Are we at a real risk of going to war with Russia?  What’s the worst that could happen – including getting drafted or having our daily lives upended?  To some, these thoughts might be unrealistic and delusional; to others, these may be real problems that bring about fear for the future, or keep one awake at night.  Though our society will undoubtedly have major challenges to face in the coming years and decades, the state of current events could make it appear as if the end could come soon, beyond our control, at any given minute.  In an unstable and globalized world, no one can really know what, if anything, will happen.

   Within the past few months, at least 100 thousand Russian troops have been positioned around the Ukrainian border, including troop movements into Belarus along Ukraine’s northern border.  In the past, Russian president Vladimir Putin has expressed a desire to reunify with Ukraine, which was a republic of the Soviet Union until it dissolved in 1991.  He similarly feels that the military alliance NATO is a threat to Russia’s territory, and he has demanded that the alliance retract its eastward progression and especially exclude Ukraine from the alliance.  (Russia already annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, which forces world leaders to consider the threat seriously.)  Although military intelligence suggests that an invasion could occur within the year, Russian leaders have denied such intentions, and the US has asserted that the threat of invasion is undecided and not immediate (BBC).  Whether or not this impacts us directly is yet to be seen, but regardless of what happens, our community can be trusted to stand strong against it.

   “While my limited knowledge on the situation brings bias, I do believe that it would not be good for anyone if a war broke out, especially with how the world is right now during the pandemic. So I understand why people would be worried about one happening, especially with the increasing tensions between the two countries,” Meghan O’Hara (12) said.

Source:  BBC.  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56720589