AJ Doane

Mrs. Pettay
Eng. 111, 2B
16 October 2014
Russias endgame in Ukraine

The crisis in Ukraine is beginning to escalate to a national level. If it keeps up its current
pace, then there is a strong possibility for the outbreak of World War III. Within Ukraine there is
an exceptional amount of war propaganda regarding Western-Ukraine, who has strong ties with
Europe and Eastern-Ukraine, who are in strong relations to Russia. It has gotten to the point
where there are a number of countrys flags being ripped down and individuals are constantly
storming into police stations. There are Russian soldiers and Ukrainian soldiers that are shooting
each other within Eastern-Ukraine. Russia has begun to send troops and military reinforcements
all throughout Ukraine. There is also the question of whether or not Russia has the international
authority to send troops into Ukraine. There are two sides to every story, Western-Ukraine has
their reasons for rebellion, and Russia also has reasons as to why they are trying to hard to take
control in Ukraine.
Many countries, including the United States, are completely outraged by Russias
audacity. However, Russia believes what they are doing is completely justified. This began when
Russian president Vladimir Putin was re-elected; causing major protests in cities such as
Moscow and St. Petersburg. Then began the protests in Ukraine. The Western-Ukraine was in
favor of a European style government, while Eastern-Ukraine was more in favor of the Russian
style government. Therefore, there was already a large amount of uneasiness within Ukraine.

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In result to the splitting of Ukraine, one side pro-European and the other Pro-Russian, the
Russian president Vladimir Putin feels that he and his power have become threatened. The
Russian government eventually falls, which sparks a large amount of unpopularity for Putin and
Russia. This unpopularity then inspired him to invade and eventually annex Crimea. Putins act
of invading Crimea actually resulted in a large amount of popularity for Putin. There had already
been a great deal of uneasiness in Ukraine. Within Eastern-Ukraine there were pro-Russian
rebels, who were causing major issues in Ukrainian cities. Putin saw this as a perfect opportunity
to gain even more power and political capitol. However, the Ukrainian government had begun to
push back against the rebels. Putin now is unsure how to proceed, but he is still clinging to his
power.
Like all stories, they can be interpreted in different ways, and what we typically hear is
more one sided. Everyone does something for a reason; therefore, Russia must have some
rationale behind their major involvement in Ukraine. Not one person can be blamed for what is
basically anarchy in Ukraine and Russia. However, Vladimir Putin seems to be a major figure in
the whole invasion of Ukraine and Crimea for the purpose of political gain. Some support Putins
audacious actions, but others do not feel so strongly about what he is doing. The argument
expressed within this paper can be seen as universal because the United Nations is tied into this.
The United Nations determines whether or not a countrys actions can be deemed justified. There
may not be an immediate effect, but in the long run almost every country is affected. There is a
major question of whether or not Russia has the international authority to get first-hand involved
in the affairs in other countries. Especially when it involves aiding rebels within said country.
Everyone needs to become aware of how pressing of an issue this is, so many countries are

outraged by Russias actions, and there is a possibility of a World War III; people need to
recognize the gravity of this situation.

Works Cited
Snyder, Michael. "The Road To World War 3: Russia and Ukraine Are Now Engaged in a
Shooting War." Mens News Daily. Mens News Daily, 27 Aug. 2014. Web. 02 Oct. 2014.
Lucas, Edward. "I Hope I'm Wrong but Historians May Look Back and Say This Was the Start of
World War III Read More: Http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2605578/Edward-Lucas-Ihope-Im-wrong-historians-look-say-start-World-War-III." Daily Mail. Daily Mail, 15 Apr. 2014.
Web.
Fisher, Max. "Why Is Russia Invading Ukraine, Explained in Two-minutes."Vox.com. Vox, 2
Sept. 2014. Web.

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