2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis

The 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian Crisis refers to the military standoff on the Russian-Ukrainian border prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Russia first began massing troops along the border in March and April 2021, but insisted that they were there for training exercises, not to attack Ukraine. Russia continued to move large numbers of troops and military equipment to the border in the following months.

Ukraine and Russia had both been part of the Soviet Union before its collapse in 1991. Russian president Vladimir Putin was threatened by Ukraine’s independence and its desire to join NATO, an alliance of democratic countries offering one another support in the event of a war. Ukraine was also strategically important to Russia’s national security.

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine. While Russia’s military outnumbered Ukraine’s, the invasion was not as quick and easy as Putin had predicted. Other nations did not send troops into Ukraine but provided significant aid in the form of weapons and funds, and Ukraine’s army and citizens fought fiercely. In the opening weeks and months of the invasion, thousands were killed and more than four million Ukrainians fled to other countries.

Background

Several events during the Russo-Ukrainian Crisis precipitated the war. Prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine had been controlled by Russia for more than two hundred years. Ukraine is important to Russia’s national security. Having the territory of Ukraine increases the distance between enemy forces and Moscow, protecting the city and enabling Russia’s military to repel an invasion more effectively. It also gives Russia valuable time to retaliate in case of a nuclear attack. When Ukraine was under Russian control, Russia had stockpiled nuclear missiles and warheads there in case it needed to launch an attack. When Ukraine declared its independence, it left Russia vulnerable to attacks from Western countries.

Beyond his military goals, Putin wanted assurance that Ukraine would remain neutral. Since Ukraine declared its independence in 1991, it has leaned more toward the West, seeking to join both the European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO is a military alliance of thirty democratic nations—twenty-eight in Europe and two in North America—that provide one another with security. If one NATO nation is attacked, all members will provide military support. Putin was insulted that Ukraine, which was joined with Russia under the Soviet Union, wanted to be part of this democratic military alliance. The former Soviet countries Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania had already joined NATO. If Ukraine were declared neutral, it would refrain from joining NATO.

During the 2014 Russo-Ukrainian War, Russia had invaded Ukraine and successfully annexed Crimea. That conflict began when Ukraine’s pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign an association agreement with the EU. His decision sparked massive protests throughout the country. Thousands of protestors in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, established a camp in Kyiv’s Maiden (Independence Square). The Ukrainian military tried repeatedly to quell the protestors but was unable to do so. In February 2014, soldiers opened fire on the Maiden protestors, killing dozens and injuring hundreds. The protestors fought back, and ultimately succeeded, overthrowing the Ukrainian government and ousting Yanukovych. Putin, upset about losing his political influence in Ukraine, responded by sending his troops into Ukraine to annex Crimea, a region of Ukraine on the Crimean Peninsula in the Black Sea. Most Crimeans speak Russian and have Russian ancestry. They are more closely tied to Russia than most other parts of Ukraine. After the annexation, Crimeans participated in a referendum in which they voted on whether they wanted to rejoin Russia or remain part of Ukraine. About 97 percent voted in favor of becoming a Russian republic. However, the referendum took place while the area was occupied by hostile Russian troops, so many question its legitimacy. Despite this, on March 18, 2014, Russia and the Republic of Crimea signed a treaty annexing Crimea to the Russian Federation.

Overview

Russia began massing troops at the Russo-Ukrainian border in March 2021. Pro-Kremlin media falsely reported that NATO was sending troops to the area and claiming that the troops were there to reclaim Crimea for Ukraine. These reports also said that NATO troops were being deployed to the area to help train Ukrainians for a war against Russia, and that Russia had warned them not to “wake up the Russian bear.” By April, Russia had begun withdrawing troops because of pressure from the West. However, while the soldiers were gone, their infrastructure remained.

In October and November 2021, Russia moved at least one hundred thousand troops and a massive amount of military equipment to its border with Ukraine. During the next few months, it deployed troops to Crimea and nearby Belarus. In November, satellite images showed an ongoing buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine. Western intelligence agencies warned that Russia may be plotting to report a false incident initiated by Ukraine to justify invading the country. The intelligence agencies also reported that Putin sought to overthrow Ukraine’s pro-democracy government and replace it with a government that is pro-Russian. British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned Russia that attacking Ukraine would be a grave mistake and that Britain was working closely with NATO allies to provide support to Ukraine.

Tensions escalated in December when Russia sent additional sniper teams and tanks to the border. US President Biden met virtually with Putin and warned him not to invade Ukraine. He threatened to issue sanctions with devastating economic consequences.

By early February 2022, intelligence agencies estimated that nearly two hundred thousand troops were on Ukraine’s borders and warned that an invasion was imminent. However, as he had previously, Putin continued to deny plans for an invasion and claimed that his recent Russian naval buildup in the Black Sea was a training exercise.

At the same time, Putin demanded that he have de facto veto power over NATO expansions, and that NATO only deploy forces to countries that have been members prior to 1997. This would remove NATO’s security promise from countries in eastern and southern Europe. Putin’s demands were quickly dismissed. Fearing that Russia was about to invade, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and urged Russia to find a diplomatic and peaceful way to reach a resolution. However, Russia continued to withdraw its diplomats from Ukraine, often a precursor to war.

On February 21, Putin recognized the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk, the self-proclaimed “People’s Republics” in southeastern Ukraine. Collectively known as Donbas, these regions had been controlled by Russian-backed separatists for nearly eight years. Western leaders realized that Russian troops were going to go farther into Ukraine and began issuing harsh economic sanctions on Russia.

On February 24, the day Russia formally invaded Ukraine, Zelensky directly addressed the Russian people, pleading for peace but explaining that the Ukrainians would defend their country. The following day, Zelensky announced martial law and banned men between the ages of eighteen and sixty from leaving the country. Russian forces attacked Ukraine from three sides, attempting to take control of Kyiv. While they managed to take over parts of Ukraine outside Kyiv, including the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, they were unable to take over the capital.

In response to the invasion, the United States and countries throughout the world issued heavy sanctions on Russia that included banning all Russian imports of oil and gas, freezing the assets of Russia’s banks, and banning Russian flights. Individual businesses, such as McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Coca-Cola, suspended operations in Russia. The United States formally determined that Russia, including Putin, had committed war crimes by intentionally targeting civilian infrastructures such as healthcare facilities and schools, killing thousands of civilians.

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