Russia has not been able to capture the Ukrainian capital despite three days of continuous tank fire, cruise missiles and air strikes. In other cities too, Russia is facing stiff resistance from the Ukrainian military. On Sunday, a gas pipeline blew up in Kharkiv, Ukraine. At the same time, an oil depot in the city of Vasilkiv has also been targeted by Russian ballistic missiles. On Saturday also missiles were fired continuously on Kiev. One of these missiles passed between the 16th and 21st floors of a residential multi-storey building on the outskirts of Kiev and caught fire on two floors of the building. At least six civilians were seriously injured in the attack while 80 were rescued. Another missile was fired at a dam supplying water to Kiev but was shot down by Ukraine in the air. The country’s infrastructure minister said that if this missile had hit the target, the suburbs of Kiev would have been flooded. At the same time, Russia’s defense spokesman Igor Konashenkov again claimed that Russian missiles are being fired only targeting military bases in Ukraine. In such a situation, it is important to know what is the root of this controversy?
Why have these provinces, which were once friends during the Soviet Union, become enemies of each other after becoming two countries? Understand the whole matter in 10 points:
- Ukraine is bordered by Europe to the west and Russia to the east. Ukraine was part of the erstwhile Soviet Union until 1991.
- Tensions between Russia and Ukraine began in November 2013 when Viktor Yanukovich, the then President of Ukraine, began protesting in Kiev. While he had the support of Russia.
- Yanukovich had to flee the country in February 2014 due to protests by US-UK backed protesters.
- Angered by this, Russia annexed Crimea in southern Ukraine. After this they supported the separatists there. These separatists occupied large parts of eastern Ukraine.
- Since 2014, pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces have been fighting in the Donbass province.
- Even before this, when Ukraine broke away from the Soviet Union in 1991, there were many conflicts between the two countries over Crimea.
- After 2014, Western countries took the initiative to prevent the constant tension and conflict in Russia and Ukraine and to establish peace. France and Germany signed a peace and ceasefire agreement between the two in 2015 in Minsk, the capital of Belarus.
- Recently Ukraine began to build close friendship with NATO. Ukraine has good relations with NATO. NATO i.e North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created in 1949 to deal with the then Soviet Union. Ukraine’s close proximity to NATO began to exasperate Russia.
- 30 countries of the world including America and Britain are members of NATO. If a country attacks a third country, then all the member countries of NATO unite and fight it. Russia wants NATO not to expand itself. President Putin was putting pressure on Ukraine and Western countries regarding this demand.
After all, Russia attacked Ukraine on Thursday, regardless of the sanctions of America and other countries. So far, NATO, the US and no other country have declared to join the war in support of Ukraine. They are indirectly helping Ukraine, so it is difficult to say what turn this war will take. If the countries of Europe or America take any military action against Russia, then there can be trouble for the whole world.
