Would the Russian - Ukraine War Spark World War 3?

Abstract

Diplomatic attempts by international leaders to settle the situation have showed no signs of success, and the surprise conflict between Ukraine and Russia has taken the globe by storm in terms of politics, peace, economics, and global market systems. After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Ukraine declared its independence. After having been a part of the Russian empire, it became the Soviet Republic and severed relations with Russia in order to become more Westernized. The nation has been struggling with corruption and internal strife since it gained independence. Some parts of the nation, particularly in the west, seek closer ties to the West, while others, particularly in the east, want closer ties to Russia. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych sparked the crisis by rejecting an EU association deal in favour of tighter relations with Moscow. In what has become known as the "Revolution of Dignity," protestors toppled him. Russia's response was to invade the Crimean Peninsula and support a separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine. Donbas, the country's industrial core, was invaded shortly afterwards (Siddiqui, 2022). There were more than 14,000 fatalities in the fighting between Ukrainian troops and rebels supported by Russia. Russia has refuted accusations made by Ukraine and the West that it has sent soldiers to the region and supplied weaponry to the rebels. Russia, meanwhile, has been critical of the United States and NATO for its support to Ukraine in the form of arms and joint military training. Even though Ukraine is not a member of NATO, President Putin is nonetheless concerned about certain NATO states establishing military training camps in Ukraine. The information used in this study was gathered from secondary sources. Two primary conclusions may be drawn from this study. Two major factors contributed to the tragic loss of life and damage of property on both sides of the war: first, Russia does not completely recognise Ukraine's independence as a sovereign nation, and second, superpower nations are playing politics with the situation. According to the study's findings and recommendations, Ukraine's neighbours must acknowledge the country's status as an independent state, and the world's superpowers and other global communities must express concern for and make a significant commitment to ending the war between the nations (Jibrin Ubale Yahaya, 2022).