In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Setting off a war that has cost the country more than $10 billion, killed over 14,000 people, and left a region ravaged by landmines.

Putin’s objectives in the war have been twofold: to keep Ukraine weak, toxic for Western investments, and unfit for membership in a collective security alliance, such as NATO; and to solidify his autocratic rule at home. In the short term, Russia aims to redraw borders in eastern Ukraine to establish a new ‘people’s republic’ on its border with the Russian Federation.

As the war continues, Russia’s actions are creating a humanitarian catastrophe and forcing thousands of refugees into Europe. As a result, global attention has shifted to this conflict.

Ukrainians have fought to defend their country against the overwhelming military might of Russia, but civilian casualties are increasing by the day and the country faces an uncertain future.

The war has sparked a refugee crisis and strained the nation’s economy and infrastructure. It also threatens to destabilize the European Union and roil relations between Russia and the West.

The battle between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russia separatists has become the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II, with an estimated 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers dead so far. The battle has cost the country over $10 billion, and has displaced a million people. In addition to a wide range of economic and humanitarian impacts, the war has led to the deaths of an unknown number of children. As a result, the international community must help to ensure that the humanitarian crisis does not deteriorate.