Gunin Borah
(The writer is from the Faculty of Geography, Biswanath College, Chariali and can be reached at Email ID: borah.gunin@gmail.com)
Ukraine is the second-largest country in Europe after Russia. The capital Kyiv is the largest city in the country. The nation shares its border with Russia to the East and North-East borders. Belarus to the North, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west and Romania and Belarus to the North, Poland Slovakia, and Hungary to the west and Romania, Moldova to the south. It has a coastline along the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
Ukraine emerged as a fully independent nation in the late 20th century after the fall of the Soviet Union. The country was earlier ruled by Poland, Lithuania, Russia, and the USSR. It became independent for a brief period from 1918 to1920, but some western regions were ruled by Poland, Romania and Czechoslovakia between the two World Wars. Subsequently, the nation became a part of the Soviet Union as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR). With the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic became a sovereign nation in 1990 and it became independent on 24 August 1991.
After gaining independence, the country changed its name to Ukraine and did away with its Russian imperial legacy. The western region of Ukraine wants to integrate with the west, while the eastern region with Russia.
Ukraine is the 46th largest country in the world and the second-largest country in Europe. The total area of Ukraine is over six lakh square km. The total population of Ukraine is more than 4 crore. Around 78 per cent of the people in the country are native Ukrainian while 22 per cent of them are from other countries. There are 86.3 males for 100 females. Although many languages are spoken in the country, the official language of the country is Ukrainian. The majority of religion practised in the country is Christianity. Around 67.3 per cent of the population declared adherence to one or another strand of Orthodox Christianity. The literacy rate of Ukraine is about 99.8 per cent, the fourth highest in the world. The average life expectancy rate is about 71.48 years.
Significant natural resources in Ukraine include iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulphur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, nickel, mercury, timber and an abundance of arable land. Despite this, the country faces several major environmental issues such as inadequate supplies of potable water, air and water pollution and deforestation, as well as radiation contamination in the northeast from the 1986 accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
The conflict between the two nations started when Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych rejects an association agreement with the European Union in favour of closer ties with Moscow. His government was ousted by the people in what became known as the 'Revolution of Dignity. Russia in return annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and supported the separatist rebellion in the country's eastern region. Brookings, the US-based think tank described the seizure as the biggest land grab on the continent since World War 2.
Russia further attacked Donbas, Ukraine's industrial heartland. As a result of the armed conflict between the Ukrainian government forces and Russia backed separatists, around 14,000 people lost their lives, leaving others injured. While Ukraine and the west alleged Russia of backing the separatist leaders and sending arsenal to the rebellions, Russia has always denied its involvement in the armed conflict. NATO is at the heart of the ongoing conflict between the two nations. While Ukraine aspires to join the group, Russia is protesting against this demand.
There are a few reasons behind Russia's protest. First, it views Ukraine as a part of its 'Sphere of Influence' rather than an independent state. Second, it will expand the grouping's footprint to its border. Third, Russia fears that Ukraine might try to take back Crimea by military action. Russia published security pacts and presented them to the West. It demanded NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet Nations, and de-escalation of troops and weapons in Central and Eastern Europe. The West and NATO, however, turned down Russia's demands.
The armed conflict in Ukraine first erupted in early 2014 and quickly transitioned to a long stalemate, with regular shelling and skirmishes occurring along the frontline that separates Russian and Ukrainian controlled border regions in the east. Since Russia launched a full-scale military invasion into Ukraine on February 24, 2022, fighting has caused hundreds of civilian casualties and pushed tens of thousands of Ukrainians to flee to neighbouring countries, including Poland, a NATO country where US troops are preparing to offer assistance.
In October 2021, Russia began moving troops and military equipment near its border with Ukraine, reigniting concern over a potential invasion. In mid-December, 2021, Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a set of demands calling for the United States and NATO to cease any military activity in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, to commit against further NATO expansion towards Russia, and to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO in future.
In late February 2022, the United States warned that Russia intended to invade Ukraine, citing Russia's growing military presence at the Russia-Ukraine border. On February 24, during a United Nations Security Council meeting to dissuade Russia from attacking Ukraine, Putin announced the beginning of the full-scale land, sea, and air invasion of Ukraine targeting Ukrainian military assets and cities across the country. Biden declared this attack 'unprovoked and unjustified and has since issued severe sanctions in coordination with European allies.
The world leaders described an invasion that could cause massive casualties, topple Ukraine's democratically elected government and threaten the post-Cold War balance. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called Russia's attack a brutal act of war and said Moscow had shattered peace on the European continent.
US President Joe Biden said Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering. The leaders of the Group of Seven called on the international community to condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms, to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, and raise their voice against this blatant violation of the fundamental principles of international peace and security. The head of the UN refugee agency urged neighbouring countries to keep their borders open for Ukrainians fleeing the fighting. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said his agency had stepped up its operations and capacity in both Ukraine and its neighbours.
The current conflict between Russia-Ukraine conflict has severely strained US-Russia relations and increased the risk of wider European conflict. Tensions are likely to increase between Russia and neighbouring NATO member countries that would likely involve the United States, due to alliance security commitments. Additionally the conflict in Ukraine will have border ramifications, specifically for US-China relations, and for future cooperation on critical issues like arms control, cyber security, nuclear non-proliferation, energy security, counter-terrorism, and political solutions in Syria, Libya, and elsewhere.