One of the main topics that has taken over the news is the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. It has brought terror to the people, some believing that, if things get out of hand, the world may face a third world war. There’s a question that should be asked when it comes to this conflict: How did it start?
Surprisingly, this conflict has been active since the Cold War. The Soviet Union dissolved and all the countries that were part of it, including Ukraine, became independent from Russia and joined the recently formed NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). As time went by, more and more countries such as Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and other countries that were once part of the USSR joined the organization. The organization’s growth has only made Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, worried.
The conflict ensued years later. In 2013, many deals were established or broken. Russia has slowly taken bits of Ukrainian territory, starting with the Ukrainian peninsula on march 16th, 2014. Ukraine’s military development gave Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, a bad omen. “NATO's expansion and military development of Ukrainian territory by the alliance is unacceptable for Russia.” Since then, Russian troops have been deployed in Ukraine, with the goal of “neutralizing Ukraine’s sovereignty.”
How has this conflict affected the world? It has affected it in many ways. For instance, many countries have helped Ukraine by giving them food, weapons and energy supplies. This brings a side effect to the countries that export these supplies, which is that prices of goods and services have increased. For example, in the US, gas prices have increased to prices as high as $6 per gallon. Furthermore, inflation has also been a consequence of this conflict, with the dollar devaluing over time. Thankfully for the US, the currency has been slowly picking up the pace and coming back to normal.
Aside from the economic issues the conflict brings, many ukrainian civilians have been forced to move away from home and migrate to other countries, and those who stay must fight to protect their country. The UN has reported that the current death toll of this conflict has reached 14,000. This is absolutely terrible.
This conflict is far from over, and nobody knows what will happen in the future if this keeps going. The best thing to do now is wait, and hope for the best.
