Even though the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has ceased since it started in 2014, skirmishes and shelling continue regularly, with an anticipated increase in aggression (Kirby and Guyer, 2022). Russia began mobilizing military equipment and troops along the Ukrainian border in 2021, reigniting suspicions of an attack. In December 2021, Russia presented a series of conditions that included a ban on Ukraine from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and a reduction of military equipment and NATO forces in Eastern Europe in exchange for the removal of its soldiers. America and other NATO allies have rejected these terms and cautioned Russia of repercussions if Ukraine is attacked, including economic penalties and weaponry support.
Source of conflict
Protests in Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv began in November 2013 in response to Ukrainian head of state Viktor Yanukovych’s rejection of a plan for closer economic cooperation with the West. The conflict escalated after a violent crackdown by state forces, and the president was forced to flee the country in 2014. Russian militaries seized power over Ukraine’s Crimean region in 2014 after Crimeans opted to unite with the Russian government in a contentious vote. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, emphasized the significance of defending the interests of Russian speakers and Russian people in southeast Ukraine and Crimea.
When a Malaysian aircraft was struck down over Ukrainian airspace in 2014, the conflict in Ukraine exploded into a global crisis, placing the European Union and the United States at war with Russia. In 2015, aircraft accident investigators established that a Russian surface-to-air missile struck the plane. Since then, Ukraine, Germany, France, and Russia have attempted to mediate a cease-fire.
Issues
If Russia extends its position into NATO nations or Ukraine, it will threaten U.S.-Russia relations and escalate further. Russia’s undertakings have sparked broader worries about its objectives in East Europe, and Putin’s intrusion into a NATO region would elicit retaliation from America as a NATO ally. The battle has increased strains in Russia’s relations with Europe and the US, upsetting prospects for cooperation on other matters, including weapons control, terrorism, and a political settlement in Syria.
An analysis of the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
The Russia-Ukraine conflict is multi-cultural and challenging because it is not as one-sided as Ukraine being invaded by Russia for land or as easy as it might seem. Other elements to consider include history, conflicting opinions, varied interests and beliefs of multiple nations, and even disagreements. International issues are intricate and involve many individuals from many sides, making diplomatic talks challenging and time-consuming. Hence, the conflict is seemingly intractable as the battle seems escalating despite futile diplomatic discussions. Russia is accused of lying about pulling back its forces from Ukrainian borders (Kramer et al., 2022).
The conflict has compromised and violated some of the core values of positive conflict resolution. The value of reciprocity is undermined when Viktor Yanukovych denies his citizens the benefits of economic cooperation with the EU. Additionally, the value of nonviolence is violated when 10,300 people are killed and an estimated 24,000 others injured by the Ukrainian military and the separatist forces backed by the Russian government.
The chief stakeholders in this conflict are Russia, Ukraine, and the United States of America. Russia is oriented as an aggressor because it is accused of lying about withdrawing military forces and weapons at the Ukrainian border. Hence, Russia plays into the escalation of the conflict. Ukraine has responded to Russian occupation by blocking the canal that conveys water to Crimea, escalating the conflict. On the contrary, the US is attempting to de-escalate the situation by mediating between the two countries and stopping Russia from pursuing military actions aimed at invading Ukraine.
The Ukrainian conflict is destructive because if Russia attacks Ukraine, there will be severe consequences, such as fatalities, injuries, and economic disruption. These are detrimental consequences that Ukrainians will not be satisfied with and will not gain. Recent events have reignited discussion in Ukraine about the formal and informal usage of the Russian dialect, which has historically been a component of Ukrainian culture (Besters-Dilger, 2009). Ukraine’s new legislature revoked the contentious Language Law of 2012, which granted Russian (and a few other languages) legal status in areas where they are prevalent. Nevertheless, it was rejected by Ukraine’s interim president, causing turmoil in its east and south.
Armed forces controlling sections of the Luhanska and Donetsk areas continued to detain people arbitrarily and incommunicado and employ torture and ill-treatment in conflict-related instances, including eliciting confessions. Justice for war-related abuses by state forces such as torture, arbitrary detentions, or ill-treatment has remained elusive. Furthermore, the government formulated legislative changes that would jeopardize the liberty of media and expression.
There is a judgmental bias that many foreign media portray Russians and their country as weak-willed people or villains. Hence, it has elicited emotions of anger amongst most Russians. The impact of such biases is little support for Russia as it is popularly viewed as an aggressor.
Some Individuals see the situation in Ukraine as an aspect of a resurgent geopolitical competition between Russia and the West (Masters, 2021). Long-simmering unsolved issues in a critical country like Ukraine can push the world to the edge of the unimaginable: another massive conflict between major European powers. It has been recognized that the Ukrainian dialect (Russian or Ukrainian) and their sentiments toward Russia, which are molded by their views on culture, impact Ukrainian voting behavior into pro-Russian or pro-Western orientations (Kuzio, 2019). These sentiments affect their backing for Ukraine’s entry into the NATO, EU, and the CIS.
Ukraine’s current situation exemplifies the threat of a destructive feedback cycle between the effects of wartime and environmental damage (Hook and Marcantonio, 2018). Armed conflict and its constituent operations degrade the environment in various ways. Carbon emissions from combat vehicles and surface waste pollute the environment. Additionally, soil and water pollution from detonated munitions, unexploded ordnance, and other air toxins released from scorching buildings encourage diseases.
The conflict theory practice has four ways of dealing with conflict once the type of conflict is identified: do nothing, direct management, indirect management, and exiting (Gallo, 2017). The Ukrainian conflict has adopted indirect control by involving a third party (The US) to add a new perspective.
Some constructive lessons can be learned from the Ukrainian conflict. Confrontation is not always bad since confronting problems whenever they arise is an excellent way to grow relationships (Arthur, 2016). Hence, confrontation should be viewed as a positive step and not an ill device that should be evaded at all costs. Also, learning to pose valid questions that disclose the underlying basis of the problem is a HUGE component of constructive conflict. Finally, if one-on-one confrontations don’t work out, it is always ideal to involve a neutral third party.
Conflict resolution research and training help inform solutions for future conflict scenarios similar to those witnessed in the Russia-Ukraine conflict by imparting fundamental social skills and educating individuals on resolving disputes. It also prevents disagreements from occurring in the first place, allowing parties to maintain a healthy and collaborative relationship (Callanan and Perri 2006). Every team member feels as if they are part of a group where expressing one’s ideas and issues is acceptable without fear of retaliation from colleagues. Additionally, parties learn to appreciate one another’s differences and translate minor conflicts into learning experiences.
Creativity does not factor into the Ukrainian conflict. However, hope and change are factored into the confrontation. While pressures mount between Kyiv and Moscow, young residents on both ends of the border yearn for peace, and everybody hopes for a peaceful resolution to the conflict (Jack, 2022). While some Russian citizens feel the West exacerbates the issue, the majority desire an immediate diplomatic settlement. According to Ekaterina, nobody wants a war in Russia, a twenty-five-year-old student at Moscow’s School of Economics (Bohdan, 2022).
Tensions between Ukraine and Russia appear to be rising, with the White House warning that a Ukraine invasion by Russia remains imminent (NDTV, 2022). Joe Biden stated he would consider imposing direct penalties on Putin as well as several other measures while cautioning that such an action would have “huge repercussions” and even “change the world.” New sanctions would include limitations on the export of high-tech US supplies used in artificial intelligence, aerospace, and quantum computing, according to an official who spoke anonymously.
References
Arthur, P. (2016). Thinking Beyond Conflict and Confrontation. In Where We Dwell in Common (pp. 35-53). Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
Besters-Dilger, J. (Ed.). (2009). Language policy and language situation in Ukraine: Analysis and recommendations. Peter Lang.
Bohdan, K. (2022). Russians hope for peace as the world talks of war. Aljazeera.com. Retrieved 18 February 2022, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/27/ukraine-crisis-russians-hope-for-peace-as-the-world-talks-of-war.
Callanan, G. A., & Perri, D. F. (2006). Teaching conflict management using a scenario-based approach. Journal of Education for Business, 81(3), 131-139.
Gallo, A. (2017). HBR guide to dealing with conflict (HBR Guide Series). Harvard Business Review Press.
Hook, K., & Marcantonio, R. (2022). Environmental dimensions of conflict and paralyzed responses: the ongoing case of Ukraine and future implications for urban warfare. Small Wars & Insurgencies, 1-29.
Jack, V. (2022). Not worth fighting over: Young Ukrainians and Russians shun war. Aljazeera.com. Retrieved 18 February 2022, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/7/not-worth-fighting-for-young-ukrainians-and-russians-shun-war.
Kirby, J., & Guyer, J. (2022). The increasingly complicated Russia-Ukraine crisis explained. Vox. Retrieved 18 February 2022, from https://www.vox.com/22917719/russia-ukraine-invasion-border-crisis-nato-explained.
Kramer, A., Troianovski, A., & Shear, M. (2022). Ukraine Tensions Spike as West Accuses Russia of Lying About Troop Withdrawal. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 18 February 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/16/world/europe/ukraine-russia-putin-nato.html.
Kuzio, T. (2018). Russia–Ukraine crisis: The blame game, geopolitics and national identity. Europe-Asia Studies, 70(3), 462-473.
Masters, J. (2020). Ukraine: Conflict at the crossroads of Europe and Russia. Council on Foreign Relations, 5.
NDTV. (2022). Russian Invasion Of Ukraine “Will Change The World,” Joe Biden Warns. NDTV.com. Retrieved 18 February 2022, from https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/russia-ukraine-conflict-russia-ukraine-conflict-news-direct-sanctions-on-vladimir-putin-joe-biden-dares-russia-over-ukraine-2730126.
