Following a short military operation, Russia annexed Ukrainian territory Crimea on March 17th, 2016, starting the Russo-Ukrainian war. Some onlookers expected Russia’s escalation of the conflict with the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to be similarly swift and effective. Yet, the war continues 100 days later, with no end in sight.
Thousands of people have died, including hundreds of children, infrastructure has turned to rubble, and global food and oil prices have risen, leading many to wonder why the War in Ukraine isn’t ending.
Putin underestimated Ukrainian resolve
Instead of fleeing, many Ukrainian men and women joined the armed forces to repel Russian forces. Ukrainian military leaders also employed clever guerrilla warfare tactics by ambushing attacking forces to great effect. Additionally, they utilized Turkish drone technology to incur heavy losses. By contrast, reports of demoralized Russian soldiers have gone viral on the Internet.
Ukrainian president leverages charisma
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is a former comedic actor who leverages his charisma to bring the plight of Ukraine into sharp focus. He has managed to unite the Western leadership in its goals to level the playing field —although Russia is about 28 times larger than Ukraine, the smaller nation has held its own, in no small part due to state-of-the-art weapons flowing in from its allies.
Stifling sanctions on Russia
Ukrainian allies have imposed stifling sanctions on Russia. For example, the United States is banning all Russian oil and gas imports, while the UK and EU states are trying to phase them out. Russian bank assets worth hundreds of billions of dollars have been frozen globally, making it more difficult for the country to repay international loans or partake in global trade.
Holding Russia back further are targeted economic sanctions on key businesses and business leaders. For example, football club owner Roman Abramovich has been forced to sell his iconic English football club, Chelsea FC.
Visas for influential Russians have also been suspended. Meanwhile, international companies like McDonald’s, Starbucks, and others have stopped doing business in the country. These measures are hurting Russia economically and denting their war effort.
Russia won’t give up either
Despite suffering economic falloutand losing soldiers, generals, tanks, and warships in embarrassing military losses, Russia won’t give up anytime soon either. Here are a few reasons why:
- Despite heavy economic sanctions and painful setbacks, Russia’s economy is back on its feet. One reason for this is that Russia is one of the most resource-rich countries in the world. Additionally, many countries continue to trade with them. For example, United States ally, India, led by the right-wing BJP government, continues to buy Russian oil.
- Russia has a tight grip on its media. The official Russian narrative, consumed by the average Russian, justifies the invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, dissidents like activists and brave journalists have been silenced.
- Russia sits on a stockpile of the most fearsome nuclear weapons the planet has ever seen. It’s also threatened to use them. The world doesn’t want to risk a nuclear conflict and will avoid ending the war through military means.
- Russian leaders sometimes pay the ultimate price after a conflict. Russian leader Vladimir Putin knows this very well and won’t risk losing his grip on power by admitting defeat or backing out of Ukraine without a big consolation prize.
Some experts say that the only person who can end the war in Russia is Putin. Despite paying an enormous price, he doesn’t seem to want peace, at least not yet.
Must Read : Help Ukraine Today – save Europe’s future!
