On Feb. 24, 2022, Russian forces invaded Ukraine. Ukraine is a country bordering Russia and was part of the Soviet Union until 1991 when the communist organization collapsed. A newly independent state with fresh borders dividing the two countries, Ukraine lived in peace until 2014, when Russia invaded and took Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula.
A treaty between the two countries established peace until 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine once more. Both countries have been fighting with all their strength to win, but Russia has annexed some Ukrainian towns like Avdiivka and Bakhmut.
Russia was dominating at the beginning of the war, but with the immense support Ukraine has been receiving from countries like the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, the underdog had started to prevail. (The United States is spearheading the support for Ukraine’s forces, sending $44.2 billion in military aid.)
However, with the recent Russian occupation of Avdiivka on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024, the war has started to tip in Russia’s favor once again. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that about 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the start of the war in 2022. US officials think differently, with their estimates being 70,000 dead and as many as 120,000 injured.
The death toll of Russian troops is currently unknown, but President Zelensky estimates that 180,000 Russian soldiers have been killed, with many more injured. BBC Russian has “established the names of more than 45,000 Russian service people who had died, but it estimates the total number to be greater than that. In February, the UK’s defense ministry estimated that 350,000 Russian troops had been killed or injured.”
Sophomore Fiyori Russom was asked about her beliefs on the United States’ involvement in the war. “I think the US should continue to send aid, but if things come to extreme measures, then American lives shouldn’t be lost.”
As far as civilian casualties go, over 10,200 have been killed since the start of the war, with 575 of the deaths being children. The number of injured civilians in Ukraine is over 19,300, with many more to come if the war does not end soon.
