At dawn on Thursday, February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he called “special military operationagainst its neighbor Ukraine. What is happening ? What is the origin of this raid? Why this war between Russia and Ukraine?Le Figaro explains the stakes of this conflict with the 2014 uprising of Moscow-backed and funded separatist groups in the Donbass and the annexation of Crimea to Russia.
What is happening in Ukraine?
At dawn on Thursday, February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin invades Ukraine. Russian troops bombard strategic military positions and then quickly capture the positions. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky calls for universal mobilization and asks for the support of the international community.
Europeans announce sanctions against Russia. Weapons, medical and humanitarian equipment are starting to flow in from different countries. But Putin seems determined to continue his offensive and achieve regime change in Ukraine.
Millions of Ukrainians are fleeing the country, especially women, children and the elderly, as Ukrainian authorities prevent military-age men from leaving.
that the number of casualties Civilians and soldiers in Ukraine, he is vague, with each side giving very different numbers.
Two months after the start of the invasion, the advance of Russian troops was still met with fierce Ukrainian resistance. A situation that suggests a possible stalemate in the conflict. On April 20, the Russian army launched an attack on Donbass.
With the withdrawal of Russian troops from some areas, the question of war crimes arose, particularly with the revelation of the deaths of hundreds of civilians in Butcha or Irpin.
What is the conflict between Ukraine and Russia?
Ukraine, a country with 44 million inhabitants between Europe and Russiais a former Soviet republic that became independent in 1991. While most of the country is fairly pro-Western, the eastern part of Ukraine is predominantly Russian-speaking and feels close to Moscow.
2000s Ukraine, which is not in NATO, is considering rapprochement with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which was created in 1949 with the aim of curbing the expansion of the Soviet Union. An unbearable prospect for Moscow.
In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea. The population of the peninsula, mostly Russian-speaking, voted in favor of annexation to Moscow in a referendum contested by the international community. Then fighting broke out in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, Donbass, which declared themselves “people’s republics”.
Since then, the Ukrainian army has been fighting these separatists in a war that has claimed more than 13,000 lives. Clashes there have subsided significantly since the 2015 Minsk agreements, but violence still flares up regularly.
Kiev and its Western allies have long accused Moscow of supplying troops and weapons to pro-Russian separatists in the Donbass. These accusations were categorically rejected by the Kremlin. But for Russia, these separatists are Russians whom Moscow should protect.
In April 2021, Russia built up troops on the border with Ukraine, then announced that it had withdrawn them. The situation escalated in October 2021, when videos were shared on social networks showing the movement of Russian troops, tanks and other heavy weapons towards the Ukrainian border. 1:eh In December, Russia accused Ukraine of accumulating troops in the east of the country.
In early February, NATO announced the creation of service forces, ships and combat aircraft in Eastern Europe. Washington is also putting soldiers on alert. These statements prompted a reaction from the Kremlin, which then condemned “hysteria“In Europe.
After refusing the summit with Joe Biden on the evening of February 21, Vladimir Putin recognizes the independence of the pro-Russian separatist territories in the east of Ukraine. The invasion of Ukraine begins three days later.
What does Russia want?
Russia does not want Kiev to joinNATO, that he perceives as a threat. So far, Vladimir Putin has accused the West of escalating tensions with military exercises in the Black Sea and supplying Kiev with modern weapons.
Ukraine has long refused to give up its NATO membership program and any otherguarantee“. He also demanded to join the European Union.
However, in an interview with the ABC TV channel on March 7, Ukrainian President Zelensky finally said that he was ready for a “compromise”. Status of breakaway areas in eastern Ukraine. He also said:As for NATO, I softened my position on this issue some time ago when we understood“that”NATO was not ready to accept Ukraine“. “The Alliance is afraid of anything controversial and a confrontation with Russia“, he lamented.
The issue of Ukraine’s neutrality (a status that would be similar to the status of two non-NATO countries, Austria or Sweden); “explored in depth”said the President of Ukraine on March 28.
Russia is also calling for the withdrawal of NATO troops from Romania and Bulgaria or an end to Western military cooperation with Ukraine.
In an article published in July, Vladimir Putin accused Western countries of sowing anti-Russian sentiments in Ukraine. It is the Russians and the Ukrainiansone person– he wrote, emphasizing.spiritual, human, cultural ties“WTO”have been woven for centuries“. “And we will never allow our historical territories and the people who live there to be used against Russia.“. In his lengthy indictment of February 21, he explained that Ukraine was created by Lenin, but he created it then.drawback» his homeland. Therefore, he intends to correct the work of his Bolshevik predecessor.
Is there a threat of World War III?
The military operation launched on February 24 has caused outrage from many countries. So far, economic sanctions are being imposed against Russia by the European Union and the United States. US President Joe Biden denied the idea of military intervention in Ukraine, but will protect NATO allies. Clarifying that a war between NATO and Russia will lead to “World War III”. Europe, which is regularly accused of promiscuity, has decided to supply weapons to Ukraine.
Western leaders are concerned. “A chemical weapons attack would completely change the nature of the conflictJens Stoltenberg, the general secretary of the alliance, warned. Military setbacks in Ukraine could prompt Russian President Vladimir Putin to use tactical or low-yield nuclear weapons there, CIA Director William Burns said in mid-April. “Obviously, we are very worried. I know President (Joe) Biden is deeply concerned about this The danger of the third world war and is doing everything to prevent us from reaching the point where nuclear conflict becomes possible.”he added.
Source: Le Figaro
