Let the Putin Games Begin!

by Lauryn Nilson
It seems to many citizens of the United
States that while President Obama creates March
Madness brackets, Russian president Vladimir
Putin is annexing peninsulas. On February 28
th
,
2014, Russian forces invaded Crimea, a
neighboring peninsula that is part of Ukraine.
They arrived in 13 Russian aircrafts, reportedly
carrying 2,000 troops. Crimea has been a part of
Ukraine for the past two decades, ever since their
independence, but many Russians and Russian-
speaking people reside in Crimea. The
population of Crimea is mostly Russian and
Russian-speaking people, but there are other
people there who consider themselves Ukrainian.
Russia has one of the top militaries in the world,
and billions of dollars of government money are
put into making a strong military. Their sheer
militaristic force dwarfs Ukraine, who
admittedly has outdated machinery. Russia
annexed Crimea on March 18
th
, but the world-
wide struggle is far from over.
The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games finished, only a few months ago, and there were
many reactions about Russias sudden invasion. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
has warned Russia that if they intend to expand territorial conquest into eastern Ukraine and
beyond, they will face serious consequences. While we may not be potentially looking at
WWIII, Russias intent remains unclear. They justified their actions by saying that any Russian-
speaker outside of their borders has rights to their protection, and, given that most of Crimea
speaks Russian, they used this as valid reasoning to annex Crimea. A Russian representative
also said, Language should not be used to segregate and isolate groups. There is also fear for
countries like Lithuania and Estonia, who also have Russian minorities and boarder Russia.
What has the White House done in response? President Obama created economic
sanctions on many high-ranking Russian officials, which could hurt Russias economy. A
sanction is typically a band on trade, and in this case nations all over the world are taking part in
isolating Russia economically. However, these sanctions are very controversial, and could hurt
the international economy as well as Russias. He also signed a document that allows him to put
further sanctions on Russian officials. This is a clear message to Russia that the world is not
taking their games lightly. Vice President Joe Biden has also said, I want to make it clear:
We stand resolutely with our Baltic allies in support of the Ukrainian people and against Russian
aggression. He added, As long as Russia continues on this dark path, they will face increasing
political and economic isolation. After Russia industrialized Crimea, it has become a key part
of Ukraine. Without Crimea as a part of it, the Ukrainian economy will surely suffer.
The map above shows Russias neighboring
countries. While their intent is currently unclear,
countries all over the world are becoming involved.
Source: www.buisnessinsider.com

In conclusion, as the events in the eastern part of the world
continue to unfold, it is evident that this magnetic event will attract
the attention of countries all over the world. Even through Russian
occupation, some Crimean citizens remain optimistic and are posing
with Russian soldiers for selfies to document their occupation. This
shows that even during dark times, happiness can still be found.
While some people in the Ukraine consider themselves Russian and
are happy to be back under Russian rule, some people are fiercely
Ukrainian and are furious about the occupation. Crimea is now part
of Russia, but the games are far from over.
Sources: www.ibtimes.com, www.washingpost.com, www.cnn.com,
www.npr.org, www.washingtontimes.com, www.theguardian.com,
www.nytimes.com, www.wikipedia.com
People living in
Crimea shocked the
world my taking
selfies with the
soldiers. Source:
www.dailymail.co.uk