With the Afghan war over and its traces not even disappearing, the earth is facing another great war. Russia has been waging a war on Ukraine, a smaller and weaker country, amid tensions between Russia and Ukraine over the past few months.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a war in Ukraine. Russian troops at the ready initially invaded Kiev directly, with predictions that they would cross the border. On the second day, Russian forces proceeded up to Kiev and inflicted heavy damage.

Belarus aided Russia only when it was thought that Russian forces could not easily enter Kiev.

The closest city on the map to the Russian border is Kharkiv. Kiev is located in the middle of Ukraine. However, Kiev can be easily reached via Belarus. Russian forces are said to have gone through similarly. This is evidenced by the fact that Belarusian forces also landed in support of Russian forces in the 6th day of the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia entered Ukraine not only with the help of Belarus but also with the help of Dodansk and Luhansk, already declared as separate republics of Ukraine.

Russian forces have entered the Kharkiv region, the second largest city in Ukraine, following the capital, Kiev. Russia is also launching an aggressive offensive inside the sprawling city of Kherson. The Kherson area is home to important areas such as shipyards and ports. The Russian military is attacking in an attempt to seize the port of Odesa. Russia has reportedly captured key cities within a week. The war has claimed many lives on both sides.

Ukraine

At the beginning of the 19th century, Ukraine was part of Poland and part of Russia. The Soviet Union was formed in 1922, following the Russian Revolution of 1917. Ukraine is one of 15 countries. Ukraine was the next most important country after Russia. Because, Ukraine is a region rich in natural resources. Many of the important and powerful personals in the Soviet Union were of Ukrainian origin.

Above all, Ukraine played a key role in the development of nuclear weapons. Significantly, one-third of Russia's nuclear arsenal is under Ukrainian control. This is why Ukraine was given prominence in the Soviet Union.

The Chernobyl reactor in Ukraine is still Ukraine's most important asset. Russia has now seized it as well.

When the Soviet Union broke up in 1991 after the Cold War, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan. Kyrgyzstan. Its 15 member states are Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Most of these countries declared themselves independent.

Ukraine then declared independence. Ukraine is still the second largest country in Europe after Russia.

Similarly, in 1991, Ukraine was the second most nuclear-armed country after the United States and Russia. That is, at the time of secession from the Soviet Union, Ukraine was a country with nuclear weapons. At the time, the United States, Russia and other countries were urging other countries to give up nuclear weapons.

According to an agreement signed in 1994 in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, "Ukraine has agreed to remove its nuclear arsenal and hand over its nuclear arsenal to Russia under the Non-Proliferation Treaty." Instead, it agreed that Russia and the United States should repair the damage caused by the disarmament and provide security for Ukraine. Accordingly, Ukraine ceded nuclear weapons to Russia in 1996.

If Ukraine had not given nuclear weapons to Russia then, Russia would have thought of launching a war on Ukraine today.

NATO

(NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was formed after World War II to counter the threat posed by the Soviet Union. Against this, the Soviet Union formed its alliance through the Warsaw Pact.

Later, when the Soviet Union was dissolved, the Warsaw Pact was abandoned. In contrast, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia were the only three countries in the Soviet Union to join NATO. In addition, Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria, former members of the Soviet Union, are currently in NATO.

When NATO was launched in 1949, it consisted of 12 countries, including the United States, Britain, Canada, and France. It currently has 30 member countries. Other NATO countries offer their support in the event of an attack on any of these countries.

NATO was created with the aim of ensuring the security of small countries. But this is an easy way for the US to escape the threat of major powers, including Russia. NATO is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

Russia, which has been protesting against Ukraine's efforts to join NATO, is now waging war on Ukraine.

Is the President of Ukraine to blame?

There were Ukrainians in the west of Ukraine and pro-Russian people in the east. Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which are predominantly Russian in the east, were declared republics in 2014. Russia is said to have instigated the uprising in the area. But Russia later denied the allegations.

Similarly, in 2014, Russia annexed the Russian-occupied Crimea region in the wake of the uprising. However, other countries have not yet recognized this.

Russia has objected to Ukraine's efforts to join NATO. Because there were more Russians in eastern Ukraine. Following this, Ukraine agreed to grant special status to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, with Russia agreeing to hold elections with their consent. Although these were parts of Ukraine, they were seen as pro-Russian. Similarly, Russia has refused to allow Ukraine to join NATO.

After Ukraine's secession from the Soviet Union, Ukraine's presidents were indirectly supportive of Russia's policies. It is in this context that Velodimir Selensky became President of Ukraine in 2019. His parents were of Jewish descent.

Selensky has been trying to make Ukraine as a member of NATO since he became president. He also said that he did not accept the "Minsk:agreements" with Russia. Moreover he announced that the Donetsk, Luhansk regions would operate independently. It was these actions of the Chancellor that angered Putin.

Russia has warned Ukraine not to join NATO and the United States not to give NATO membership to Ukraine. Russia has also called on the United States to exclude NATO countries from the organization after 1997. This is why the United States has been reluctant to include Ukraine in NATO.

A section of the Ukrainian population has expressed interest in joining the European Union. But it is also a security threat to Russia.

If Ukraine joins NATO, NATO nations are likely to encircle the Russian border. Russia's commercial traffic could also be affected.

Although it is wrong for Russia to wage war on Ukraine on humanitarian grounds, Russia should have decided to launch an attack on Ukraine, thinking that it would pose a threat to all of Russia's security.

Putin has made this decision thinking that this is the right moment as the United States has been somewhat swayed by the defeat of the Afghan war.

On the one hand, Ukraine is facing this war in the hope that NATO nations, which have said they will help Ukraine to join the organization, will come to its aid. The result? The country of Ukraine is being disbanded. Russia is likely to occupy the whole of Ukraine.

Even if Russia occupies the whole of Ukraine, there is a chance that in the future Ukraine will be liberated from Russia by the popular uprising of Ukraine.

Will there be a third world war?

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that a "third world war" could wreak havoc as Russia's invasion of Ukraine intensifies. Lavrov also accused Ukraine of delaying peace talks on US orders. He warned that the purpose of the invasion was to prevent Ukraine from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Currently the war going on is between Ukraine – Russia only. The United States has been providing only financial and military assistance to Ukraine. Not ready to send troops. It is likely to turn into a world war if NATO forces enters the field in favor of Ukraine. But the United States will not seek to do this for the sake of world peace. But other countries are likely to offer Ukraine all kinds of assistance. However, Ukraine has been left alone on the battlefield. It seems unlikely that President Selensky would have anticipated this.

On the other hand, the rest of the world, including the United States and Britain, have not imposed full sanctions on Russia. Only partial sanctions are being imposed Because there are many countries that depend on Russia for trade and economy. Russia, for example, is a major exporter of crude oil. Ukraine war is the reason why the price of crude oil has reached $ 100.

Russia could intensify its offensive if the world community imposes sanctions on Russia as a whole. However, World War III is expected to be less likely as both are now less likely.

However, nothing can be predicted in the war environment. The nations of the world must be prepared to face anything because Putin's actions are unpredictable.

What is the impact on India?

As far as India is concerned, the friendship between the United States and Russia is equally appreciated. If the US supports Ukraine, India will be hostile to Russia if it supports Ukraine. Considering the security of our country, India has said it did not vote on the U.N. resolution. In that sense, India is neutral on Russia-Ukraine.

20,000 Indians are trapped in Ukraine. India is taking steps to rescue them. Neighboring countries like Poland and Hungary are helping to rescue the Indians because of their friendship with them. The position of the Indians would be questionable if India were against Ukraine or against Russia. It is noteworthy that India has been buying missiles from Russia.

Next, it will definitely be whether the Ukraine war will have an economic impact on India. The rise in crude oil prices is a prime example. International crude oil prices have reached $ 100 since 2016. As a result, the price of essential commodities in India may go up due to higher transport costs along with petrol and diesel prices. This will also affect the Indian economy.

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