Colin McDonald
Staff Reporter
It was a typical evening. You were spending the night with your family when suddenly the sound of bombs drown out all noise in your town.
Russia would launch its first invasion of Ukraine on February 24th at 6:00 PM. According to the Council of Foreign Relations, at least 2 million Ukrainian refugees have escaped since that date.
But why did Russia attack? The answer is complicated but let’s give some background into the situation.
Russia and Ukraine have had a very shaky relationship for a while, going as far back as when Ukraine was taken under Soviet rule. The Soviet government suppressed Ukrainian culture and subjected the Ukrainian people to horrors such as Holodomor–a man-made famine which was done by the Soviet government to punish the Ukrainian farmers.
Tensions between the two nations started to get particularly bad in February 2014 when protesters in Ukraine overthrew President Viktor Yanukovych. He was a stern Putin supporter and rigged the election for his victory. A couple of months later in April, Russia invaded and annexed the Crimean peninsula as well as two secessionist regions: the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic. War would continue in Donbas, a region in eastern Ukraine, and spread further west. Around 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians die, and their front lines would stay in a stalemate for years. Volodymyr Zelensky, a former comedian, is elected by a landslide vote as president of Ukraine in April 2019 as he promised to restore Donbas to the country. Throughout this period the opinions of the Ukrainian government and its people shifted towards the United States and the European Union. This made Putin upset, as Russia still sees Ukraine as its territory. Throughout 2021 and part of 2022, Putin demands security guarantees that assure Ukraine will never join NATO. And now, Putin launches an invasion on Ukraine in an effort to “take it back”.
The anxiety from this event has not stayed in Europe, Americans are also worrying about the consequences of the invasions. An American citizen might have heard people say or see people post about how World War III will erupt, or how a draft will ensue. However, one can be assured that neither of these will happen. No one wants another World War, it is costly both in people and economically. The chances of this conflict bursting into a full-fledged World War is slim
As far as the draft goes, the United States has not had one since 1972 during the Vietnam War. A military draft becomes considered if our military runs out of manpower. The US military is massive–recruiting around 1.4 million active-duty members and a bit over 850,000 in reserves. Just the idea of our military running out on a conflict like this is farfetched. Not only that, but for a draft to even be placed, the president and the congress would need to agree on it. According to the Selective Service System website: “A national emergency, exceeding the Department of Defense’s capability to recruit and retain its total force strength, requires Congress to amend the Military Selective Service Act to authorize the President to induct personnel into the Armed Forces.”
Do not be fooled–no one wants this war. Ukrainians and Russians alike have been protesting the invasions as neither of them want war. One can only hope this will end soon.
Image Credit: Wix.com
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