UKRAINE – On February 24, 2021, Russia began a full-scale invasion of the very peaceful nation of Ukraine. The Russian president Vladimir Putin who has now broken several international laws attacked Ukraine for no reason whatsoever. However, Ukraine and Putin have a history as the two also clashed back in 2014 when Putin invaded the Crimean Peninsula. 

Putin expected this invasion to be rather popular with the Russian people but, he couldn’t simply be more wrong. The Russian people are fed up with Putin and have taken to the streets of Russia to protest the war. So far to date, more than 6,000 Russian citizens have been detained for showing their opposition to the war. The reason that so many Russians want the war to end is that these people have family and friends in Ukraine.

After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, more than 360,000 Ukrainians have fled seeking refuge in nearby nations such as Poland. However, the only people allowed to leave the country are women and children. All men ranging from the ages of 18-60 have to stay behind and fight for their great nation. So far, these brave Ukrainians have held their own and fought off several Russian forces keeping them away from the capital of Kyiv. 

In Kyiv, the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has stayed behind after the US offered to get him out of the country because of the target Putin has placed on his head. Zelenskyy is doing more for his nation than anyone ever thought was possible and showed his citizens that he is with them on the front lines. 

Everyone around the world including most Russian citizens are saying, “STAND WITH UKRAINE!” This is the type of event that Putin didn’t see coming and rather than divide he brought a whole world of people together.