The possibility of Russia invading Ukraine is becoming more of a reality each day, but what would that mean for us?
At the moment, it’s uncertain.
Many people are joking about World War III or being drafted, yet many don’t know what’s truly happening.
To understand why Russia has intentions to invade Ukraine we must go back to 2014 when Russia took control of Ukraine’s Crimean region after Ukraine’s President Yanukovych fled the country after protests of his decision to reject a deal for greater economic integration with the European Union.
Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, defended Russia’s actions by claiming to want to protect the rights of Russian citizens in Crimea and Southeast Ukraine, resulting in two regions of Ukraine declaring independence and siding with Russia.
This created a violent scene between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatist forces.
An estimated 10,300 people have been killed while 24,000 have been injured since April 2014, according to news reports.
In 2015 the violence ceased through the Minsk Accords giving Ukraine control over their government and throughout the conflict zone, but there has been no diplomatic settlement or resolution. Now, U.S. intelligence officials warned that Russia may be preparing an invasion of Ukraine when armor, missiles, heavy weaponry, and more than one hundred thousand troops were spotted near the border of Ukraine.
Russia had set demands stating that Ukraine cannot enter the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) which the other allies have rejected. President Biden has now ordered nearly three thousand U.S. troops to Poland and Romania to be prepared in case of a possible invasion , acording to the Center for Preventative Actions’ Global Conflict Tracke).
These are just facts that have been reported. Those who are serving and who have served have their own opinions. Alex Montuori has been serving in the U.S. Navy for six years now.
“It’s an unfortunate situation that shouldn’t surprise anyone. Putin in the past has shown no regard for United Nations sanctions and policies and has a history of invading neighboring countries,” Mountuori said.
And unfortunately, Montuori believes Russia will invade.
“Recent diplomacy talks at UN meetings have not led anywhere and I think Russia will continue with their advance knowing that the United States wants to avoid large scale conflicts and most likely not defend the Ukraine if Russia were to launch a full-scale invasion.”
Montuori says that America shouldn’t interfere as we have been looked at as the peace keeping nation for too long where it has negatively affected our economy and image.
Only if the United Nation makes a group decision, then it would be acceptable for the US to intervene, Montuori said.
Alexandria Gagnes, a veteran who served for 7 ½ years in the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Electrician’s Mate as a Second-Class Petty Officer, agrees.
“As to whether the U.S. should interfere is a tough question from a veteran’s perspective. I’ll say this: it’s happened before, and it will happen again,” Gagnes said.
Gagnes points out a harsh truth. “To be honest, we are already at war and we have been at war since 2001 (this war that is). For military members, I don’t think much will change the U.S. Navy has been present in the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean for the past 30 years. I don’t believe that there will be war in the U.S. that will impact our everyday lives. However, the Sixth Fleet (U.S. Navy) will be impacted, and the sailors onboard the armada of ships will inevitably be affected in regard to longer deployments and fewer port visits.”
Talk of war is terrifying, but in reality, we’ve already been at war. We’re all so worried about ourselves, but what about the troops that are serving now? How will this affect them? History repeats itself and fighting may begin between Russia and Ukraine as it did in 2014.
