Russia Invasion of Ukraine – World Responds to Ukraine Crisis

Russia has launched a deadly military attack on Ukraine as heavy gunfire was heard across the European democratic state, and Russian forces are invading the capital, Kyiv. Dmytro Kuleba, Foreign Minister of Ukraine, reportedly warned about a full-scale invasion earlier. Russia initiated the devastating attack by all modes; sea, land, and air.

Russian President Vladimir Putin did not acknowledge the news of attacking Ukraine for a long time, but he ended a peace agreement and sent troops across Ukraine’s border. As the number of casualties rose, he was held accountable for disturbing the peace in Europe.

Russian ‘Terrorist’ Troops

According to the Kyiv Independent, Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko reported that 16 children were killed in Russia’s war. He called Russia’s troops « terrorists, » accusing them of attacking civilians.

« This is not an army; these are terrorists, » he spoke on Ukraine’s Rada TV channel on Feb. 27.

In the latest happenings, Kyiv Independent shared a news report on Twitter:

The situation in Kyiv is under Ukrainian control, according to Ukraine’s Armed Forces.

« All Russian efforts to occupy it have failed, » they released a statement.

According to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, Russia’s losses as of March 1. 

President Volodymyr Zelensky called an international tribunal

From the live tweets around the war-struck countries coming up from Kyiv Independent’s official Twitter account, the Ukrainian delegation has reached the border to hold peace talks. The delegation is headed by Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and MP David Arakhamia, leader of Zelensky’s party. The Ukrainian delegation present around the Ukrainian-Belarusian border to take part in negotiations with representatives of the Russian Federation consists of:

• Chairman of the Servant of the People
• Minister of Defense
• Advisor of the Head of the President’s Office
• First deputy head of Ukrainian delegation to the trilateral Contact Group
• Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
• A Member of Parliament

There are also reports of an air raid in Kyiv, advising locals to seek the nearest safe place.

President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has asked the EU for membership in a video address today:

« We ask the European Union for Ukraine’s immediate accession under a new special procedure. We are grateful to our partners for being with us, but our goal is to be with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be equal. »

Zelensky said: « Already 4,500 Russian soldiers have been killed. Why did you all come here? Drop your weapons and leave, don’t trust your commanders, don’t trust your propagandists, just save your lives – leave. »

While continuing his LIVE video address, the President said that Ukraine would release prisoners with combat experience. He said it was not an easy moral option but crucial for its defense. He also said the prisoners would keep fighting in the vital areas; however, defense is a primary concern at this hour.

« The key is defense now. »

On Monday, NewVoice Ukraine Executive Editor and award-winning journalist Nika Melkozerova posted a tweet regarding EU-Ukraine’s latest development:

« Remember I said I had a feeling we were alone a couple of days ago? Well, now we in Ukraine feel the whole world supports us. EU provides jets, SWIFT cut, Anonymous fighting for us. Poland and Romania shelter Ukrainians; provide aid and weapons. Even Hungary provides fuel! Heartwarming »

She continued: « Twitter has not had enough characters to include all. US, Canada, Azerbaijan, Ireland, Turkey. Eurovision, London Opera, and many many others. Even Kim Kardashian supports our President. He used to be ‘a comedian’, now he is Capitan Ukraine, Mister Balls of Steel, and much more. »

Earlier she shared a picture of ongoing war consequences and tweeted that the Curfew is off for the time. There was a queue for a grocery store as people were starving.

What’s the reason behind Russia’s attack?

The Russian military is invading Ukraine’s capital soon after its leader announced a devastating invasion across the northern, eastern, and southern borders. In his earlier statement, Putin said Russia could not feel safe, develop, and exist due to a constant threatening attitude of modern Ukraine.

Initially, they targeted airport and troop headquarters, then sent tanks into Ukraine from Crimea and Belarus. Russian President Putin’s statements proved to be baseless and illogical. He had assured that he wanted to save people from bullying and genocide and his goal is Ukraine’s “demilitarization and de-Nazification.« 

However, the fact is Ukraine doesn’t have any genocide, it is a clear democratic state run by a Jewish President.

« How could I be a Nazi? » said Volodymyr Zelensky in response to Russia’s aggression to the invasion of Nazi Germany in the 2nd World War. Ukraine’s officials, including the chief rabbi and the Auschwitz Memorial, also turned down Putin’s slur.

Zelensky, who was a comedian, became Ukraine’s first Jewish president in April 2019.

Recent Updates

As Ukraine got a chance to push back Russian troops, along with EU sanctions against Russia. These are some latest updates so far:

• On Mar.2, the General Staff of Ukrainian Armed Forces released a statement that Russian troops are moving forward from all directions, but Ukraine’s forces are deployed and receiving major losses.
• As the Russian army couldn’t reach advance, it kept doing missile and bomb attacks to terrorize the civilians, as the General Staff stated.
• President Zelensky has officially applied for EU membership. This historical signing involves Zelensky’s request to the EU for accepting Ukraine. Whereas, Ursula von der Leyen, President European Commission, called Ukraine one of them and wanted them in.
• Russia’s Sberbank, the largest national bank of the country, saw a drop in its London-traded shares by 68%. This decline was due to intense economic sanctions implemented against the tyrant country. The said restrictions also include terminating certain Russian banks from SWIFT, the payment order mechanism.
• Japan teams up with the West concerning the sanctions against Central Bank, Russia. According to the Japanese Prime Minister, the country will also retribute Belarusian companies and personnel and impose export penalties.
• Switzerland joined EU sanctions and froze Putin’s assets, including turning down its past neutral stance on accepting EU sanctions against Russian atrocities on Ukraine.
• Hanna Malyar, Deputy Defense Minister, said that thousands of foreign individuals have applied to join the war supporting Ukraine. The recently formed International Territorial Defense Legion received their applications for Ukraine in the war against Russia.

The Western community imposed several sanctions against Russia after its deadly fight with Ukraine. The consequences of war and sanctions severely impacted Russia’s currency and prominent businesses.

Muslims’ Status in the West during the Ukraine-Russia Conflict

It is during a crisis when people or countries exhibit their true colors. The same situation applies to the current Ukraine-Russia fight, as Western politicians and media establishments have shown their double standards and hypocrisy for Muslims worldwide.

Dilly Hussain, the Deputy Editor of 5PillarsUK and blogger for HuffPost UK, wrote a thought-provoking piece in that regard and explained how and what the international world tells about the worth of Muslims across the globe.

In his article, he addressed fellow Muslims as ‘people of color and immigrant descent.’ He asked what lesson they have learned from the Ukraine-Russia conflict concerning their worth in the UK, Europe, and Western nations, especially as represented by the media. Here are some excerpts from his brilliant article:

“Your blood, life, and honor are worth less than the “civilized Europeans’” (CBS News) with “blonde hair and blue eyes.” (BBC News)

When escaping war and famine, your safety, security, and salvation means you’re treated worse than animals. At the same time, the Ukrainians are “welcomed with open arms” in the same countries that water-hosed, beat, and sniper-shot Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

“You cannot raise awareness about the plight of the Palestinians or the Uyghurs in mainstream sports without being penalized or losing sponsorships because we have to “keep politics out of sports.”

How long will Russia fight?

It is no longer a hypothesis that Russia wants to overthrow the democratic government in Ukraine. The aggressor country wants to free itself from “Nazis” and “oppressing forces.” Zelensky said he had a warning and that he’s the prime target for the ‘enemy,’ while his family is the second target. Russia’s future tactics against Ukraine might be unclear, but it has received sufficient aggression from an antagonistic audience.

In 2014, the Kremlin media religiously altered the fabricated narrative that fascists forcibly held Ukraine. Putin warned to bring elements to courts involved in plenty of deadly crimes against civilians.

How scary is this war for Europe?

This is an unfortunate time for Ukrainians and saddening for the world, as they are experiencing an invasion of a European country in the hands of a huge power after the Second World War.

Numerous lives including army men and civilian population lost in Putin’s war. This horrible invading event has recalled some of the disturbing times since the 1940s.

World leaders have been expressing their opinions, as the French President called it a turning point in European history. Whereas German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is alarmed that Putin wanted to create a Russian empire.

Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s President, reflecting back on the Cold War times, said that Ukraine had made a bid not to open another iron curtain shutting Russia off from the civilized community. Ultimately Russian politicians have put their armed forces on high alert.

Experts at Brookings have shared their deep analysis on the side-effects of the war for Russia, Europe, and the US. Vanda Felbab-Brown (@vfelbabbrown), Senior Fellow at Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology wrote:

“Russia’s egregious invasion of Ukraine is not just the bookend to the post-Cold War era that was crumbling over the past decade. It also marked the end of the post-9/11 era, defined by counterterrorism and universalized opposition to non-state armed actors.

In the new era, Russia’s attitude toward nonstate armed actors will depend on whether it wants to challenge the United States in the country or region in question. Outside of Myanmar, China will principally embrace governments, regardless of what policies toward nonstate armed actors they adopt.

The more that larger powers strike deals with nonstate armed actors, the lesser powers will also do so, in a throwback to the Cold War mode.

In troubled countries where the U.S., Russia, and China are already on opposing sides —like Libya, Syria, Venezuela, Myanmar, and Afghanistan — conflicts will become even more intractable. Cooperation among the powers on conflicts or regime stabilization will be elusive; while both local governments and non-state armed actors will be shopping among the big powers.”

Fighting at any cost

As the Russia-Ukraine crisis is all over, the subject of militias is raising heads yet again. A huge number of Ukraine’s civil population has been taking combat training to join as partisan soldiers as Russia invades the country. Officials expect that the fear of a lasting guerrilla war can demoralize Russian President Putin.