With the town of Debalseve now under the control of pro-Russian rebels, it may seem as though Ukraine is losing its battle against said rebels. The two sides were fighting over this town for days because of its strategic potential.
One of Al Jazeera’s reporters, who was reporting from Moscow, said “the main objective was to humiliate Ukraine and create instability in the country.”
Ukraine has been under attack by pro-Russian forces for nearly a year, even though an official ceasefire was made between the two.
The source of the conflict lies in the difference of opinions regarding European influence. Given Ukraine’s proximity to Russia, the tensions created a major problem when the European Union and Ukraine initiated an Association Agreement, or a treaty that links countries together economically, politically, and socially.
“They [Russia] didn’t believe in our ability to negotiate a good agreement,” said Pavlo Klimkin, one of the Association Agreement negotiators, “and…in our commitment to implement a good agreement.”
Killings in Kiev’s Maiden Square caused a ripple effect, essentially causing the Ukraine’s government to collapse. This led to the annexation of Moscow and Crimea and a separatist war in the east.
BBC said that “more than 5,400 people have been killed since the conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine in April, but the UN believes the death toll to be much higher.”
UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said “Bus stops and public transport, marketplaces, schools and kindergartens, hospitals and residential areas have become battlegrounds in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.”
Because of the heavy fighting in these areas, many residents have fled to safer territory. Fortunately, BBC also said that “U.S. officials are reported to be considering sending defense weapons and other lethal aid to Ukraine’s armed forces.”
In March 2014, President Obama addressed the situation in Ukraine: “[W]e’re imposing sanctions on more senior officials of the Russian government. In addition, we are . . . sanctioning a number of other individuals with substantial resources and influence who provide material support to the Russian leadership, as well as a bank that provides material support to these individuals.”
Options for the war-torn country are lessening as Ukraine’s civilian death toll rises dangerously.
Tensions in Ukraine are worsening.
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