Why is Russia attacking Ukraine?

The war in Europe has begun. The Russian army has attacked various cities in various Ukrainian regionsmostly military infrastructure, airports and airfields. Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnitsky, Kharkiv, Kiev, Odessa, Kherson, Kramatorsk and Lugansk are some of those areas. Faced with this situation, European citizens are looking closely at the conflict zone wondering why this conflict has started.

Maximiliano Fuentes Codera, Doctor in Contemporary History and professor at the University of Girona, points out that it is a geopolitical problem. Thus, the expert puts himself in the shoes of both leaders. “From Putin’s point of view, Russia attacks because it considers it an interference by NATO by not respecting the Paris agreements,” says Fuentes. According to these agreements, which took place after the Cold War, NATO would not seek to influence ex-Soviet territories, as was Ukraine. From the point of view of NATO, the United States and the European Unioncontinues Fuentes, it is considered that there has been an interference of Russia “in sovereign territories, as is the case in Ukraine.

There are also elements that play a secondary role in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, points out the doctor in Contemporary History. The previous conflicts between both territories come into play, the case of donbas and even Crimea of ​​2014, when Russia this territory was directly annexed. A fact that part of euromaidanthe ukrainian revolution that starts at the end of 2013 and that ends with the impeachment of Yanukovych, then president of Ukraine.

Maximiliano Fuentes Codera explains the importance of this fact: “That was for the Russian government as a coup”. Thus begins a diplomatic conflict that ends with the accession of the Crimean peninsula and the city of Sevastopol to Russia. The historian insists that it is not a directly linked element, it is a process. “It is one more step in the process of Russian territorial growth,” he explains. Crimea was of special interest to Russia. In the town of Sevastopol, in southern Crimea, is the main Russian naval base. Russia paid a tax to Ukraine for being in its territory, until then. This region had been part of Russian territory for a time. In Putin’s mind was the return to the origin, to a territory that was his. Despite this, the expert insists: “This is a geopolitical problem”.

How many soldiers does Ukraine have?

Within this context, Russia boasts of occupying second place in the Global Firepower listthe site specialized in military monitoring that annually produces a ranking of the most powerful armies in the world. Ukraine is at number 22with 200,000 active soldiers. Russia quadruples the number: 850,000. Given this, Maximiliano Fuentes Codera issues a warning: “We are facing a propaganda war, you can hardly believe what comes out of one side and the other.”