Militarisation, according to Merriam Webster, means the act of equipping with military forces and defenses. The literal meaning itself sounds dangerous, but it's impact on our world is something far more destructive. One of the threats to the peace of our world in the present day is countries militarizing beyond control. A perfect example for this would be the ongoing tension between Russia and Ukraine. Going on for years, According to many experts, this situation could disrupt our world peace vastly. Here's analyzing this situation - Perspectoverse's Anthahkarana.
Ukraine shares borders with both the EU and Russia. Ukraine and Russia share hundreds of years of cultural, linguistic and familial links. Ever since Ukraine split from the Soviet Union, both the EU and Russia have tried to have greater influence in the nation in order to keep the power in the region - in their favour ! Moreover, the shared heritage of Russia and Ukraine has been exploited numerous times for military and other purposes.
When Ukrainians forcefully removed their pro-Russian president in 2014, Russia got enraged by this and seized the southern Crimean peninsula from Ukraine. And then, annexed it. It was the first time a European country annexed territory from another country since World War-2. This act followed a Russian military intrusion in Crimea that took place in the aftermath of the Ukranian revolution (In the same year) and was part of wider unrest across southern and eastern Ukraine).
The Ukrainian revolution in 2014 is called Euromaidan. Euromaidan was a wave of protests and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began with public protests in the mid November of 2013. The protestors were angry at Ukraine's then president Viktor Yanukovych - who was pro-Russian - who decided to join the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union instead of the EU. This protest led to drastic consequences. In February 2014, clashes between the protestors and the riot police became violent, and resulted in the deaths of nearly 130 people, including 18 police officers. These violent acts led to the removal of ex-president Yanukovych from power. And about a week later, the Russian invasion of Crimea began.
Forward to now, the main conflict of interest between Russia and Ukraine is that of NATO. The European Union and, mainly, the USA are supporting Ukraine in their attempt to join NATO [Even though Ukraine has not been offered NATO membership, they have close ties with the bloc]. Russia is seeking assurances from the US that Ukraine won't be inducted into NATO. But, the US is not prepared to give that assurance.
This has resulted in tension between these countries and tens of thousands of Russian troops are ready to invade Ukraine. The Biden administration is looking to project support for Ukraine's independence from Russia and its territorial integrity. They have warned Russia's president Vladimir Putin that an attack on Ukraine would bring huge losses to his country - including economic pain and military losses.
But Russia's response to these has been varying from time to time. Their armed forces chief Valery Gerasimov initially said that "information circulating in the media about the alleged impending Russian invasion of Ukraine is a lie". They have also accused Ukraine of building up troops - some 125,000 people - in the east, saying that Kyiv is planning to invade areas which are controlled by Russian-backed radicals. Ukraine has responded to this claim by saying that it is just a "propaganda nonsense" by Russia to cover its own plans. Russia has also alleged that NATO countries are pumping Ukraine with weapons.
Few times Russia has also directly hinted in the media that they are preparing to invade Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to "take adequate military-technical response measures harshly to unfriendly steps".
Recently, US President Joe Biden held talks with Vladimir Putin about the Ukraine situation and it is reported that Putin has warned Biden that US's pursuit of new sanctions with Ukraine could lead to a complete breakdown in relations and would be a colossal mistake. Amidst all this, Biden has repeatedly assured that the United States and its allies will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine.
Upon considering all the facts, the present situation seems to be recalcitrant. LIthuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has aptly described the present scenario by saying that this might be "the most dangerous it's been in 30 years". Military experts say that the Ukrainian army can easily be undermined by the Russian troops - even if it has the support of the US and its allies. Whatever may happen, one thing that must be remembered is that “War does not determine who is right - only who is left”.
Written by Anthahkarana
Illustrated by Rishita Banerjee
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