By: Annika Larsen, Fox Cities
At this point, almost everyone knows what is currently happening in Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin is invading the adjacent country, causing the younger generations to face a level of crisis that they have never seen before. In fact, for most of the delegates here in Madison, this is the first time they have been conscientious of this type of event.
So how did these once inseparable countries break apart, and how did Russia foster such hostility? In order to answer these questions, a timeline of the major events that led up to the conflict must be established.
December 1, 1991 – A New Nation
Ukraine declares independence from the Soviet Union following its fall. The vast majority of Ukrainians support becoming a separate sovereign nation. Modern day nations such as Ukraine and Russia were dissolved from the Soviet Union, with Russia being the closest modern representative of their values.
November-December 2004 – A Disastrous Election
Two presidential candidates go head to head: Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych. The latter is backed by Russia. Mysteriously, Yushchenko is poisoned and his health declines, although he is able to recover by the election date. Regardless, Yanukovych pulls out a victory. Many Ukrainian citizens, however, believe that the election was fraudulent and that the poisoning was orchestrated by Russia. They take to the streets in an explosion of orange, Yushchenko’s campaign color. Amazingly, they succeeded in initiating a re-vote, which secured a victory for Yushchenko.
April 3, 2008 – The Fight for NATO Membership
Ukraine is considered to become a new member of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). The NATO summit begins a fierce debate about extending a MAP (Membership Access Plan) to Ukraine, which countries must have to join the organization. Russia strongly opposes the idea, President Vladimir Putin allegedly saying to President George W. Bush that Ukraine is “not even a real nation-state.” NATO does not give Ukraine a MAP.
February-March 2014 – The Seizure of Crimea
Russia annexes Crimea, which is a Ukrainian Peninsula that contains a mostly Russian population. Russian troops are already stationed throughout Crimea with their uniform insignias removed. The action sparks global outrage and will prove to be an important point later on as well.
April 21, 2019 – A New President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a former comedian, overwhelmingly defeats the competition in the race for president. He promises to end the war with Russia and root out corruption in the Ukrainian government.
December 2021 – A Rising Threat
Early in 2021, Putin deploys additional Russian troops near the border of Ukraine and publishes an article that says that Russia and Ukraine are ‘one people’. In December, tens of thousands of Russian soldiers are stationed on the Ukrainian border. Putin issues demands to the U.S. and NATO. Among them is a forceful request that Ukraine will never be admitted into NATO. The Biden Administration rejects these orders.
February 21, 2022 – Sovereign Ukrainian Regions
President Putin recognizes the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as sovereign nations. These states broke away from the nation in 2014 and have been under the leadership of what the Ukrainian government considers ‘Russian-backed terrorists.’
February 24, 2022 – The Fateful Day
Russia launches a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on the eastern border in the region of Donbas. Zelenskyy officially breaks diplomatic ties with Russia, and the attack sparks utter outrage all over the globe.
To answer the previous questions, the tension between Russia and Ukraine has been building for decades. Russia strongly opposed many of the Ukrainian government’s decisions, such as wanting to join NATO. Since the initial invasion, the conflict has displaced over a million citizens of Ukraine and many are seeking shelter in subway stations and similar places. Many benefactors are donating to Ukraine and supporting innocent civilians as well as the soldiers fighting for freedom. Charities that can be donated to to show support for Ukraine include Catholic Relief Services, Direct Relief, Global Giving, International Rescue Committee, and Save the Children.