What is the real reason for the dispute between Russia and Ukraine?

The ongoing battle between Russia and Ukraine does not seem to be ending even after 4 days. Russia has attacked many major resorts in Ukraine and the Ukrainian army is fighting with the Russian forces. The dispute is that Ukraine wants to become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Russia is opposing it. NATO is a military alliance between the US and the West, so Russia does not want its neighbor to become a NATO friend.

This entire dispute over NATO countries has started a new war in which many countries can participate. Russia has deployed 1,25,000 troops along the 450-km-long international border with Ukraine. These soldiers have been deployed on the eastern and north-eastern borders of Ukraine. Russia has also deployed its warships in the Black Sea which are equipped with dangerous missiles. Russia annexed Crimea, an important port area in Ukraine, in 2014, and the conflict has never ended since then.

Russia has also deployed drones along the Ukrainian border, which can destroy any military base in the blink of an eye. Russia has surrounded Ukraine from all sides. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has divided the world into two factions. On one side is Russia, which is supported by countries like China and on the other side is Ukraine, which is getting support from US, UK and other NATO countries.

Why does Russia not want Ukraine to join NATO countries?

NATO is a military group consisting of 30 countries such as America, Canada, Britain and France. Now the challenge before Russia is that some of its neighboring countries have already joined NATO. Among them are countries like Estonia and Latvia, which were previously part of the Soviet Union. Now if Ukraine also becomes a part of NATO, then Russia will be surrounded by its enemy countries from all sides and countries like America will dominate it. If Ukraine becomes a member of NATO and Russia attacks it in the future, then under the agreement all 30 countries of this group will consider it an attack against themselves and will also provide military assistance to Ukraine.

Vladimir Lenin, the hero of the Russian Revolution, once said that 'to lose Ukraine would be like cutting off its head from a body for Russia'. This is the reason why Russia is opposing Ukraine's entry into NATO. Ukraine is located on the western border of Russia. When Russia was invaded during World War II, which lasted from 1939 to 1945, Ukraine was the only region from which Russia defended its border. Now if Ukraine went with NATO countries, then Moscow, the capital of Russia, would be just 640 km away from the west. At present this distance is about 1600 km.

Why does Ukraine want to join NATO?

The reason for Ukraine joining NATO country is 100 years old when a separate country did not even exist. Before 1917, Russia and Ukraine were part of the Russian Empire. After the Russian Revolution in 1917, the empire disintegrated and Ukraine declared itself an independent country. However, Ukraine remained independent for barely three years, and in 1920 it joined the Soviet Union. The people of Ukraine have always considered themselves independent countries.

When the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991, 15 new countries were formed, including Ukraine. In the true sense, Ukraine got independence in the year 1991. However, Ukraine understands from the beginning that it can never compete with Russia on its own and therefore wants to join a military organization that can protect its independence. There is no better organization than NATO that can defend Ukraine.

Ukraine neither has a large army like Russia nor modern weapons. Ukraine has 1.1 million soldiers while Russia has 2.9 million. Ukraine has 98 fighter planes, Russia has about 1500 fighter planes. Russia also has more attack helicopters, tanks and armored vehicles than Ukraine.

America is the real villain of the controversy!

America has an important role in the dispute between Russia and Ukraine. America has sent 3000 of its soldiers to help Ukraine and it has been assured from their side that they will do everything possible to help Ukraine. The truth is that the current US President, Joe Biden, is using Ukraine only to strengthen his image. Last year the US had to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan. Apart from this, America could not achieve anything in Iran and despite all the sanctions, North Korea is also conducting missile tests continuously. These incidents have damaged America's superpower image. This is why Joe Biden wants to make up for it with the Ukraine-Russia dispute.

Apart from America, countries like Britain and France have also supported Ukraine. How long the support for these countries will last is a big question as European countries depend on Russia for a third of their gas needs. Now if Russia stops the supply of this gas, then there will be a terrible power crisis in these countries.