On February 24, 2022, the Russian troops invaded Ukraine. The Ukrainian government decided on the general mobilization of the army; males between the ages of 18 and 60 can be called up for military service and are not allowed to leave the country. More than 1 million people have now fled, the UNHCR says. In this article, we will answer some eight questions about the Ukraine war, stay tuned!
Reports of a massive Russian military incursion along Ukraine’s external borders began as early as the fall of 2021. At that time, Russia denied any attack plans and accused NATO of increased activity in the region. By December 2021, Russia had published a draft of a so-called “security agreement” agreement with the U.S. and NATO.
The draft called for the withdrawal of all NATO troops from Eastern European countries that had joined since 1999 and a ban on admission of successor states to the Soviet Union, which was dissolved in 1991. The United States and other NATO countries rejected this demand as a basis for negotiations. A recurrent point of contention between Russia and NATO is Russia’s accusation that NATO partners made binding commitments to the Soviet Union or Russia in the 1990s not to expand NATO further eastward. NATO denies this.
In the meantime, several observers objected that Putin was not at all concerned with NATO’s expansion plans. Instead, the reforms under the rule of law and the establishment of a functioning democracy in Ukraine pose a political risk to the authoritarian regime in Moscow. Ukraine’s westward orientation also means a loss of Russia’s sphere of influence.
In a lengthy essay titled “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians,” Vladimir Putin effectively denied Ukraine’s right to exist in the summer of 2021. Diplomacy efforts to resolve the crisis were unsuccessful. On the evening of February 21, Russia announced recognition of the so-called “people’s republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, which has been contested since 2014.
The next night, the Russian troops moved into the territory, which is part of Ukraine under international law. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin complained of alleged human rights violations against the Russian-speaking population in eastern Ukraine and spoke of a “genocide.” Internationally, this has been seen as a propaganda claim. The “People’s Republics” asked Russia on February 23 for “military assistance” against alleged aggression by Ukraine. On the morning of February 24, the Russian attack began.