By William Hayden Dietz ~ News Editor
There have been multiple Russian incursions into Ukrainian territory in the past few weeks, over disputes over territory and the membership of Ukraine in NATO.
On Sunday, Russia and Ukraine accused each other of wanting to cause a war, and both called for escalated attempts for a diplomatic solution to current disputes.
Macron the Prime Minister of France, Joe Biden, and Olaf Scholz, the Prime Minister of Germany have collectively stated that they support Ukrainian territorial sovereignty and oppose what they believe to be a Russian military intrusion.
Belarus, under dictator Lukashenko, has publicly supported Russia and has even claimed they will support Russia in a war with Ukraine.
Belarus and Russia have been close allies since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and Belarus has recently become more integrated with Russia militarily and economically, the two countries have likely jointly prepared for a conflict in the region.
Recently, tensions have accelerated on the Ukrainian Russian border as Russia shells towns with Ukrainian military installations.
The conflict in this region revolves around Dontetest and Luhansk, two separatist republics which are waging a guerrilla war against the Ukrainian government, with Russian support.
The parts of Ukraine furthest East have the most support of Russian influence, but the West is different.
Many in Western Ukraine fear Russian military intervention and want to join NATO
(North Atlantic Treaty Organization) for protection against Russia.
There has been a long ongoing conflict in this region for years, but it has not yet spilled into armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
If Russia invades Ukraine, all sides will surely pay dearly and millions will be left homeless and destitute.
Matt Fields, a junior swimmer, stated that he did not believe there would be a war, because there have been multiple incursions in the past which ultimately were resolved without a total invasion.
Isaiah Harrison, a junior, said he thought Russia might invade the country of Ukraine, but would not enter into a war against the United States.
As political tensions continue to worsen across the world, please visit
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/22/putin-orders-troops-into-eastern-ukraine-invasion-of-ukraine-has-begun-javid-says.html to stay informed about this developing story on CNBC’s live blog.
