UKRAINE: WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT’S HAPPENING, WHAT CAN WE DO

UKRAINE: WHAT HAPPENED, WHAT’S HAPPENING, WHAT CAN WE DO

While we check boxes off of our daily routine, it can be easy to forget the complexities of our future and country. Even more so, it can be wearisome to be mindful of things occurring across the world and supposedly out of reach, but the war in Ukraine has made impacts in the hearts of global citizens. And while our hearts may be stirred, are we shaken enough to dive into the context of these situations, asking how things got to this point, what’s current, and what’s the course of action?

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

The Ukrainian region has been caught in a power struggle for decades now, between the capitalist west and the communist east. The Cold War era further drove this division with a heavy conflict between the Allies and the USSR, but after the USSR dissipated in 1991, many post-communist countries joined NATO. In the midst of their push for independent identity furthering their unique culture and history, Russian President Vladimir Putin viewed Ukraine as a possession of Russia. Over time this led to the illegal annexation of the region of Crimea in 2014, which is when tensions began to amplify.

On February 24th of 2022 Putin declared a “special military operation,” which was after clearly identified as a military invasion. Since then, a cycle of Russia’s destructive persistence in claiming the region and the resistance of the Ukrainian people has ensued. After almost 9 months of struggle, the war has left a death toll of over 6,000 civilians and unarmed individuals (as of November, 6th).

CURRENT UPDATES

Just hours after Putin’s birthday, on October 8th of 2022, an explosion rendered the Crimean bridge/Kerch strait partially collapsed. The bridge served to link Crimea with the motherland and to Kherson railways, from which Russian troops received military supplies and resources. Residents of Ukraine received the news in merry spirits, though responsibility for the explosion remains undisclosed and unclaimed. Though this is a triumph for Ukraine and shows their capability in counteracting Russian interference, the corresponding risk of retaliation inclines. Major cities such as Kyiv have been targeted by strikes in the following weeks and primary affected buildings have been those serving key infrastructural purposes. As a consequence, swarms have been neglected and left without power, water and energy reserves while approaching the bitter winter season. Ukrenergo, the transmission system operator of Ukraine’s high transmission lines, has implemented emergency outages for the time being. In the situation of a total blackout, officials are taking evacuation of the capital city into account. 

“The end of empire, freedom” on wall near Maidan (2014).

WHAT CAN WE DO?

As election day just passed for the American people, we have our own political feats wracking our brain. Our healthcare, well being, our future. But the world is bigger than just us. While it’s easy to be engulfed in what we experience every day, wartime has become a deafening daily reality for citizens in Ukraine. Peace is possible but action is required. This story will continue to unfold in the future, but we can make change now. Below there will be links listed to contribute to efforts in aiding those who are in dire need.

1. https://www.rescue.org/topic/refugees-and-asylum-seekers-europe?gclid=Cj0KCQiAmaibBhCAARIsAKUlaKQe1mXbIUqLUqSVhTLbRBTYVzaVqRcD2eGBhLpei4KdmCU1uDMEcM4aAhGkEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds For Ukrainian refugees.

2. https://secure.wfpusa.org/donate/ukraineconflict-gsst?ms=GS_Q2_EMR_Ukraine_Terms&gclid=Cj0KCQiAmaibBhCAARIsAKUlaKQhNLzGmbkK2fd9ErwEH8WGHaijrBHgrQ0M3U01utdvlXk3HI2hvFsaAlY9EALw_wcB For Ukranian food insecurity.

https://crisisrelief.un.org/t/ukraine For humanitarian aid.

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