The Russia Case

The Russia Takeover

Five thousand, six hundred and eighty miles away from the United States, the second-largest European country in territory after Russia, wages a bloody battle for its continued independence. This independence was declared from the USSR by the Ukrainian parliament, in August of 1991. Twenty-three years later we watch devastating scenes unfold, as protestors occupy government buildings in a fight for Ukraine's continued sovereignty from Russia.

The seriousness of this war takes form after several violent episodes erupted; one of which eighty-eight people are killed within 48 hours in the Ukraine's capital Kiev, when uniformed snipers began firing at them. The protestors tried to no avail to shield themselves from the deadly gunfire using makeshift shields. Pro-Russia government seized buildings in Crimea, and Russia's parliament approves Vladimir Putin's request to use force in Ukraine to protect Russian interests. Russia moves closer to occupying Ukraine, while the U.S. and France warn of sanctions if it does not withdraw.

But what does all of this mean? Why are the United States and France interjecting in a war thousands of miles away? Why can't we simply mind our own business, for once?--or maybe paying close attention to what Russia is doing is in America's best interest. Does Russia have a legitimate claim to Ukraine? Is President Vladimir Putin the ruthless political thug that he has been branded, and is it true that his attempts to bring peace to an unsettled country are simply a smoke screen for a larger, more corrupt agenda? And finally--the most important question of all! Should Ukraine remain a sovereign country, or is it best to stop all these rebellious protests that have dominated the world news--threatened to bring about a war that will undoubtedly involve several countries including the United States of America--and fall under President Putin's plan of the reunification of Russia? These are the questions I'd like to provide and answer to through this paper.

Ukraine is a beautiful country enriched with flower-filled valleys, fast rivers, mountains, alpine meadows, and a soothing Mediterranean climate. It sounds like a wonderful place to take a family vacation, or go sight-seeing, but Shevchenko dashes any hopes of a story-book ending. She writes "This may sound like a perfect, guidebook description of a fairy-tale drive-through vacation--but add biting cold with heavy snowfalls in winter, reckless driving on bad roads and the infrastructure" (Shevchenko 13). Still the country is simply breath-taking in detail with "Endless golden fields" (Shevchenko 13). The word Ukraine is derived from the word ukraina which means "borderland," and the name is fitting, for the country Ukraine has been the border for great empires. Within its territory resides 47.5 million people, the fifth largest population in Europe. Their language is Ukraine, although Russian is widely spoken and understood. Seventy-eight percent of the population are ethnic Ukrainians, while 17 percent are Russians, and other minorities from neighboring countries account for the remaining 5 percent.

Ukrainians are a people who are rich with heritage. They were a former republic of the Soviet Union, whom after the split had to build a new political system during tough economic times. During the Twentieth Century they lost a third of their population (fifteen million people) due to famine, the Second World War, and mass repressions.

Ukrainians are said to be a patient, and resilient people. Shevchenko writes "When you travel to Ukraine, you enter a country full of paradoxes. Ukrainians are proud of their roots" (Shevchenko 9). They fought intense wars for their land, and freedom, and weathered the harshest storms. One storm was The Great Famine of 1932-33 in which an estimated seven million people died in fifteen months. Shevchenko notes that "People died at a rate of seventeen every minute: 25,000 every day" (Shevchenko 26). Most of these deaths were children who starved.

As resilient as ever, the Ukrainians would recover, and memorialize the tragic events by passing the stories down in history to subsequent generations. One of their favorite sayings is "Things will improve somehow" (Shevchenko 16). Things did improve for the Ukrainians, and they went on to become one of Europe's thriving economies.

Russia was said to be Ukraine's big brother. It's Ukraine's largest trading partner. Russia supplies energy and gas to the Ukrainians. Oil and gas lines pass through Ukraine pipelines before reaching Europe. The Ukrainians, though considered an infant state after being recognized as an independent state only fourteen years ago, were becoming confident in their newly found independence.

There was a horrible disaster that became the catalyst for the independence that Ukrainians are so proud of. It was called the Chornobyl tragedy. On April 26, 1986, a reactor at a nuclear plant spilled. There were 10,000 deaths, and millions were affected and evacuated immediately from their homes. Some never had the opportunity to return to retrieve precious belongings as radiation levels were deadly.

The Soviet officials wanted to hide the shame of the accident, and so they denied the magnitude of the catastrophe. Widespread discontentment for the cover-up sprouted in Ukraine. Soon, the Ukrainians wanted to distance themselves from a country who cared little about the loss of lives the Ukrainians had suffered, or the families that were utterly changed forever, and more about how they were perceived. Shevchenko explains "The first thing a Ukrainian will say to you is we are not Russians" (Shevchenko 33). Russia regarded Ukraine as a sphere of vital interest, and though unhappy with the separation, had little choice but to find a way to develop a working relationship with the Ukrainians and their new found independence.

The name Russia is derived from Rus. The name comes from the Rus people, a group of Varangians who founded the state of Rus. With 143 million people, and land that expands across one-eighth of the Earth's surface, Russia is the largest country on earth. It spans nine time zones and incorporates a wide range of environments and landforms.

Russia has a lot of abundant natural resources. However, because of its size, brutal climate, and the diversity of people residing in its territory, mobilizing this vast country has proven rather difficult. Its climate is so severe that "Water thrown into the air, or saliva spit from the mouth, freezes before it reaches the ground" (Kort xx). Foreigners who have lived there for twenty-five years or more, are said to still have difficulty adjusting to