On February 24th, 2022, the Russian military officially stepped foot into Eastern Ukraine allegedly with “compassion” due to “genocide against the millions of people living there”, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Quickly after this initial step, which was originally targeted at two mineral-rich “breakaway” regions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the military advance from Russia expressing his anger that “The war is a big disaster” and that it will have “a high price”. President Zelenskyy has continuously denounced the attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty begging for a no-fly zone over Ukraine and asking world leaders such as President Biden to aid Ukraine with actual military support. As Russian troops continue to advance towards and besiege population centers throughout Ukraine such as Kyiv or Mauripol, over 2 million Ukrainian citizens have fled their homeland for safety in the Central European nations like Poland or Hungary. Fighting has remained fierce in the past few weeks, surprisingly showing successful Ukrainian pushback against Russia, however, it appears the conflict is nowhere near ending. Multiple attempted peace talks between the two rivals have fallen through signaling at least a long stalemate, if not more bloody warfare. In the midst of this humanitarian crisis, President Zelenskyy has not ceased asking for military aid in Ukraine, refusing to forsake his compatriots.

 This has led many analysts of the war to ponder the question of whether the US will get involved in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict. If this were to happen, it is speculated that nuclear war would become a possibility, creating a detrimental escalation of the current conflict. Evidence to back this up is the Kremlin’s refusal to denounce the potential use of nuclear weaponry. Russian politician and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a live interview “If it is an existential threat for our country, then it [nuclear arms] can be used." This statement has caused much concern among Western Nations prompting the White House to attempt to calm fears and criticize the notion of nuclear war. Press Secretary Psaki remarked, “Provocative rhetoric like this regarding nuclear weapons is dangerous, adds to the risk of miscalculation, should be avoided and we'll not indulge in it.” At the moment, it appears the US does not want to become fully involved, but, the Baltic state of Estonia and the Central European nation of Poland have both made moves toward supporting a no-fly zone and potential direct military aid to Ukraine. The involvement of a third nation could significantly increase the effects of this war, leading to the involvement of NATO and world catastrophe. 

In an attempt to quell and discourage Putin’s Russia from any more brash and dangerous decisions, many companies and world governments have put sanctions on Russian goods and banking in order to attempt to damage the Russian economy. These efforts have been fruitful, decreasing the value of the Ruble by nearly 50%. Russian citizens are becoming more and more outraged with the state of their nation and the seemingly never-ending decline in their economy. Nevertheless, Putin continues to command his troops forward in an effort to control Ukraine. 

Ultimately, this war in Ukraine will have resounding global consequences for all nations involved with Ukraine. Materials and resources produced in the mineral-rich region are no sparser, leading to increases in price (along with inflation). Many people, especially women and children, have been displaced from their homes and are now living in churches and stadiums without a stable way of supporting themselves or their families. Soldiers, from both sides, are dying and succumbing to bitter fighting occurring in the streets of cities. Foreign relations have deteriorated over the war leading to a global standstill. Leaders of nations are afraid, and that fear, chaos, and trauma thrive, affecting the West for now and likely for the years to come. 

By: Aaron Heth

Photo: As seen on Time.com