1 Year of War in Ukraine: Part Two
Welcome back to the second part of our series covering the past year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. If you haven’t read part one, I suggest you go back and read that first. Assuming you already have, let’s continue from where we left off by answering why Russia didn’t gain a predicted easy victory, instead going into a long war against Ukraine.
Maybe the most important and influential factor is that Russia failed to gain air superiority in the first few days of the war. Air superiority means having an advantage in the skies above enemy territory. Gaining air superiority would mean more freedom and safety to that side’s ground troops, enabling them to bomb or shell enemy troops from the air first and then advance on the ground. However, Russia’s failure to achieve this meant the enemy could also attack them, making advancing much more challenging for Russia.
On the other hand, Ukraine has held so far, partly thanks to a constant stream of weapons and artillery provided by Western countries. One weapon that helped assist in the fight was the U.S.-provided Javelin missiles, portable anti-tank missiles thought to be one of the most powerful of their kind. Of course, many other weapons have helped aid Ukraine in its ongoing war, provided by countries like Germany, the United Kingdom, and more. Even though the battlefield is very dangerous under constant Russian shelling and bombing, many courageous Ukrainians remain in their home country to defend it.
Even with the hundreds of sanctions imposed upon Russia, it doesn’t seem that its invasion will end anytime soon. One year into the war, Western countries have already spent much money supporting Ukraine, and that support will continue flowing in for the time being. Just recently, a few days before the 1st anniversary of the war, U.S. President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to Ukraine by train and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, confirming yet another support package to the country.
The number of lives lost is already in the thousands because of the war, and sadly will continue to rise. Wars and battles have been fought countless times since the birth of civilization, as groups always have had differences, often resulting in these battles. I believe that the best way to resolve these conflicts isn’t war, but peace talks and agreements, though that’s not always how these differences get resolved.
However, we can be sure that after the much effort it has gone to, Russia isn’t going to do peace talks that easily. Both sides, and the world, are preparing to enter a prolonged conflict, and the outcome is still unclear. What is your prediction? Would Russia’s constant shelling exhaust the Ukrainian defence, or will it be vice-versa? That’s the end of this series covering the past year of war in Ukraine, and hopefully, it will all end soon. Thank you for reading, and tune in next time for the newest news updates and analysis.