The Ukraine has been struggling for over a year, but they continue to peresevere
February 24th, 2022 was a day like no other for most of us. But for Ukrainians, it would mark the beginning of a year of destruction and catastrophe. Just a few weeks ago marked the one-year anniversary of Putin’s military operations.
The war has had detrimental effects on many countries’ economies. Due to sanctions placed on Russia, Russia’s economy has dwindled, as with its major exports of oil and wheat. Ukraine’s economy has suffered more than Russia as a result of broken infrastructure and interrupted trade and exports. This war has also had major repercussions on the citizens and military of both countries.
Russia’s military has endured 200,000 deaths, severe injuries, and missing cases. Ukraine has 130,000 deaths, severe injuries, and missing cases. 30 Russian citizen casualties have been reported, and a disproportionate 8,173 Ukrainian citizens have passed. 1.5 million people have been displaced. This conflict presents challenges for political stability as well. Namely, Russia has become estranged from the West, as NATO continues to impose sanctions and bans on the Russian economy.
Russia and Ukraine have had a complex history. There are many major events that have defined the outcome we observe today. The biggest contributor to the war was the 2014 Annexation of Crimea. At that time, Putin claimed the Crimea peninsula as a part of Russia. This violated international law and sparked conflict.
There can be no definitive cause of this invasion, nor are there any signs of when the war will end. Student Nicholas Sokolov '23 commented on the brutality of the war, saying, “I think that the war in Ukraine has gone on for too long, and that it is time for peace. The war has caused too much suffering and it is time for it to end.” The conflict is highly volatile due to the many variables. All we can do is hope that this war does not reach a second-year anniversary.
Jordan Liu '26 is a Vol. 71 Contributing Editor
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