Disclaimer: This article in no way shape or form is to defend the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Rather, it is to put the events of the last year and a half into proper historical context.
A column of Russian tanks and armored vehicles cuts a line through the thick forests of northeastern Ukraine. Overhead, waves of attack helicopters, drones, and fighter jets guard the invaders from above, waiting to strike at the brave Ukrainian defenders in their shelters. Somedays, there may never be a sighting of the enemy, on others, the noise is so deafening it is impossible to talk more than two feet away. It is estimated that already, there are nearly three hundred thousand wounded or dead from both sides. For the past few months, it seems like the War in Ukraine has virtually left the front pages and headlines of our day-to-day lives. Yet, the war is hardly over for those still struggling in the conflict.
For the most part, in no small part thanks to all the support from the United States and NATO allies, Ukraine is holding its own on much of the six-hundred-mile-long battlefront. Yet, there are still places of intense conflict. In Northeastern Ukraine, near the villages of Ksk, Svatoupianve, and Kreminna, Ukrainian armies are in a deadly gridlock with advancing Russian Forces. After the past six months of supposed de-escalation, the invading forces seem to be primed for attack. The fact that Russia’s armies are still fighting after almost 20 months of nearly zero territorial gain begs the question: Why are Putin’s armies still hammering on?
Putin’s actions can best be understood only if one first steps into his shoes. Growing up under the shadow of the Soviet Union, he lived in an era where Ukraine was, frankly, just another province of the Motherland. With the country’s roots so firmly intertwined with that of Russia, it made complete sense that they became one country. In nineteen-ninety-one, his country was humiliated by the collapse of the government and the inability to defend themselves, and the act of Ukraine (and several other Soviet Satellite Countries) declaring independence. As the Premier of Russia, Putin is arguably single-handedly responsible for the international prestige of his homeland. So, in large part to save face with the rest of the world, Putin would do as any dictator would do to a nation that dared mock his power: he simply declared war on them. So, why is Ukraine so important to Russia that they engaged in a multi-year, very expensive conflict with them?
To better understand the relationship between Russia and Ukraine, one must go back over a millennium into history to see their relationship. In eighth hundred eighty-two A.D. Oleg of Novgorod conquered Kyiv, not insignificantly, to unite the northern and southern Rus lands to form Russia (Russia = Rus-land). One can see that Kyiv, not Moscow, clearly was the key city in uniting these two lands. The two lands eventually split, but in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Ukraine became a territory of the burgeoning Imperial Russian empire and became known as “The Ukraine.” Ukraine contained the only warm water ports in the empire, a necessity for year-round commerce before the advent of the railroad. They also had vast swaths of fertile ground, which allowed for consistently profitable harvesting seasons. From then on, as Russia grew to become the behemoth empire of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Ukraine served as Russia’s gateway to the rest of the world. During the twentieth century, Ukraine played no small part in what would become the Soviet Union. Ukraine was one of the key original states in the Soviet Union (the USSR was technically not one country). In addition, many of the most important Russian events of that century, including the October Revolution, The Great Russian Famine, World War 2, the Cold War, and the Eventual Collapse of the Union. Until nineteen-ninety-one, Ukraine had been reduced to little more than an insignificant territory of the USSR.
In conclusion, the origins and motives of this conflict are not black and white. In most cases, theoretically one could defend either side and their respective motives to a reasonable degree, even though Russia is clearly the aggressor.
In the end, we should keep supporting Ukraine, not just for their own independence, but rather to set the tone that war, for whatever reason, should not (and for the Christian, cannot) ever occur for territorial gain. Our world has already seen the likes of these kinds of people, the Hitlers and Napoleons, and what they do to our livelihoods, our freedoms.
Let us not let Putin act the same.
Works cited:
Kirby, Paul. “Donbas: Why Russia Is Trying to Capture Eastern Ukraine.” BBC News, BBC, 26 May 2022, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60938544.
Santora, Marc, and Finbarr O’reilly. “‘They Shoot without Stopping’: Where Russia Is on the Attack in Ukraine.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 July 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/07/26/world/europe/ukraine-russia-offensive-northeast.html?name=styln-russia-ukraine®ion=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=LegacyCollection&variant=undefined.
“Vladimir Putin.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 25 Aug. 2023, www.britannica.com/biography/Vladimir-Putin.
Photo Credit: https://warontherocks.com/2023/02/the-war-will-grind-on-reflecting-on-a-year-of-war-in-ukraine/
Great article Benjamin, I am looking forward to reading these throughout the school year! “Let us not let Putin act the same” is’t that the truth.
thanks!
Amazing article! Great work!
Thank you!
Hi Benjamin!
Thanks for writing this, while you make some good points I disagree with your conclusions. You ask the question as to why Putin’s armies are hanging on without any territorial gain, and the fact of the matter is Russia doesn’t want Ukraine to be a part of Russia, as the Kremlin has said, therefore making ground in taking over the land itself doesn’t need to be a priority. I suggest reading this article: https://www.reuters.com/world/kremlin-says-russian-military-action-will-stop-moment-if-ukraine-meets-2022-03-07/ as it has many direct quotes from the Kremlin and outlines what it is in fact that Russia is trying to attain. One of the aspects that has been skipped about this War is the why. Why is it happening, and that is because for the past several years, Ukraine has been trying to join NATO, for more on that I suggest watching this video, it is old, but explains a lot,https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=JrMiSQAGOS4
Russia is defending itself from the weapons that will come to Ukraine if Ukraine joins NATO, they see them as a threat. Russia is trying to prevent a situation that would be similar to the Cuban Missile Crisis for them. You suggest stepping into Putin’s shoes, yes please do, we need more perspective, consider what it means for Russia if Ukraine is in NATO, they lose that neutral buffering zone between themselves and the West. Again, good article, but I think you need to dig a little deeper into Putin’s motives beyond embarrassment.
Hey Benjamin,
I found your article very interesting but had a question about your statement near the end that “we should keep supporting Ukraine”. Why and how should we support Ukraine? Are you arguing that we should support them with more money, military aid, or something else? Through my own research I have found that in many ways, their government is more corrupt than Russia’s–and more Nazi. But regardless of the factuality of that research (and I’m not sure of it) why should we support either side in this war–aggressor or defender–when there is no clear right or wrong within Russia or Ukraine?
Thanks.
John,
Thanks for asking. In my opinion, I believe this entire war is a pretty muddy mess. Obviously, we have an aggressor(in the form of Russia), and a defender(Ukraine). Just by looking at the stats, Ukraine by itself would have stood little chance of repelling the invasion by itself. In Psalm 82:3, the Bible says that we should defend the weak and defenseless.
Neither countries don’t have their hands clean, you can obviously see this in Russia, but even Ukraine has had its issues over the last few years. Just look at Hunter Biden and his (not so honest) business over there. And, if you remember, fmr. President Trump was impeached through a phone call from none other than Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It sounds like you’ve done some research on this, so I won’t keep going.
In conclusion, we need to support Ukraine, not because we think they’re great as a country, but because its the right thing to do in the situation, as we would be fulfilling the role of ‘defending the weak’. Now, I would highly advise against freely sending unlimited munitions and fighter jets, that’s just bad business, and would likely drag US soldiers into a long and (very) costly war of attrition(think Vietnam). In short, they need to fight their own battles, but that doesn’t prevent us from helping them to a (certain) degree. This is their war, and not ours. We can sympathize, but cannot forget that we have issues of our own.
Does this answer your question?
Benjamin Green
Hey Benjamin!
Sorry, I wasn’t notified about your reply, and I just now thought to check. Yes, you answered my question! I would take slight issue with your response from a biblical perspective, though. We see in the Bible several instances of God promising the destruction of (admittedly specific) enemies of his people. Then he destroys them through the Israelites/his angels or other enemies of his people. Please note that – obviously – I am not trying to say that either side is right or wrong. I am saying that God does bring about justice for corrupt people. When we see an invasion of such a corrupt country, we can’t help but stop and think about the implications of aiding them. Psalm 82:3 does mention defending the weak, but it also commands us to “render justice.” Is aiding the Ukraine really justice? Thanks so much for taking the time to write the article and respond to everyone! I appreciate your work.
John
Good job ben
Nice job, ben.
Love Your sister,
May
Wow, nice article.