Russia vs Ukraine: “With Dawn Came the Bombs”

“Wake up, the war has started,” is what a Ukrainian citizen told a Washington Post reporter her boyfriend said as he woke her up. At five in the morning, Ukrainian citizens began to hear explosions across their country, the result of Putin’s announcement earlier that morning of his special military operation. After said announcement, the Russian military promptly advanced into Ukraine, initiating a full-scale invasion.

Since the morning of February 24, there have been 137 civilian deaths and hundreds of injury casualties. Over 500,000 Ukrainian citizens have already fled their homes to gather with their families, hundreds of thousands even moving west into Poland and Romania. In preparation, people are backing up gas stations, supermarkets, blood donation centers, and ATMs. Hundreds of citizens and their families, children, and pets are camped out in train stations and underground subway stations, seeking shelter and awaiting ways of transportation away from the danger zones.

The U.S. is now responding to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The U.S., as well as other countries from NATO, have sent equipment, vehicles, and troops to Russia’s bordering countries like the Baltics, Poland, and Romania. The Baltics have made an appeal to arm Ukrainian forces with as much as they can to help Ukraine defend itself and NATO announced in an emergency meeting that they’d continue to send forces into Eastern Europe- also there to help the Ukrainians defend themselves.

The U.S. and other countries have repeatedly said, however, that they will not be stationing their military forces in Ukraine. Their intention is not to fight Russia, but to “back up” Ukraine by supplying them with defense mechanisms. They have stationed around Ukraine in case Russia decides to advance further into other countries. In some cases, the U.S. Military objective is symbolic- their stationing in Eastern Europe is to warn Russia not to attack NATO and its members.

On top of this, U.S. President Biden announced huge economic sanctions against Russia. “Putin’s aggression will cost Russia dearly,” Biden said. Following this, Germany also announced they would do the same.

The European Union will hit Moscow’s financial sector, freezing assets and banning the export of technology into Russia. “We will weaken Russia’s economic base and its capacity to modernize,” said Ursula Von Der Leyen, the President of the European Commission.

After Russia initiated its invasion of Ukraine, it swiftly took over Chernobyl, including one of its nuclear plants, where workers are potentially being held hostage. Ukrainian officials say that Russia’s strikes have targeted military installations, airfields, and government facilities across the country.

Nobody has the true full picture of the invasion as of now, because of Russian cyber attacks with goals to damage communication involving Ukraine. It seems that not even Russian soldiers themselves fully understand the mission.

Russian forces who surrendered to the Ukrainian Government, said their own government didn’t tell them why they were there or that they’d be put into combat, expected to kill Ukrainian citizens.

While they advanced, Russia bombed Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, sending its citizens fleeing.

Putin has said that his goal is to hold Ukraine’s leaders accountable for the last eight years in Donbas, which makes Ukraine President Zelenskyy believe he is target number one.

Right now, hundreds of thousands of citizens are making their way to Poland’s and Romania’s borders on foot, as other thousands of citizens are backing up highways and streets to do the same. Ukrainian men from ages 18 to 60 are not allowed to leave Ukraine, and are being forced to stay and fight for their country alongside the army. Ukrainian forces are standing on the back of vehicles throwing guns at anyone who’ll catch one, while people of all ages, including kids younger than me (15), are being taught by Ukrainian Special Forces how to defend their own by learning how to completely operate military assault rifles and how to accurately aim.

It is still the early days, and officials believe that Russia has not even reached its full potential yet, as two-thirds of Russia’s forces haven’t crossed into Ukraine.

UPDATE: Russia plans a “devastating attack” on Ukraine as of March 2, 2022. Read more in Russia vs. Ukraine: Russian Takeover meets Ukrainian Strength in The Echo’s 3rd Issue.