Russia Invades Ukraine

 

The world is facing a crisis right now, and it’s not just the coronavirus pandemic anymore. While nations all over the globe are still reeling from the economic impact brought about by the lockdowns and other health protocols imposed to contain the deadly COVID-19 virus that has claimed millions of lives since it first broke out, another blow has been dealt with recovering countries this 2022. 

On February 24, after earlier rumors and warnings, Russia launched a massive invasion of its neighbor country Ukraine with a force of 190,000 soldiers. Shortly before the official attack of Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the Russia-supported regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent people’s republics. After several attempts at reaching a more diplomatic solution, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba went to Twitter to condemn Russia’s actions, he wrote, “Ukraine has severed diplomatic relations with Russia. I call on all our partners to do the same. By this concrete step you will demonstrate that you stand by Ukraine and categorically reject the most blatant act of aggression in Europe since WWII.”

Since then, destruction and chaos continue to haunt the citizens of Ukraine as millions of citizens flee their homes in fear of their lives. According to UNICEF, around 1.5 million children alone have fled the Ukrainian state which comes with serious risk of human trafficking. Afshan Khan, regional director of UNICEF for Europe and Central Asia said, “The war in Ukraine is leading to massive displacement and refugee flows – conditions that could lead to a significant spike in human trafficking and an acute child protection crisis.”

Civilian lives have also been lost in the Russia-Ukraine war, as of March 19, almost 850 civilians have been killed from strategic attacks — the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights or OHCHR said in a statement, “Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes.” As of writing, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has opened the floor for negotiations with Putin in the hopes of finally ending the war that has terrorized the citizens of both nations for almost a month. 

By Neil Gregorio

Neil Gregorio is a graduating university student who writes as a hobby; when he is away from the keyboard, he spends his time watching Japanese animated shows and jamming out to his favorite rock music.

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