Ukraine and Russia’s history has been closely intertwined for decades, if not centuries. In the early ’90s, when the Soviet Union broke up, Ukraine became an independent nation separate from Russia.

 

Russia eventually recognized Ukraine as an independent nation, but soon reversed course. In 2014, Russia took its first step at no longer recognizing Ukraine as an independent nation by annexing Crimea, a key Ukrainian region that now provides critical military access to the Russians. Russia then supported breakaway rebels in two other adjacent regions, Donetsk and Luhansk. 

 

The long-standing tensions between Russia and Ukraine finally erupted into conflict on Feb. 24 when Russia invaded Ukraine. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, justified the attack by saying his goal was to protect Russians from genocide in Ukraine. 

 

Along with the claim of genocide, Russia is claiming the Ukrainian government is discriminating against those who speak Russian and Ukrainian citizens of Russian descent. The Russian government also claims that most people in Ukraine want to be rescued from the Ukrainian government. 

 

Those claims are generally viewed as objectively false by the American and international community. However, Putin has continued pushing the narrative that he is doing the Ukrainians a favor by “rescuing” them. 

 

In Russia, the propaganda machine continues to dominate daily life. Russia’s lack of free press gives citizens limited perspective because the government filters the information they have access to, leading some citizens to agree with Putin. 

 

Still, according to junior Natalie Dronskiy, who has family in both Ukraine and Russia, it is incorrect to make generalizations about the feelings of the Russian public.

 

“I think it is bad for people to be associating all Russians with Putin because the majority of Russians don’t even like him,” Dronskiy said.

 

However, a poll recently released by a group of international organizations revealed that 59% of Russians expressed some level of support for Putin's decision to invade Ukraine. Despite these numbers, the massive crackdown on media in Russia makes it very difficult to verify the results and ensure their authenticity. 

In terms of the invasion, Putin decided to invade Ukraine with two goals: to remove the current government and replace it with one that Putin finds more acceptable and demilitarize Ukraine. 

 

Since then, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service has estimated that more than 2,000 civilians and 2,870 Ukrainian soldiers have died. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the current president of Ukraine, has insisted on fighting on the front lines rather than taking precautions to ensure his safety. He even refused when the U.S. offered to help evacuate him from Ukraine, although reports on what exactly was said have varied.

 

“The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride,” Zelenskyy said.

 

In an address to the European Parliament on March 1, Zelenskyy exemplified how hopeful he is in his country’s military strength, reiterating his hope to join NATO and how he believes they can continue to put up a strong fight. 

 

“We are fighting for our rights, for our freedoms, for life, for our life, and now we are fighting for survival. And this is the highest of our motivation. But we are fighting also to be equal members of Europe,” Zelenskyy said.

 

However, Zelenskyy later recognized that Ukraine requires assistance because Russia’s troops exponentially outnumber Ukraine’s.

 

During a conversation with U.S. President Joe Biden, Zelenskyy asked him to highlight the urgency of the situation to the U.S. During the State of the Union on March 1, Biden addressed the Russia-Ukraine conflict by saying that the U.S. is supporting Ukraine with security assistance and aid.  

 

“We are giving more than $1 billion in direct assistance to Ukraine,” Biden said.

 

Locally, support efforts for Ukraine have been widespread. Prompted by the media coverage, there are also a lot of discussions happening in the classroom.

 

Jayson Waller, an AP history teacher at Carlmont, discusses current events with his class at least once a week. This past week, the discussion centered on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. 

 

“If you can understand current events, stuff that impacts you on a very tangible level, maybe even on a personal level, as opposed to this old dude that died in 1952, there is the potential for a connection to be made between the past and the present,” Waller said.

 

Another history teacher at Carlmont, Marcello DiCicco, is also discussing this event in class. DiCicco explained why he felt it was important to discuss current events in school.

 

“The world is small, so anything that happens anywhere politically is going to directly affect the United States, and therefore affect students,” DiCicco said.

 

And these events are having real-world consequences. One student, sophomore Zhanna Paredes, who has family in Russia, fears for her cousin who lost his job due to the conflict.

 

“My cousin has to find a new job which can be stressful and scary. He worked at Ford but was laid off when foreign companies started being shut down in Russia,” Paredes said.

 

Many companies, such as BP Plc, are getting rid of their Russian branches and no longer doing any form of business in or with Russia as part of a series of economic sanctions levied by the U.S. and other nations. 

 

But economic effects aren’t the only threat to one’s safety (or that of their family). For Dronskiy, she’s had to contend with the social repercussions, preoccupied with threats both abroad and at home.

 

“I do worry about my family's safety both here in America and in Ukraine and Russia. In Ukraine and Russia, it’s very scary because you never know when Putin could attack. Here in the U.S., I have read about and heard of many situations where people are harming people of Russian descent, having rocks thrown at them, or being verbally abused,” Dronskiy said.

 

As anti-Russian hate rises in Europe and threatens to spill over into the U.S., these fears are justified. Yet there is a glimmer of hope.

 

Across the world, expressions of support for a quick and peaceful resolution have rang clear and true. As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine rages on, countries across the world continue to provide supplies and assistance in hopes that the fight will soon come to an end.