The Ukrainian-Russian conflict has been ongoing since 2014.
Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, sparking a conflict that continues to this day. The ongoing war has claimed the lives of over 10,000 people and displaced millions more. While Russia denies any involvement in the war, the Ukrainian government claims that Russian military forces are responsible for the majority of deaths in the conflict. The ongoing war is only one of many political issues facing Ukraine, which is still trying to form a new government following recent elections.
What sparked the conflict?
In 2014, a pro-Russian president was ousted from power by pro-European protesters. Russian President Vladimir Putin responded by annexing Crimea and deploying troops into Eastern Ukraine.
Why did Russia invade Ukraine?
““The question you asked was why Russia invaded Ukraine. This was not an invasion.”
“This was not an invasion,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin when asked about his country’s involvement in the Ukrainian crisis during an interview with NBC News anchor Megyn Kelly. “We never said there were not people there who carried out certain tasks including in military sphere.” Putin added that he didn’t have any information about Russian military personnel being involved in fighting against Ukrainian forces but said he couldn’t rule it out because “there were people there who carried out certain tasks including in military sphere.” He also reiterated his stance that Russia did not annex Crimea but instead “reunited” it with Russia after residents voted to join Russia via referendum.
Putin also denied having any role in directing or funding pro-Russian separatists fighting against Ukrainian forces and denied knowledge of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.
While Putin may be correct that there are no official Russian troops fighting on behalf of separatists, many experts say it’s impossible for them to fight without some level of support from Moscow.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for two Russians on charges related to their involvement with crimes against humanity committed during the unrests and violence that followed former President Viktor Yanukovych’s ouster from power.
On July 21st 2017, a Dutch-led investigation team announced they had evidence proving that a missile fired at Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 came from a unit based near Kursk.
Although investigators stopped short of directly accusing Moscow or its allies of firing at MH17, they called on countries with influence over separatist leaders to make sure they cooperate fully with efforts to establish accountability for those responsible for downing flight MH17 and other attacks on civilian targets.
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