Russia-Ukraine Conflict

On February 22, 2022, Russia launched a large-scale military invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine is one of Russia’s neighboring countries. Russia and Ukraine’s conflict had actually started in 2014 because Russia had annexed Crimea from Ukraine.

Russia denied that it would be invading Ukraine months before the actual invasion. Then Russia’s president Vladimir Putin claimed that Russia would not feel safe because of the “threat” of Ukraine being modernized. 

Russia planned to take control of Ukraine’s capital quickly and start to move westward to take over the rest of Ukraine but they haven’t been successful because Ukrainian citizens keep fighting back.  

More than 1 million people have left Ukraine so far, it is estimated that 5 million more people will flee the country, and foreigners have gone back to their countries. 

It is estimated that 300 people have been killed in this conflict and about 600 people have been injured, but the United Nations Human Rights Office thinks that these numbers are way higher, because of the fighting there are delayed reports on casualties.   

This may seem like an overseas conflict but it is also affecting our country. The U.S. announced that it would be sending an additional 350 million dollars worth of military aid, to add to the 1 billion dollars worth of aid that was given last year, to help Ukraine. 

Some of this aid includes 7,000 additional U.S. troops that Biden said that he would send to Europe to protect eastern members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO. Some 90,000 U.S. troops are already stationed across Europe, are already in NATO countries. Troops will not be involved in going into Ukraine, because it is not a NATO member.

Most Students at Lakeland don’t know much about the conflict, or they are confident that Ukraine will be able to fight back against Russia. 

Ricky Hainey, a senior at Lakeland who is going to go into the Navy has stated, “I’m not worried too much about what is going on in Ukraine, Ukraine is doing a good job at holding its own so hopefully Russia will back off soon”

In my opinion, I think that Ukraine is doing a good job at fighting back but I feel like this conflict is going to become worse. The United States has sent troops to NATO countries including one of my family members so this conflict may extend to other countries. 

Although it seems that Ukraine is doing a good job at fighting back against Russia, only time will tell what will become of this conflict.