Russia, with the support of Belarus, has invaded Ukraine in what Russian President Vladimir Putin called a “special military operation” to “demilitarize and denazify Ukraine,” according to The New York Times.
This comes after weeks of tension during the Olympics between Russia and Ukraine, as well as Russia’s recognition of the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region on Feb. 21, according to CBS News.
The conflict started back in 2014 after undercover Russian military forces invaded and took control of the Crimean Peninsula in a move condemned by the international community. Following this, Crimeans voted overwhelmingly for annexation by Russia in a referendum called illegal by most of the world, according to The Times.
According to al-Jazeera, Russian forces are traveling from the north, east and south and are currently fighting Ukrainian forces in an effort to capture the capital city of Kyiv in the north. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is on the ground in Kyiv fighting for his country’s continued sovereignty and independence.
On Thursday, Ukraine and Russia met for the second of two recent rounds of talks, and Ukraine’s negotiator said that later Thursday negotiations ended “with an agreement on cease-fire corridors for civilians to escape heavy combat, but no progress on a settlement,” according to The Times.
The Times-Delphic’s coverage of the Ukraine crisis and how it has impacted Drake University will continue in our next issue on March 9.
