Wednesday 16 February 2022

Russia-Ukraine standoff: Experts "hopeful" about Putin’s claims of partial troop withdrawal


Global News in Canada shows that Ukraine has made an emergency request to NATO for supplies to prepare for what it calls "large scale crises" affecting its civilian population. De-mining equipment, explosives detection equipment and medical supplies are among the supplies they are requesting.

The request comes as Putin claims Russia has begun a pulling back some of its troops from its border with Ukraine - a move experts are "hopeful" about.

Jackson Proskow has the latest on the situation at the Russia-Ukraine border and the growing uncertainty over whether a peaceful solution is possible.

The so-called Russo-Ukrainian War ( Ukrainian: російсько-українська війна ) is an ongoing and protracted conflict that started in February 2014, primarily involving Russia and pro-Russian forces on one hand, and Ukraine on the other. The war has centered on the status of Crimea and parts of the Donbas, which are largely internationally recognized as part of Ukraine.

Some time ago, Russian soldiers took control of strategic positions and infrastructure within the Ukrainian territory of Crimea. On March 1, 2014, the Federation Council of the Russian Federation unanimously adopted a resolution to petition Russian President Vladimir Putin to use military force in Ukraine. The resolution was adopted several days later, after the start of the Russian military operation on the "Returning of Crimea". Russia then annexed Crimea after a local referendum which was organized by Russia after the capturing of the Crimean Parliament whose outcome was for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea to join the Russian Federation. In April, demonstrations by pro-Russian groups in the Donbas area of Ukraine escalated into a war between the Ukrainian government and the Russian-backed separatist forces of the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. In August, Russian military vehicles crossed the border in several locations of Donetsk Oblast. The so-called incursion by the Russian military was seen as responsible for the defeat of Ukrainian forces in early September.

In November 2014, the Ukrainian military reported intensive movement of troops and equipment from Russia into the separatist-controlled parts of the eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine ( Ukrainian: Україна ) is certainly a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest country by area in Europe after Russia, which it borders to the east and north-east. Ukraine also shares borders with Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the south; and has a coastline along the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. It spans an area of 603,628 km squared. Ukraine has a population of 41.3 million. It is the eighth-most populous country in Europe. The nation's capital and largest city is Kyiv.

The territory of modern Ukraine has been inhabited since 32,000 BC. During the Middle Ages, the area was a key centre of East Slavic culture, with the loose tribal federation Kievan Rus' forming the basis of Ukrainian identity. Following its fragmentation into several principalities in the 13th century and the devastation created by the Mongol invasion, the territorial unity collapsed and the area was contested, divided, and ruled by a variety of powers, including the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Tsardom of Russia. A Cossack Hetmanate emerged and prospered during the 17th and 18th centuries, but its territory was eventually split between Poland and the Russian Empire. In the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, a Ukrainian national movement for self-determination emerged, and the internationally recognized Ukrainian People's Republic was declared on 23 June 1917. Ukraine regained its independence in 1991, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

No comments:

Post a Comment