What the world had feared has happened. Russia has declared war on Ukraine and has begun a series of attacks across the nation.
The Russian military launched multiple attacks across Ukraine Thursday morning. Airstrikes took place, targeting military bases, munitions depots, and more while Russian tanks and troops deployed across the border. More than 40 soldiers have been killed in the bombings, with unconfirmed numbers of civilians. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared martial law after cutting diplomatic ties with the now rival nation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened any foreign nation that might interfere with “Consequences you have never seen,” and has alluded to the county’s supply of nuclear weaponry.
Russia has now instigated sanctions from numerous other nations, including the US, Canada, and the entirety of the EU.
What This Means
For most of us in other nations, this simply means some market shifts. The stock market will take a plunge and the prices of certain things will go up. But that’s spilled milk compared to what is now happening in Ukraine.
Just about everyone familiar with the situation knows that Ukraine will simply not be able to win a one-on-one war with Russia, including the nation itself. This paints a very grim picture for Ukraine, instilling a sense of hopelessness from the very beginning.
The local people now live in fear for their lives and their livelihood. There was already a report of a 14 year old girl dying by a Russian airstrike, and social media posts are popping up all over of normal people seeing rockets fly over them. An invasion is a terrible thing to live through.
Politically, this is very dangerous. We’re looking at a large nation with an uncontested ruler, someone who’s spent over a decade getting whatever they want. If they are left to continue this invasion, it reinforces this mindset, which could lead to more power moves in an effort to take control of more and more. But at the same time, trying to call a dictator’s bluff is dangerous. Will they actually retaliate against aid for Ukraine? Will they actually use nuclear weapons to do so? That’s a VERY risky chance to take, no matter what nation you are.
We don’t know how this will end, but we hope it ends with as much peace as possible.