Karina Pandya in Conversation with Co-Founder of the Banyan, Dr. Vandana Gopikumar

 While there were many factors that led to the war between Ukraine and Russia, the internal Ukrainian crisis had initially sowed seeds in November 2013, when the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych rejected a deal for greater integration with the European Union, sparking mass protests which Yanukovych attempted to put down violently Russia had already backed Yanukovych in the crisis while countries like the US and Europe had supported the protestors.  

 

The Russo-Ukrainian War which is also known as the Russia- Ukrainian War has been a series of ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine since February 2014. What started out after Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity, turned into a bitter annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and eight years of conflict of naval incidents, cyber warfare and heightened political tensions. 

 

 At that point in time, Ukrainian president  Viktor Yanukovych had been ousted from office and unmarked Russian troops had moved into Ukraine’s Crimea and taken control of strategic positions and infrastructure, including government buildings. This quickly intensified into eight years of conflict. Russian President, Vladimir Putin had stated that a special military operation would begin in Ukraine following the 2014 annexation of Crimea. 

 

Immediately after this, bilateral tensions worsened between Russia and Ukraine as there was a Russian military buildup near the border of Ukraine. This was only followed by a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022.      Years of bitterness and hostility became evident as Vladimir Putin only launched attacks in Ukraine. 

 

These two countries have shared cultural and linguistic ties for hundreds of years.  Ukraine was the result. initially a part of the soviet union till 1991 after which it disintegrated after Russia, Ukraine was the most powerful economy in the Soviet Union.  The country which was a hub for commercial industries, factories and defence manufacturing also provides Russia with access to the Black Sea and crucial connectivity to the Mediterranean Sean. 

 

In a deep-rooted sense of aggression, Russia considered the economic significance of Ukraine and sought Ukraine’s membership in the Eurasian Economic Community and claimed the eastward expansion by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. In turn, Russia had mobilised around 1,00,000 troops on its border with Ukraine.               

 

Many things happened thereafter such as anti-government protests which toppled the government and ran Yanukovych out of the country. Russia also tried to salvage its lost influence in Ukraine, invading and annexing Crimea, with rebels shooting Malaysian Airlines flight 17 on July 17^th, fighting against the rebels and the Ukrainian military. 

 

Ukraine has a centuries-long history of Russian domination and the country has always been divided more or less evenly between Ukrainians who Ukraine as a part of Europe and those who see it as intrinsically linked to Russia. Besides this, Putin has been pushing an imperial-revival nationalist worldview which views Ukraine as a part of greater Russia.             

 

Throughout 2021 bilateral tensions increased as a result of Russian military build-up near the border of Ukraine and on 24^th February 2022 this conflict witnessed a major escalation as Russia launched a massive full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

 

It was during this time that Russia began to build up a large military presence near its border with Ukraine. It was on 24^th February 2022 that Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russia-Ukrainian War which resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides and caused Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II.