On February 23rd of 2022, the United Nations gathered to discuss ongoing tensions on the borders of Ukraine-Russia, where approximately 190,000 Russian soldiers had gathered. During the meeting, it was announced that the Russian “President” Putin had declared that the Russian military was going to conduct a military operation to overthrow the supposed ‘tyrannical’ Ukrainian government. Immediate combat began and the Russian Federations representative stiffened up, expressing regret that NATO refused to meet Russia’s previous demands. In response, Ukraine’s Prime Minister pleaded, if not demanded, that Russian Federation representative Nebenzia “…call [Russian Foreign Minister Sergey] Lavrov,” in hopes to show the UN that Russia had no plan to cease their invasion.

Following some statements made by other UN members, Ukraine took the stage once again, demanding that representative Nebenzia should relinquish his duties as Chair and call the Russian President and Minister for Foreign Affairs to stop the aggression. He went on to encourage other members of the council to meet soon to discuss how they should proceed further, stating, “there is no purgatory for war criminals — they go straight to hell”. (See transcripts of the discussion here)

As of March 3rd, 2022 the Russian invasion has made much ground throughout Ukraine but faced much more resistance than previously expected by Russia. As a result of their invasion, Russian forces have sparked a humanitarian crisis for the Ukrainian people, displacing up to 1,000,000 Ukrainians as projected by the UNHCR.

The Russian forces are reported to have taken thorough sweeps throughout the regions between Ukraine’s major cities like Kharkiv, Mariupol, Lviv, Kherson, Odesa, and most importantly the capital Kyiv. So far their forces have occupied the South-Eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as well as the port of Kherson, effectively cutting the city off entirely. Other cities like Mariupol, Kharkiv, and Kyiv have undergone heavy shelling which has reportedly resulted in the deaths of 2,000 Ukrainian civilians, as reported by Ukraine’s state emergency service not independent media.

Key Developments so far

• Russian forces have claimed control over key city Kherson, following rounds of shelling on Mariupol, with Ukrainian officials fearing hundreds dead.
• Approximately 1,200,000 Ukrainians were displaced, fleeing into neighboring countries. (UNHCR)
• Many members of the UN, as well as other economically powerful countries, have deployed severe sanctions on both Russian elites and the nation’s economy, driving the ruble, Russia’s currency, to a new low.
• Pleas from 39 different countries have allowed the International Criminal Court to launch a full investigation on human rights violations conducted by the Russian government spanning back to 2013.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has offered weaponry for any volunteers willing to fight, no matter their country of origin, as well as many reports of Russian Soldiers abandoning their posts and surrendering.

From what we can gather, the conflict seems to stem from a belief held by the Russian government, or at least its leader Putin, that “near abroad” nations such as Ukraine are and always have been integral aspects of Russia. Moreover, Putin has made claims that the government residing in Kyiv is tyrannical and has been committing genocide in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, comparing the government to the Nazi party of WWII.

As we await results from the ICC’s investigation, the concern is being directed on humanitarian aid in the various regions of Ukraine, but there’s a particular focus in civilian regions that Russian forces have recently begun to target in order to wither Ukrainian morale. Among these include Kherson, which has been reportedly claimed or at least encircled by Russian forces, and Mariupol, which has recently been shelled for hours on end. However, Russian efforts to encircle Kyiv have slowed, with US intelligence indicating that a multi-mile-long Russian convoy North of Kyiv hasn’t moved whatsoever despite their continued aerial bombardment of the city.

For a more thorough understanding, and more frequent updates, see the following;

• BBC Live Updates
• Al Jazeera Live Updates
• New York Times Live Updates
• Ukrainian Displacement, UNHCR