Why does the Russia and Ukraine conflict exist right now?
For many people interested in current events, not knowing where the issue comes from is some times a discouraging factor in trying to stay updated. Sure, right now there is a huge escalation of conflict occurring, but knowing why it's happening in the first place needs to be the first step. This entry will give a detailed synopsis of why Russia and Ukraine are fighting.
In the late 18th century most of Ukraine was incorporated into the Russian Empire and then the Soviet Union in 1920. The in 1991 Ukraine declared its independence from the Soviet Union. The conflict arising in Ukraine comes from the Ukrainian presidents refusal to participate in an association agreement with the European Union which was called The Ukraine-European Union Association Agreement. It's a treaty between the EU and Ukraine that basically says, "Hey, let's be friends and work together on policy, legislation, and regulation over a broad scope of things." The agreement would have committed Ukraine to certain economical, judicial and financial reforms to fit the standards of the EU. This agreement followed after more than twenty years of talks between the EU and Ukraine. The President of Ukraine at that time was Viktor Yanukovych. He kept flip flopping, because on one side being a new member state of the EU came with a lot of perks, but Russia did not like the AA at all, and started barking down the throat of Yanukovych. Yanukovych at that time asked the EU to enter into trilateral discussions with Russia, and they refused saying ""we may not give in to external pressure, not at least from Russia." (Source) Yanukovych then, to the chagrin of the majority of Ukrainians who sought economic reform, rejected the AA and accepted a new deal with Russia to the tune of fifteen billion dollars in aid and other economic benefits. Almost immediately thousands of protesters marched in the capital of Ukraine (Kiev) to make their voices heard. The Ukrainian government responded with aggressive actions which soon ended up with government responders killing hundreds of protesters. Fast forward to February of 2014, and President Yanukovych flees to Russia after protesters storm Kiev and overtake the presidential residence. In March of 2014 a interim government was put in place (along with a litany of other changes in Ukraine's sociopolitical system.) and soon thereafter the new Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed the AA with the European Council.
All of this happened pretty quickly. Within months Russia went from having the politicians of Ukraine in their pockets to pretty much losing their once satellite state. Russia viewed the protesting as an illegitimate claim to the true presidents power. Needless to say, Russia has a incredible significant interest in helping Yanukovych stay in office. Why? Economic blowback, and regional supremacy. Russia would lose out economically if Ukraine aligned with Europe more than Russia because of free trade agreements, and a deal between the EU and Ukraine would make Russia look weak.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called for military drills along the Ukrainian border to show muscle, sending a clear message that said Russia is prepared for war with Ukraine. Following this display of military capability, unmarked guards infiltrated and seized Crimea (a autonomous republic inside Ukraine about the size of Massachusetts). Putin then got parliamentary approval to send more troops toward Ukraine. This is what sent waves through the global community, as this annexation of Crimea moves Russia and Ukraine closer and closer to violent conflict.
So what we have here is a global power-house, Russia, violating the sovereignty of Ukraine while at the same time showing blatant disregard for international law. Sanctions have been discussed, but it's possible sanctions would just make things harder for neighboring countries because Russia has most of the oil in Europe. What sanctions have been placed don't seem to affect Russia very much. Placing more sanctions on Russia would place an even heavier burden on consumers who are already seeing stocks plummet and gas prices soar. Russia is also looking towards neighboring China to import products. Since this has all happened, Russia keeps getting more and more aggressive. The Kremlin (Russias parliament) says they aren't violating international law because the rightful president of Ukraine, Yanukovych, has given them permission to take back the country. Most recently Russia has been sending armored convoys into Ukraine under the guise of providing aid (when sending aid Russia envoys must be sent with a RedCross escort, Russia is sending envoys in without a RedCross escort, yet another violation of Ukraines sovereignty). They're not only showing blatant contempt for Ukraines sovereignty, but they're doing a terrible job at being sneaky about it. Russia is funding Ukrainian separatists who'd like to see Yanukovych come back into power, providing them with large quantities of advanced weapons including tanks.
What does the future hold? Who knows, honestly. There are so many other things happening in the global community and the local Stateside community that require the attention of our government. No genocide is taking place, and the deaths are few and far. It's not an all out war, so the U.S. is concentrating it's efforts on IS, which I really look forward to writing about next.
I look forward to your comments, this is a learning process for me too. These articles are a chance for me to better educate myself along with you. I hope this has brought some understanding.
For a constant feed of information regarding the Ukrainian Conflict, you can look and keep looking at this live Reddit feed.
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