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Written & Designed by Katherine Thacker
Dr. Zucconi
GOVT 202
17 May 2022

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Russia started to invade Ukraine due to the weakness in their government and also other countries in the world. This invasion will effect the world economically, politically, and militaristically. Not only will affect the countries, but it will affect the human beings' health for the rest of their lives.

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On a normal Wednesday night the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin made a speech that "special military operation" would start in Ukraine. This exploded the news organization, but the country of Ukraine would not be totally surprised about this invasion. Russia had already began moving troops to the border of Russia and Ukraine, therefore Ukraine knew that something was going to happen soon. Although this invasion will mainly affect both Ukraine and Russia on either way it goes, it also will have an impact on the United States. Russia and the United States were already not on the best terms and Russia started to prevent different demands that the United States received from them. According to this article, "Putin demanded that NATO stop its eastward expansion and deny membership to Ukraine, and that NATO roll back troop deployment in countries that had joined after 1997, which would turn back the clocks decades on Europe's security and geopolitical alignment," (Guyer & Kirby). Both Russia and the United States knew that Ukraine was not going to join NATO. After Russia has gotten the whole world to watch his next moves on Ukraine, Moscow denies that they had any intentions to plan on invading, but only if it was necessary to respond to negotiations. Many wonder why Russia wants to mess with the country of Ukraine now, but they have been neighboring countries for years. For one, some speculate that Putin noticed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was, "a comedian who played a president on TV and then became the actual president," (Guyer & Kirby). The same type of understanding with the United States when President Joe Biden was elected. Putin saw the weakness in both presidents, therefore people speculate that it was his time to invade.

Jonathon Guyer and Jen Kirby, “The increasingly complicated Russia-Ukraine crisis,” Vox, February 23, 2022 https://www.vox.com/22917719/russia-ukraine-invasion-border-crisis-nato-explained

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The invasion that Russia had on Ukraine will impact other countries in the world, not just Ukraine and Russia. One way that it will impact other countries is economically as there will be a slower growth and faster inflation seen. According to the article, there will be three major ways that the invasion affects the economy. "One, higher prices from commodities like food and energy will push up inflation further, in turn eroding the value of incomes and weighing on demand," ("How War"). This means that the value of a dollar will not be the same value due to the prices of everything increasing. The authors also wrote, "Two, neighboring economies in particular will grapple with disrupted trade, supply chains, and remittances as well as an historic surge in refugee flows," ("How War"). Russia is a main distributer when it comes to supplies and food, therefore the countries that depend on them for resources will be interrupted. These countries may not have another country to receive these supplies from, therefore they might be out of luck. Finally the last reason read, "Three, reduced business confidence and higher investor uncertainty will weigh on asset prices, tightening financial conditions and potentially spurring capital outflows from emerging markets," ("How War"). While some stocks in the stock market rely on the processing in the country of Russia, there might be risks that stockholders are going to have to take. As well as major businesses that are based in Russia or anything on the business side that is based in Russia. The economy was and will continued to be interrupted in the world because of Russia's invasion on Ukraine. Unfortunately to this day, this crisis is still going on with no sight of the end.

Alfred Kammer, Jihad Azour, Abebe A. Selassie, IIan Goldfajn and Changyong Rhee, “How War in Ukraine Is Reverberating across World’s Regions,” IMF Blog, March 15, 2022 https://blogs.imf.org/2022/03/15/how-war-in-ukraine-is-reverberating-across-worlds-regions/#:~:text=The%20conflict%20is%20a%20major,slower%20growth%20and%20faster%20inflation.

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While there would be too much information to research about how the Russian-Ukraine Crisis would impact each country, politically. This article explains the impact that this invasion with have on the United States politics for the future years to come. Throughout the whole invasion, the United States has had to make political decisions that would impact how other countries view the United States and the relationship that they have Russia. According to the article, "A recent AP-NORC poll found that only four in 10 Americans approve of how U.S. President Joe Biden has handled foreign policy and the U.S.-Russia Relationship," (Rondeaux). The main conflict that Joe Biden and the United States is the choice of aiding Ukraine with weapons and financial aid. With the help, it may end up backfiring on the United States by supporting Ukraine because of the threat that Russia displays in the world. It took the United States a second Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory to wake up and understand that Putin was not joking about being at war. The way that Putin has gone about the invasion should scare the United States because he is going to do the impossible and things that you think would not happen, will happen. President Putin is very dangerous especially from the fact that they did not wipe out Ukraine as fast as they were thinking. Future conflict will arise from this invasion and the United States may have been drawn into it. According to the article, "For about a 'new Cold War'. If, as some experts believe is possible, the fighting in Ukraine morphs into a regional war, it could draw in Poland or the Baltic states, meaning that NATO and therefore the United States will be dragged into the conflict," (Rondeaux). This conflict has not directly affect the United States except inflation occurring, but the future holds much more.

Rondeaux, Candace, “Russia's Ukraine Invasion Will Haunt U.S. Politics for Years to Come.” What the Russia Ukraine War Means for U.S. Politics, 28 Feb. 2022, www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/30358/what-the-russia-ukraine-war-means-for-u-s-politics.

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The invasion on Ukraine has led to hundreds of deaths and injuries as the war has been intense and unrest-less. The United States and NATO have condemned the invasion and considered it unjustified. They have placed plenty of sanction on Russia that has affected the outcome of this attack. Many questions rise about all of the countries getting involved and if it lead to World War III. During the beginning of this invasion, Biden made it very clear that the United States military troops will not be fighting in this conflict. The reason according to this article states, "Essentially, Biden is looking to avoid direct conflict between U.S. military forces and Russia, to avoid escalating the invasion into a global conflict between Putin and the West," (Huddleston). Before the invasion in Ukraine, the U.S. ordered that all American troops and citizens in Ukraine to evacuate because if not, the U.S. has no protection over them. If the United States and Russia begin fighting at each other there will be another war as both of these countries are the top militaristic countries. Ian Bremmer, president of the geopolitical consultancy Eurasia Group, told CNBC that the western countries sending troops is going to "lead to direct confrontation between NATO and Russian troops and accordingly risks World War III," (Huddleston). All experts and presidents may think they know what the future will hold, but Russia has proven that they are not afraid. Therefore, all other countries need to be cautious about moving there militaries and how they hold themselves in the media and press reports.

Huddleston, Tom, “Will the Russia-Ukraine War Lead to World War III? and 2 Other Big Questions, Explained.” CNBC, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2022, www.cnbc.com/2022/03/10/what-the-russia-ukraine-war-means-for-the-average-american-explained.html.

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While the invasion is impacting the countries in the world, it is also affecting children who are living through it. The Ukrainian children are living in a war zone that will impact there thinking and actions for the rest of their lives. They have gone through "constant threat of shelling, shooting and losing loved ones, as well as worry over accessing food, clean drinking water and healthcare, and the breakdown of their usual routines and structures," (Dr Amir Khan). These children are experiencing a survival mode at a young age while they are fleeing their country with only having the clothes on their backs and enough to carry in their hands. This type of experience a child should never have to go through especially from Russia invading without reasoning. These children are going to have to live the rest of their lives with PTSD and depression because of the trauma they have been through. According to the article, "Past studies of newly arrived refugee children show rates of anxiety from 49 percent to 69 percent, with prevalence dramatically increasing if at least one parent had been tortured or if families were separated," (Dr Amir Khan). These mental disorders are no joke and should not be gone unnoticed as these children need serious help from professional doctors. Other ways to improve the mental health of these children is to quickly integrate them into schools to make new friends so that they have a happy place other than thinking back into the war zone. Not only are the children directly in Ukraine being affected, but also children in other countries. One way to help the anxiety of children is for adult to not show their anxiety and stress because children can pick up on it. Although, not showing emotion may be difficult, but "its whats best for the children," (Dr Amir Khan). The children affected by this conflict need to be treated and not ignored because if not, they will suffer in silence the rest of their lives. The children are innocent and do not deserve the traumatic events happening in their lives at such a young age.

Dr Amir Khan, “How is the Ukraine war affecting children’s mental health,” Aljazeera, March 31, 2022 https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/3/31/how-is-the-ukraine-war-affecting-childrens-mental-health

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May 16, 2022 - Russia is still invading and fighting Ukraine in hopes to over take their country.

Latest Developments
- Strong Ukrainian defences in Donbas region holding for now
- Russian forces pushed out further from second-city Kharkiv
- Ongoing bombardment of Mariupol factory by Russian forces
- Belarus deploys some forces near Ukraine border
- Russia has complete control of Southern Ukraine and majority of Eastern Ukraine

Team, The Visual Journalism, “Ukraine War in Maps: Tracking the Russian Invasion.” BBC News, BBC, 16 May 2022, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60506682.

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While some people are going day-to-day trying to survive, others are able to watch the suffering on their cell phones. Disturbing videos and photos are going around social media as buildings and bodies are being destroyed in cities like Kyiv and Kharkiv. Kero Lubkova was born in Odessa, Ukraine but now lives in Colorado, United States and checks her social media everyday for updates. Lubkova says, "I definitely don't think that anybody should ever be used to seeing things like this, I unfortunately have to see this with my own two eyes," (Ducharme). Even though Lubkova does not live in Ukraine anymore being able to see everything going on through social media seems just as painful. There have been raw images and videos on all social media platforms including TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. Social media is a powerful way that can get information across a group of people faster than the new can. One conflict with this exposure of videos deals with the fact that you cannot always believe the media and what they are portraying. Another conflict is understanding that watching these videos will also cause mental problems in humans. According to Roxane Cohen Silver, a professor of psychological science at the University of California, "the amount of media someone consumes and how graphic the content is influence its effects on mental health," (Ducharme). To be able to view the harmful events in a video may not be as graphic as experiencing it in person, but it has similar impacts on the human mind. One positive of the social media covering it would be to understand that this invasion is not "fake news" and that people are actually fighting for their own survival. While it is important to stay caught up with the news, Roxane Cohen Silver recommends to watch the amount of social media and news coverage because your mental heath and stress levels matter more.

Ducharme, Jamie, “Watching War Unfold on Social Media Affects Mental Health.” Time, Time, 8 Mar. 2022, time.com/6155630/ukraine-war-social-media-mental-health/.

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The Russia invasion is going on its third month with no resolution in sight, while NATO leaders are bracing for a war in Europe. This instability in Ukraine may last for more months, or even year, to come. Harvard scholar Oleh Kotsyuba and Northeastern University professor Mai'a Cross and Pablo Calderon stated, "Russia has been a loser in all of this. We have to acknowledge the fact that Russia is much weaker than many military analyst thought," (Markos). Therefore, Putin will be the most dangerous now since his military did not conquer Ukraine the way he thought they would. Putin is more angry, embarrassed, and unpredictable than he has ever been before which lead many to think that this war will not be ending soon. Cross stated, "There's no way that Ukrainians are going to sign some kind of treaty saying that they're happy to cede this territory to Russia,"(Markos). With this information, this war will continue until there is a winner. With the west being involved and supplying Ukraine, there will continue to be a war fought. Therefore, the west plays a key role in ending this war because their supplies is what is also keeping this war going. As the western countries want this to end, they are also influencing the war to keep happening. Personally, I hope that there is an end and that everything will go back to normal but I know that it would never happen like that. So until then, the United States needs to continue to do what is best for the safety of their citizens and country.

Markos, Mary, “When Will the War in Ukraine End? Local Experts Explain.” NBC Boston, NBC10 Boston, 12 May 2022, www.nbcboston.com/news/local/when-will-the-war-in-ukraine-end-local-experts-explain/2718287/.

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The Russian-Ukraine crisis has been happening for around three months now with no end in sight. Therefore, it is important to understand the impacts that this will have. Economical impact is huge while this invasion will affect prices all over the country. Not only will affect the prices of other countries, but it will also have an impact on the United States for future elections and political decisions. The choices made now in the United States will impact if the war continues and if the U.S. will get involved. This crisis has also impact military troops that are involved in the fighting and getting prepared for fighting. While militaries are getting prepared, the children and families at home are also being impacted first hand and second hand from the media. Mental health will also be affected by this crisis as people are experiencing it in their own eyes and also through the eyes on social media. The invasion of Ukraine has caused a bunch of issues in the upcoming future and there is no definite end date. The most important thing as an American is to know the impacts that it has on the countries, people, and mostly importantly themselves.