Here are some brief updates on the Russia-Ukraine War.
Ukraine and Russia will soon be entering the ninth month of a brutal conflict that began on February 24, when Russia invaded eastern Ukraine. In many ways, this conflict began in February of 2014, when the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity ended and authoritarian President Victor Yanukovych was ousted. The Revolution of Dignity, also known as the Euromaidan, was the name given to three months of anti-corruption protests in Kyiv. The Revolution of Dignity showed the world, particularly President Putin of Russia, that Ukrainians were united by their determination to build a stable democracy free of corruption. Ultimately, the ousting of Yanukovych and the Euromaidan made Ukraine into an enemy of Russia, and Putin acted quickly. It was likely clear to him that he could no longer control Ukraine and he would not tolerate an independent political entity on his south-western border. On March 18, 2014, he annexed the Crimea and began a separatist war in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine soon after. In February of 2022, nearly six years later, Putin sent forces into eastern Ukraine, officially starting the ongoing war.
The United Nations puts the number of civilian casualties at over 14,000 to date, though the actual number is likely far higher. Ukraine and the United States have both accused Russia of war crimes. Independent organizations are struggling to pinpoint exactly how many soldiers have been killed on both sides, but the number grows daily. Both countries have been engaged in a mass mobilization of military forces, and conscription is ongoing, particularly in Russia.
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