What’s Going on in Ukraine?

After several months, Ukraine has finally hit a turning point in the Russian invasion. As of September 13th,  Ukraine has reclaimed three thousand square miles of land and Russia has pulled troops from Kharkiv, a major city in Ukraine. Along with reclaiming their land, Ukrainian soldiers have captured lots of Russian soldiers and are keeping them as prisoners of war. According to ABC News, Russian troops have been fleeing to Crimea,  which was part of Ukraine until February 20th, 2014 when Russia annexed it. 

Although Russia has not called the conflict a war and has labeled it a “special military operation,” they are still getting help from other countries like North Korea. North Korea recently sold missiles and ammo to Russia. Ukraine has also gotten help from the United States. The United States has sent billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine. Most of it has gone into military and health care for them. The United States has also put tariffs on Russia so a single Russian ruble is now worth 0.016 of a US dollar, which has really hurt their economy. 

With a war comes the loss of life, both sides have tried to keep the casualty numbers secret but it is estimated that around 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died since the start of the war, about 5,000-6,000 civilians have been killed, and just below 8,000 Ukrainian civilians have been injured.  Around 40,000 Russian soldiers have been killed,     injured or captured, and with no end in sight these numbers can only get worse for both sides. 

Russia has been quiet about why they started this fight, but there are many theories about why Russia has invaded Ukraine. The most popular one is that Vladimir Putin did not want Ukraine to join NATO,  because if they did, ”they would be under protection from thirty countries against any invasion or “acts of war.” Many people are also saying that Putin felt that Ukraine was mistreating Russian civilians inside Ukraine. Lastly, many people believe that Vladimir Putin just wanted power over another country, and to expand Russia’s territory. 

If you are wondering how you could help Ukraine in this fight,  there are many different charities that are taking donations. UNICEF helps with keeping children fed, educating them, and giving protection from the war. Voices of Children is a charity based in Ukraine that will take donations, and they help children who have been affected psychologically by the conflict so they can get through the rest of their life easier. Sunflower of Peace is another organization that wants to help all the Ukranians affected by the conflict, they help with first aid and medical supplies. If you can’t afford to donate, you could always join a protest or help raise awareness for what is really going on in Ukraine. With both Russia and Ukraine not wanting to back down, there isn’t any end in sight and many more people will lose their loved ones, homes and much more.