2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian Crisis For Dummies
1. What is the 2021-2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis?
The 2021-2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis refers to the ongoing event where Russia positioned roughly 100,000 soldiers and military equipment within reach of Ukraine’s borders. This movement of Russia is being taken seriously since Russia has the record of invading Ukraine before.
2. Why did Russia deploy troops near its border with Ukraine?
The acts of Moscow have been regarded as the measure to threat western countries to meet its demands.
3. What does Russia want?
Russian President Vladimir Putin wants the United States and its allies to recognize its sphere of influence by removing NATO presence from nations that were once occupied by the Soviet Union, especially Ukraine.
This is because for centuries, Russian rulers have sought to maintain a physical buffer zone between themselves and any potential foreign invader. The geopolitical strategy of establishing the buffer zone, which secure Russia from invasion, is still cited as an explanation for Moscow’s current attempts to maintain its sphere of influence over previously Soviet-occupied states.
The NATO expansion to the East encroaches the Russia buffer zone, and is therefore unacceptable to Moscow since it represents a threat to its national security.
4. What did Russia demand on the table?
In December 2021, Russia advanced two draft treaties that demands:
(1)NATO withdraw from Eastern Europe and legal guarantee that NATO would not move further eastward;
(2) a legally binding promise that Ukraine would not join the NATO.
Moscow threatened to adopt unspecified military response if those requests were not fully met yet all the demands were rejected by the United States and its NATO allies.
