Explosions rock Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital city, as the remaining civilians in the country attempt to flee to safety. Following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a military operation to “demilitarize” Ukraine on Feb. 23, the long-anticipated invasion has begun. People all across the world watch on as violence ensues, but it can be difficult to understand the complex history that led up to this moment.

History of Russia and Ukraine

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Ukraine became independent with an extremely large number of nuclear weapons. An agreement was then formed in which these weapons would be given to Russia in return for protection from any Russian attacks.

However, in 2014, this agreement was violated as Russia invaded Ukraine, annexed the Crimean Peninsula, and sparked a battle in the Donbas region of Ukraine with over 14,000 casualties. These actions were driven mainly by the Revolution of Dignity which occurred not long before, a series of massive demonstrations protesting and eventually removing pro-Russian President Victor Yanukovych from office.

President Putin now wants to rebuild the Russian sphere of influence in Europe that was lost when the Soviet Union dissolved, especially unifying Russians and Ukrainians to be “one people—a single whole.”

NATO

Much of what’s causing the conflict between Russia and Ukraine also lies with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. Created in 1949 with the purpose to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means, NATO consists of 30 countries including the United States.

Though Ukraine is not currently a member country, the possibility of it becoming one was brought to the table in 2008 with support from former US President George W. Bush. Today, despite it still being unlikely that Ukraine will join NATO anytime soon, the mere idea has caused quite a stir in Russia, with President Putin viewing it as a threat to the country.

In Dec. of 2021, Russia issued a set of demands to NATO and the US, including a guarantee that Ukraine will never join the organization, and that the forces in Eastern European NATO countries be minimized. These demands were denied.

US Involvement

The Biden administration has shared that the US will not send troops to assist in defending Ukraine, due in part to the fact that Ukraine is not a member of NATO, and therefore, does not fall under Article Five of the North Atlantic Treaty which states, “The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.”

However, the US and other countries will be imposing serious economic consequences on Russia due to President Putin’s decision to invade. After a Group of Seven (G7) meeting on Feb. 24, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki released a statement: “The Leaders built on their months-long coordination and agreed to move forward on devastating packages of sanctions and other economic measures to hold Russia to account,” she said. “The G7 makes up the world’s leading democracies and 50% of the world’s economy—and the costs the G7 will impose together on Russia will be unprecedented.”

As the situation has now escalated to violence, it is clear that a peaceful, diplomatic solution cannot be reached. No one knows for certain what is coming next for Russia and Ukraine as the status of the conflict continues to shift and change daily.