto on it ever becoming a member.

President Putin has made clear that he sees the country’s aspirations to join the group as a threat to Russia’s borders and its sphere of influence.

Five NATO countries currently border Russia after former Soviet states Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania became members.

In December last year, President Putin said Russia will seek “reliable and long-term security guarantees” from the US and its allies “that would exclude any further NATO moves eastward and the deployment of weapons systems that threaten us in close vicinity to Russian territory”.

And last week in an angry televised address from the Kremlin, President Putin said: “Ukraine is an inalienable part of our own history, culture and spiritual space. These are our comrades, those dearest to us – not only colleagues, friends and people who once served together, but also relatives, people bound by blood, by family ties.

India’s position on Russia-Ukraine conflict steadfast and consistent

External Affairs Minister S.Jaishankar said in Parliament that India’s position on the Ukraine conflict has been “steadfast and consistent” and that it has been seeking immediate cessation of violence.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed to visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that India stands ready to contribute in any way to the peace efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and called for early cessation of violence in that country.

Russia has been India’s major supplier of military hardware and New Delhi has been worried about possible delays in the supply of some key platforms and equipment because of the Ukraine conflict.

India has also decided to purchase discounted crude oil from Russia, triggering concern among a number of Western powers.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said around two weeks back that India taking the Russian offer of discounted crude oil would not be a violation of the US sanctions on Moscow but underlined that countries should also think about “where you want to stand” on the Russian action.

THANK YOU 

-BY Shreyansh Agarwal