The Russian and Ukrainian governments both blamed forces aligned with the other for mortar fire in eastern Ukraine and for using the accusations as justification for increased aggression.
AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda
Attacking your own side and blaming your foe has a long history and a firm grip on the popular imagination. But the internet makes it difficult to pull off – and less desirable.
A member of the Ukrainian Armed Forces carries out a drill exercise on the country’s eastern border.
EPA/Sergey Kozlov
If diplomatic efforts cannot avert further conflict between Ukraine and Russia, a dramatic shift in international relations could occur that would have huge consequences for NATO.
The U.S. army conducts a military training exercise for emergencies in Germany on Jan. 27, 2022.
Armin Weigel/picture alliance via Getty Images
President Joe Biden is deploying 3,000 troops to support NATO in Eastern Europe. By doing so, Biden enters both a regional conflict and tangled legal territory.
A US soldier at a training area in Germany.
Christof Stache/AFP via Getty Images
What’s the significance of the US beefing up its military presence in Europe? The Conversation provides a roundup of articles addressing the crisis in Ukraine.
A Ukrainian serviceman, seen through a camouflage mesh, stands at a frontline position in the Luhansk region, eastern Ukraine, in January 2022.
(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
The risk to Ukraine’s democracy currently lies with the politicians who have offshore assets that can be massaged and altered from Moscow or elsewhere. Preventing this is essential.
The empty seat for Ukraine’s foreign minister is shown before a NATO foreign ministers meeting on Dec. 1, 2021, in Riga, Latvia.
Gints Ivuskans/AFP via Getty Images
One of Putin’s demands for de-escalating conflict with Ukraine is NATO blocking Ukrainian membership. Understanding what NATO is, and why Ukraine wants to join, clarifies why Putin wants this.
A liquefied natural gas tanker loading in Qatar. The Gulf nation is in talks to supply gas to Europe if Russia cuts supplies.
AP Photo
Most Russians blame Nato and the US for the increase in tensions.
A live broadcast of Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking is shown on Dec. 23, 2021, from a media control room in Russia.
Eric Romanenko/TASS via Getty Images
America is being ‘hysterical’ about Russian troop buildups near the Ukrainian border. That’s the official news in Russia, where citizens are getting government’s preferred view of the Ukraine crisis.
A Ukrainian military serviceman walks along a snow-covered trench in the eastern Lugansk region on Jan. 21, 2022.
Photo by Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images
Liam Collins, United States Military Academy West Point
Since its independence 30 years ago, Ukraine has tried to balance its Western aspirations with its Russian past. Vladimir Putin is not ready to let go of the past without a possible invasion.
Unity is strength: NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg after a meeting of alliance foreign ministers, January 2022.
EPA-EFE/Olivier Hoslet/Pool
The Pentagon has announced that as many as 8,500 troops have been put on standby to be deployed in Europe as a counter to the threat of the Russian military buildup on Ukraine’s eastern border.
Russian soldiers take part in military drills in the Rostov region of Russia, near Ukraine’s border, on Dec. 10, 2021.
Associated Press
Russia appears inching closer to invading Ukraine, despite warnings from the US and other Western powers. Here are a few key ideas to help better understand what led to this looming crisis.
New Zealand’s geographical distance will be no defence against the consequences of a protracted crisis. So why has there been so little discussion about the threats?