Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022; the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, now wants to take over Ukraine. Putin has sent in troops and is using force; the Ukrainians are fighting back against the Russian army. The reason for this invasion dates back to 2014 when Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula because Moscow felt that Ukraine was becoming close with Western institutions, such as EU and NATO. This eight year conflict between Russia and Ukraine led to Putin sending troops to Ukraine to invade. Over 14,000 people have died over the years due to the ongoing fighting. Ukraine is now in need of supplies for families due to this conflict.

At the start of the conflict, Russian forces fired rockets at Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. They also seized Chernobyl, which is the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident, as well as attacked the second largest city of Ukraine, Kharkiv. In Ukraine, as of April 13, 2022, troops moved into Ukraine’s 36th Marine Brigade and buses delivering humanitarian aid and evacuating citizens were blocked by Russian soldiers. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that authorities are gathering more information and witness testimonies for Russia’s alleged war crimes. 

In the United States, President Biden says that Putin’s actions in Ukraine are genocide. Biden is also expected to spend another $750 million in military supplies as well as other commodities to help support Ukraine. In Russia, Putin said that “peace talks with Kyiv had reached a dead end.” Russian forces are going to continue invading and trying to take over Ukraine. Also, Russia’s oil industry is not doing well due to economic sanctions imposed by several countries.  There is still a lot of uncertainty in Ukraine, but the United States is continuing to support them against Russian forces.