By: AB G

About a year ago, Russia took advantage of Ukraine and began to invade its country. Houses, people, and minds, have all been hurt.

This war has been going on for almost a year, and Russia and Ukraine have been enemies since 2014, having small quarrels between countries. It is an international conflict, and on February 24, 2022, Russia began to take real action against the citizens of Ukraine. Ukraine has lost many of its natural resources such as oil, due to bombing and fire. Ukraine and Russia have both suffered 100,000 casualties.

This war happened because Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, wanted to keep Ukraine on Russia’s side, although Ukraine refused, causing this terrible war. Over five million Ukrainians are expected to attempt to flee Ukraine due to the poor war conditions and the constant bombing.

This war is brutal for the Ukrainians, and many citizens have lost their families due to this war. “And now I am all alone,” said Marina, a Ukrainian citizen that lost her family in the war. Many people will experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from this war. Constantly hearing bombings, hiding from malicious soldiers, gunshots, and seeing close friends and family members die all hurt and are a lot to handle, especially for children.

Some people blame Ukraine for the war, although it is not its fault. Ukraine became an independent country in 1991; therefore, Russia should not try to claim it as its own. Russia still wanted to take control just 23 years after it got independence. This is Russia’s fault because they invaded Ukraine first, and the Ukrainians are trying to fight back for their country, not to destroy Russia.

To help the Ukrainians, you can donate to charities such as the Ukrainian Red Cross, People in Need, or UNICEF.

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