Brief History
The origin of Ukraine begins with the Kievan Rus, a confederation of Slavic tribes around the 7th century BC. Over time, Ukraine was invaded by different cultures such as the Greeks, Vikings, Poles, and Lithuanians. At the end of the 17th century, Western Ukraine was dominated by the Poles; meanwhile, the West was dominated by Russia.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Ukraine was dominated by Russia but achieved independence in 1918.
In 1921, Ukraine was forced to become part of the Soviet Union and Ukrainian lands became the property of the Soviet state led by Stanlin. In the mid-20th century, many Ukrainians were killed or sent to concentration camps.
During this time a great division was created in Ukraine. On one side, there were those from the east and some central areas, who had more affinity with Russia and even adopted the Russian language. On the other side, there was the west, which had more affinity with the UE and has a wide variety of languages such as Rumanian and Hungarian
In 1986, the Chernobyl explosion took place. By this time, Ukrainians formed the Ukrainian People's Movement for Restructuring. In 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine became independent again and had a transformation from socialism into communism.
In 1994, elections for president began. Most of the candidates were in favor of a new annexation to Russia.
In 2004, Viktor Yanukovych became president. There were many demonstrations and many people claimed that he won unfairly and even claimed that it was a scam. In 2013, this same president rejected an association treaty with the EU, which caused a huge amount of riots. The Ukrainian people were divided between those seeking further integration with Russia and those seeking an alliance with the EU.
In 2014, the parliament decided to remove Viktor Yanukovych from power, and the current president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, was nominated. Russian armed forces invaded Crimea in the same year and there were several clashes between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian supporters.
In March 2014, a vote was held in which 97% of the population wanted annexation to Russia. After this, Putin signs the incorporation of the Ukrainian peninsula into Russian territory. This action is not recognized by the international community and was sanctioned by NATO.
Recent events
-In December 2021, Russia announced it would conduct military exercises in Russia, the Caucasus, and Crimea.
-In January 2022, the US warned of a Russian attempt to sabotage its forces, attribute it to Kyiv and justify an invasion.
-On 18 January 2022, Russia sent troops to Belarus, very close to Ukraine's borders.
- At the end of January of the same year, the United States sent a communiqué to non-essential workers and family members of embassy workers. This communiqué was an order to leave the country because of the risk of a Russian invasion. Days later, China allied itself with Russia over the situation in Ukraine.
-Due to the concerns of the population and investors, on 28 January 2022, Joe Biden and Ursula Van der Leyden issued a statement specifying that there should be no concern about European energy dependence on Russia.
-On 18 February 2022, according to sources in the Biden administration cited by The New York Times and The Washington Post, US intelligence services reported that the Kremlin had already ordered the invasion of Ukraine. Three days later, Putin sent troops to Donetsk and Luhansk and signs the recognition of them.
-On 24 February, Russia begins its attack and invasion of Ukraine. Thousands of people begin to flee the capital and the country.
-On 27 February, Putin put his deterrent forces, responsible for handling nuclear weapons, on high alert in response to NATO sanctions. On the same day, the European Union closed airspace for Russian airlines and private jets.
The real reason
First of all, it is important to note that the European continent is dependent on gas extracted and traded by Russia. Gazprom's Russian pipelines are indispensable for Europe. In fact, they supply around 40 percent of its gas.
By his actions, Vladimir Putin is demonstrating Russia's power over the West. Gas is a weapon that Russia can and is using to deteriorate the reactions of countries and organizations.
Renewable energies are an option instead of using gas, but the truth is that the picture is quite complicated and does not compensate for the need for gas exported by the Kremlin.
This demonstration of power creates instability in the West and undermines all the measures and agreements created in the aftermath of the Second World War.
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