Russia is the only country at fault in the Ukraine conflict
In most conflicts there is a middle ground, but not when it comes to the Ukraine conflict. This entire mess in the South and East of Ukraine was completely orchestrated by Vladimir Putin who used the revolution as a pretense to justify his actions. The main justification for the Russian backing of the rebels and troop incursion is that there is a Neo-Nazi faction allegedly running the government in Kiev, a baseless lie. There are extreme right-wing militias working on the Ukrainian side, but they make up an extremely small percentage of the fighting force. There is simply no comparison between the number of Ukraine Neo-Nazis and the many extreme right-wingers that are currently operating in Russia and supporting Vladimir Putin – but you won’t hear about them in the Russian propaganda.
This tragic crisis was began after Putin’s corrupt Ukrainian ally Viktor Yanukovych fled the country when deep public resentment was displayed during the Euromaidan protests. Yanukovych dodged a much-discussed EU trade agreement that won him the presidency, in favor of closer ties with Russia and the CIS. The Russian deal also came with a 15 billion dollar loan for the cash strapped Ukrainian Government, but the people had had enough. In retaliation for losing Ukraine in the Russian-dominated CIS, Putin seized control of Crimea after a bogus referendum in which 97 percent of the population allegedly voted. The same thing was about to happen in the heavily Russian populated East of Ukraine but halted due to International Sanctions.
Russia is currently gearing up for another incursion within the East of Ukraine after the Minsk Peace Agreement that has never been honored by the Pro-Russian separatists that Putin is actively arming. Ukraine has responded to these obvious preparations for an offensive by sending reinforcements to key positions like Mariupol. Putin again used the reflective reasoning to say that Ukraine’s forces are the ones preparing for an offensive, contrary to facts. Many photos and satellite data show Russian Equipment entering the east of the country. It has to be the worst kept secret in the world that Russia is in the Ukraine, and yet Putin constantly denies this.
With all these blatant provocations by Russia, why can the UN not do anything? Is the UN not an organization that strives for world peace, or is it becoming as useless as the League of Nations was in stopping further wars from happening? Russia currently holds a permanent seat on the UN Security Council which they regularly use to veto any rebukes by that committee. Is the UN Security Council the only body which can send in UN Peace Keepers to a place like East Ukraine?
[hr]Justin Hillstead was born in Montana and raised in Idaho. He’s started several companies and lived around the country and in Brazil. Justin is currently a student in Boise. He has a passion for politics and is a strong believer in objectivism, which tends to guide his choices in life.
