Closing in from air, land and sea, Russia has launched devastating attacks on Ukraine, a European democracy of 44 million people. 

Leading up to these attacks, President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, denied he would invade Ukraine, and now he has the entire world accusing him of disrupting peace in Europe. 

Why is Russia invading Ukraine?

Prior to his order of invasion on Ukraine, Putin said he felt Russia could not feel “safe, develop and exist” because of a constant threat from modern Ukraine. 

According to BBC News, many of Putin’s arguments on invading Ukraine were false or irrational. He said his goal is to protect people subjected to bullying and genocide and aim for the “demilitarisation and de-Nazification” of Ukraine. 

BBC News also said there has been no genocide in Ukraine — it’s a vibrant democracy led by a Jewish president. 

This all began when Viktor Yanukovych, a prior pro-Russian president of Ukraine, was voted out in 2014 after months of people protesting against him. Putin believed Ukraine was being taken over by extremists. 

Putin has placed false propaganda about Ukraine being seized by fascists in 2014 through controlled TV, convincing Russia that Ukraine was becoming the new Nazi Germany. 

As a result of this, Russia began deploying troops close to Ukraine’s borders in late 2021, claiming it wasn’t going to attack.

What are the consequences?

Although Ukraine is the main victim of attack by Russia, the rest of the world will suffer the consequences as well after witnessing a powerful invasion for the first time since World War II. 

According to the New York Times, as a result of these attacks, harsh economic penalties to punish Russia are expected to reverberate worldwide. 

The New York Times also said rising energy costs and potentially slow supply chains will take their toll on customers, as well as Russian cyberattacks crippling electronic infrastructure. 

President Biden announced plans on Feb. 24 during a public address to put “severe sanctions” against Russia in an attempt to defer Moscow from carrying out further violence in Ukraine.

“President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering,” Biden said. “Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way. The world will hold Russia accountable.”

Why this matters

The world is witnessing the start of World War III first-hand, whether it’s through TV, TikTok or Instagram. Nobody has seen attacks quite like this in decades.

Putin has shaken the peace in European countries and we will all suffer the consequences for generations. Russia provides more than a third of Europe’s natural gas supply, with some pipelines running through Ukraine. 

With several countries placing sanctions on Russia for punishment, the world is about to hit a natural gas supply crisis head-on. 

As a human, I’m terrified to see all of these innocent people being attacked and killed because of an irrational man’s choices. Even Russia wasn’t ready for this war — if that doesn’t show how crazy and destructive Putin is, I don’t know what would.

Dirks can be reached at [email protected]