The conflict between Russia and Ukraine, ignited by a historical claim and geopolitical tensions, has drawn international attention and condemnation. The seeds of the current war were sown in July 2021 when Russian President Vladimir Putin published an extensive essay. In it, Putin argued that significant portions of modern-day Ukraine are historically Russian territories. He claimed that "Russia was robbed" of these lands and expressed concern over Ukraine's potential NATO membership, positing that NATO missiles could be stationed in Ukraine and aimed at Russia.
In February 2022, following weeks of military maneuvers and a large-scale exercise involving an estimated 190,000 Russian soldiers along the Ukrainian border, Russian forces launched an invasion of Ukraine. This marked a stark shift from the peace that reigned the night before. The attack violated a 1994 agreement under which Ukraine had relinquished its nuclear arsenal in exchange for security assurances from the US, the UK, and Russia. The invasion was widely condemned as unprovoked, with the US and other nations denouncing it as a brutal assault.
The roots of Ukraine's independence trace back to 1990 when Ukraine's parliament declared its independence from the Soviet Union. This declaration was reaffirmed in August 1991 and led to Ukraine gaining full independence four months later. However, Putin's narrative blames external influences for the conflict, specifically pointing to the 2014 ousting of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych as being orchestrated by Western powers. He also deemed the government elected in 2014 as illegitimate.
In a Kyiv International Institute of Sociology poll conducted just before the invasion in February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy enjoyed a 57 percent trust rating among Ukrainians. Despite this initial support, the prolonged conflict has taken its toll on Zelenskyy's popularity, with his trust rating declining to 52 percent by December 2024.
The human cost of the war has been staggering. An estimated 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers and at least 12,000 civilians have lost their lives. The war's brutality and perceived lack of justification have drawn stark criticism from international figures and scholars alike.
"Mr President, Ukraine did not ‘start’ this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The Road to Peace must be built on the Truth." – Mike Pence
Additional controversy surrounds comments made by former US President Donald Trump, who described Zelenskyy as "a Dictator without Elections" and suggested he is "very low in Ukrainian Polls." Such statements have sparked debate over their accuracy and intent.
"is very low in Ukrainian Polls" and "a Dictator without Elections" – Donald Trump
These remarks were met with criticism from over 140 scholars who released a statement decrying such narratives as:
"factually wrong, morally repugnant and deeply offensive to the memory of millions of victims of Nazism and those who courageously fought against it, including Russian and Ukrainian soldiers of the Red Army."
In 2023, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev echoed Putin’s stance, asserting that Ukraine is a part of Russia but suggesting they currently "live in different apartments." This sentiment aligns with Putin's longstanding view, expressed as far back as 2008 to then-President George W. Bush:
"Ukraine is not a country" – Vladimir Putin (told to George W. Bush in 2008)
The ongoing conflict has significant implications for Ukraine's political landscape. Under current Ukrainian law, parliamentary and presidential elections cannot occur during a state of martial law, which remains in effect due to the war.
