Putin Pounds the Ukraine

By Saffron Sener | Club Writer

Ukraine has been the topic of choice for many news outlets in the recent months, and for a good reason. The Russian-Ukrainian crisis currently occurring has exploded into a near-war fiasco.

Stemming from the Ukraine’s failing financial situation, the Ukrainian government was in the process of signing a deal with the International Monetary Fund (I.M.F.), an organization of 188 countries that work to aid deteriorating economies and minimize poverty across the world. However, Russia offered a form of financial aid as well, presenting the Ukraine with a fifteen billion dollar bailout and access to oil. While the majority of Ukrainian people wanted to sign with their original choice, the I.M.F., their government decided to sign with Russia. Influencing Ukraine’s government were Russian threats to “turn off” the oil that Ukraine is currently depending on, as it has very few natural resources.

Protests from the Ukrainian people erupted – peaceful at first – but quickly becoming violent. In a short 48-hour period, over 88 people were killed, pushing the protesting to its climax (a majority of those 88 murdered were rumored to have been shot down by trained snipers). This also proved to be the final piece in ousting the already resented president, Viktor Yanukovych, who is currently being sheltered in Russia. An interim president was quickly put into place, Olexander Turchynov.

Most recently, Russian troops have been discovered in Crimea, a peninsula located near the Ukraine (although this is denied by the Russian president Vladimir Putin). Also, Putin has requested to station and move forces into the Ukraine, which the Russian parliament has approved.

The Ukraine has entered a state of alert, and its temporary prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, alleges that these actions qualify as a declaration of war. In addition to this, Crimea has voted to join with Russia in an election that the Ukraine recognizes as illegal, and that it will never accept. The secession of Crimea from the Ukraine is the fuel for a battle along the lines of that of the Cold War, between the East and the West, for the alliances both the Ukraine and Russia hold.

As tensions continue to rise, the world waits patiently for drastic moves to be made by either country. Many countries have declared themselves free from interfering, including the United States, for the dread of sparking an all-out war. One can only hope that this will be resolved peacefully.