Conflicts in Ukraine and a New Cold War

A man shouts slogans during a Dec. 8 rally organized by supporters of the European Union integration at Independence Square in central Kiev, Ukraine. The protests began in late November when Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich announced the end of a process to bring Ukraine closer economically and legally to the EU. (CNS photo/Gleb Garanich, Reuters) (Dec. 10, 2013) See UKRAINE-PROTESTS Dec. 10, 2013.

CNS/Reuters

A man shouts slogans during a Dec. 8 rally organized by supporters of the European Union integration at Independence Square in central Kiev, Ukraine. The protests began in late November when Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich announced the end of a process to bring Ukraine closer economically and legally to the EU. (CNS photo/Gleb Garanich, Reuters) (Dec. 10, 2013) See UKRAINE-PROTESTS Dec. 10, 2013.

Ethan Wang-So '19, Staff Writer

With civil unrest in Ukraine between Pro-Russian separatists and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-backed Ukrainian army, both Americans and Russians feel a second Cold War is just beginning. During the original Cold War, Europe was divided between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. After the Soviet Union had collapsed, the Warsaw Pact started to disappear. However, NATO continued to expand eastward across Europe. Russia sees Ukraine as important territory to fight against Western power. Ukraine serves as the frontline of what is now a Proxy War between the United States and Russia. NATO has been providing military assistance to back the Ukrainian army, and Russia has been arming the separatists.

Conflict in Ukraine began to escalate in 2013 when President Viktor Yanukovych turned down the association agreement with the European Union. Political movements who supported the European Union inclusion of Ukraine demanded Yanukovych to step down. In 2014, the Euromaidan political movement successfully removed Yanukovych from office. However, some parties in Eastern and Southern Ukraine demanded closer ties with Russia. This led to many violent demonstrations held in Eastern Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.

Now, Ukraine is divided. The East sees itself as part of Europe, but the West has many Russian speakers who want to form more ties with Russia. After a bloody demonstration in Kiev that pushed President Yanukovych out, Russia quickly trespassed Crimea to take over the peninsula. This sparked the war in Eastern Ukraine that has already taken thousands of lives. The city of Donetsk is a major strategic point for separatists. The suburbs surrounding the airport in the city have been transformed into frontlines of the war.

Canadian soldiers, who are  helping the Ukrainian army, practice shooting drills.

Russia, itself, is now in economic despair. The worth of Ruble, Russian currency, has entered into a free fall. After the annexation in March 2014, the United States, Europe, and Canada became the first of many economic sanctions against Russia. Without a functioning government in Russia, Pro-Russian rebels are pursuing efforts to provide for the civilians. Right now in Ukraine, the Pro-Russians are feeling abandoned by the Ukrainian government as they try to scour for food. The Ukrainians have blocked off trucks of food and halted economic aid from entering the Pro-Russian territory. The only choice for those living in there is to ask Russia for help. However, if Russia does help, it will seem as if Russia is trying to take over Ukraine. Putin can not let this happen as NATO will see it as an attack on Eastern Ukraine and start a war against them.

Now, NATO has troops in the Baltic States, which include Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. United States troops have been sent to countries such as Serbia and Lithuania to back them up against a possible Russian invasion. NATO claims that this is a response to the annexation of Crimea. Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Rogozin, was a former NATO ambassador. On VICE News’ HBO Episode Cold War 2.0, he claimed that NATO failed to fulfill the promises it made when the Soviet Union collapsed and turned into an organization focused on fighting against Russia.

While NATO is trying to strengthen its presence in Europe, Russia is strengthening its own borders. Now it is a possible and very clear threat that NATO and Russia could break out into a very severe conflict. There is no clear good or bad guy in this situation, but one thing we can do is hope that both sides can sort out their disagreements.