1. Putin’s Ukraine: What’s really going on?
It’s been a little over a year since Russia annexed Crimea, and the situation in putin russia ukraine news is still very much in flux. With pro-Russian separatists controlling parts of the country and the Ukrainian government struggling to assert its authority, it’s hard to know what’s really going on.
Here’s a brief overview of the situation in Ukraine, as well as some of the key players involved.
The basics
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe, bordering Russia to the east and Belarus to the north. It has a population of around 45 million people and an area of 600,000 square kilometers.
The capital of Ukraine is Kyiv (also spelled Kiev), and the country is divided into 24 oblasts (regions).
The official languages of Ukraine are Ukrainian and Russian, but Ukrainian is the only language with official status.
History
Ukraine has a long and complex history. It was first settled by Slavic tribes in the 6th century AD, and later became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
In the 14th century, Ukraine was annexed by the Kingdom of Poland, and later became part of the Russian Empire.
After the Russian Revolution in 1917, Ukraine became an independent republic, but was later absorbed into the Soviet Union.
Ukraine regained its independence in 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Since then, the country has been struggling to establish its identity and build a stable democracy.
Politics
Ukraine is a semi-presidential republic, with a president and a prime minister.
The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term, and is the head of state. The prime minister is appointed by the president, and is the head of government.
The current president of Ukraine is Petro Poroshenko, who was elected in 2014. The prime minister is Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who was appointed in 2014.
The Ukrainian parliament is called the Verkhovna Rada, and has 450 members. Members are elected for a five-year term, and 300 are elected by proportional representation, while the remaining 150 are elected in single-member districts.
2. The conflict in Ukraine: A brief history
Since the early 1990s, Ukraine has been caught in the middle of a tug-of-war between Russia and the West. The country is divided between those who see themselves as Ukrainian first and those who see themselves as Russian. This division came to a head in 2014 with the Russian annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of a separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine.
The roots of the conflict can be traced back to the Soviet Union. Ukraine was always the most important republic in the Soviet Union after Russia. It was the breadbasket of the Soviet Union, and its industrial base was second only to Russia. But Ukraine was also the most divided republic. There were always strong pro-Russian and pro-Western forces within the country.
After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Ukraine became an independent country. But it was a weak and divided country. The pro-Russian forces in the east and south wanted to keep close ties with Russia. The pro-Western forces in the west and north wanted to move closer to the European Union and the United States.
In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, a pro-Russian territory in Ukraine. This led to a separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine, which is still ongoing. The conflict has killed over 10,000 people and displaced over 1 million. It has also led to a major rift between Russia and the West.
3. Russia’s goals in Ukraine
Since the early 1990s, Russia has had three main goals in Ukraine: to keep the country within its orbit, to maintain a presence on its borders, and to prevent NATO expansion.
The first goal is to keep Ukraine within Russia’s orbit. This has been a key objective of Russian foreign policy for centuries. Ukraine is a large country with a population of over 40 million people. It is also an important transit country for Russian energy exports. Russia wants to keep Ukraine close to prevent it from becoming a rival or an enemy.
The second goal is to maintain a presence on its borders. Russia is a land power, and its borders are its frontiers. Ukraine is a key buffer state between Russia and the West. Russia wants to maintain a strong presence in Ukraine to prevent NATO from expanding closer to its borders.
The third goal is to prevent NATO expansion. Russia views NATO as a threat to its security. NATO expansion would bring the alliance closer to Russia’s borders and could potentially lead to the stationing of NATO troops on Russia’s doorstep.
Russia has been pursuing these three goals in Ukraine for many years. However, the conflict in eastern Ukraine has made these objectives more difficult to achieve. Russia’s intervention in the conflict has led to international sanctions and increased isolation from the West.
4. The West’s response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine
The West has been pretty critical of Russia’s actions in Ukraine. NATO has condemned Russia’s “illegal annexation” of Crimea and has suspended all “practical cooperation” with Moscow. The European Union has also imposed sanctions on Russia.
Some Western leaders have called for even tougher measures, such as providing military assistance to Ukraine. But so far, the West has been reluctant to get too involved, for fear of provoking a wider conflict.
Russia, for its part, has accused the West of meddling in Ukraine’s affairs and has warned that any further sanctions will be met with retaliation. Moscow has also accused the West of double standards, pointing to the NATO intervention in Kosovo in 1999 as an example of Western hypocrisy.
5. The future of Ukraine
The future of Ukraine is shrouded in uncertainty. The country is in the midst of a civil war, and its economy is in shambles. Russia, which has long had a strong influence over Ukraine, appears to be pulling back its support for the government in Kiev. And the European Union, which had been working to forge closer ties with Ukraine, seems to be losing interest.
All of this has led to speculation about what might happen next for Ukraine. Some believe that the country could break apart, with the eastern regions aligning themselves more closely with putin russia ukraine news the western regions moving closer to the EU. Others believe that Ukraine will eventually be absorbed into Russia.
No one knows for sure what the future holds for Ukraine. But one thing is certain: the country faces a long and difficult road ahead.
