Russia INVADED Ukraine on Feb. 24, and has continued relentlessly attacking the country. Some military experts say this is the largest conventional military attack in Europe since World War II ended in 1945.
Casualty reports are difficult to verify, but as of press time more than 9,000 people may have died in attacks so far, and more than 1.7 million refugees are fleeing the country. Russia attacked a huge nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, and took it over. Russian forces started by taking Kherson, a port city near the Black Sea.
Despite the challenges, Ukraine is fighting back against the invasion and has
managed to keep Russian forces at bay in many of its major cities.
Invasion Facts:
• Volcano is part of volcanic arc stretching from New Zealand to Fiji
• Force of eruption: equal to 4–18 megatons of dynamite
• Tsunami (resulting waves) hits West Coast of U.S.
Kyiv has been a center of the CONFLICT as a 40-mile long Russian army convoy creeps toward the capital. Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, has been a rallying figure and strong leader. Zelensky has refused to leave Ukraine and called upon Western allies, including the United States, to support his country.
Ukraine has a rich and complex past. Ukraine and Russia have a long history fighting for control of the country’s religion, language and politics. When the Russian empire collapsed in 1917, some Ukrainians began calling for independence and the formation of a republic. Ukraine was a constitutive part of the Soviet Union from its formation in 1922 to its disintegration in 1991. When the Soviet Union ended in 1991, there was a vote in Ukraine about independence and a large majority across the country supported independence.
Though Ukraine achieved independence, prosperity has remained elusive.
So why would Russia, through Russian President Vladimir Putin, invade Ukraine? Putin claims this is a “special military operation” and not an act of war or an invasion. Putin claims his goal is to protect the people of Ukraine, but experts around the world have pushed back on Putin’s claims saying his statements are false and irrational.
