Why is Russia invading Ukraine anyway?

War and Peace 

Why is Russia invading Ukraine?

On February 24th, 2022, Russian troops launched an attack on Ukraine that started with explosions before dawn in the capital Kyiv and other cities. According to Ukraine's foreign ministry, Russia's intent was to destroy the entire state of Ukraine. At least 40 people had been killed in what is being called a "full-scale war." Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, warned other countries that if they tried to interfere it would lead to consequences that we have never seen before. As of now, Ukrainian leaders are mobilizing 36,000 reservists as it prepares for a full invasion. 

Why exactly is Russia invading Ukraine? 

There are many reasons for the invasion according to different sources. According to Putin, the main goal of the attack is to defend the Russian-speakers of Ukraine, especially those who live in the two self-declared republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, which left Ukrainian control in 2014. Now, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is an intergovernmental military alliance between 28 European countries and 2 North American countries. In the past, Ukraine has shown interest is joining NATO and Putin views their interest as a hostile act. In December of 2021, Putin actually gave the United States and NATO a demand that Ukraine will never be able to enter NATO. Putin has also rejected Ukraine's right to exist outside of Russia on the basis that the two countries never shared a history or culture. 

What does Putin want out of this invasion? 

Putin claims that Ukraine's interest is joining NATO is a direct threat to Russia, but he has also rejected Ukraine's right to exist in the past. To him, he views Russia and Ukraine as inseparable. He wants to see them as a whole and not split in two. 

Putin has always had his own opinion and views on Ukraine. Back in 2014, he directly threatened pro-democracy activists and civil servants who had led the pro-democracy push in Ukraine because they were ousting a pro-Russian government. 

Is this the start of World War III?

This could very well potentially be the start of another world war. According to Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, "Russia treacherously attacked our state in the morning, as Nazi Germany did in 2#WW years. As of today, our countries are on different sides of world history." It is clear that Putin will not stop until he gets what he wants and the violence among the two countries will not stop.

How will the Unites States be effected?

The Unites States could be effected in a number of ways. Although we do not rely on Russia for major imports, this invasion could cause increases in global energy prices/oil prices or worsen global supply shortages. We have already 100% seen the increase in energy prices as well as oil prices and it could still get worse. This is because, at least for oil, if the prices change in one part of the world, it will affect the prices in all other regions. 

This invasion could also risk the United States' return to normalcy after two years of shutdowns due to COVID-19.

The information provided above was from one of the project's in the course about current events. Studying current events helps us to better understand our global community and the different cultures across the world. By teaching students about current events, educators are not only helping students stay informed about world news and social problems but also giving them the chance to build important life skills. The reason why we explored this current event about why Russia is invading Ukraine is because we were challenged to think critically and answer the question of:

How do we teach current events in a social studies classroom?

There are a variety of ways to teach current events in the classroom. Some of them include:

1. Weekly article – At the beginning of the week, present students with an article on a current event. Students are assigned the article as their weekly reading. Then they are instructed to make a connection between the reading and the topics being studied in class. Students write a brief summary of the connection between the two and turn it in as an assignment

2. Article Blizzard – Students are given a current event topic and instructed to find articles from a variety of sources, thus generating a “blizzard” of information. Students analyze their article and place it on a media bias chart, highlighting details they believe show evidence of bias

3. One-Minute Presentation – Students are given class time to identify a news article that attracts their interest. They then prepare a one-minute presentation with visuals summarizing the event, explaining why it is interesting to them, and offering a question for their classmates to discuss

Teaching current events is not always easy, but there are a variety of resources out there for educators to utilize. This way, they are able to be creative and come up with engaging activities for students to learn. Focusing on current events is extremely important for not only being kept up to date on what is going on, but also to develop research skills and introduce bias awareness. Students will quickly learn how to consume information, checking for fake news, bias and ethical skills. Students will also have the opportunity to become informed and active citizens in society from learning about current events.