Russia vs. Ukraine: Old Soviets Die Hard

Russia and Ukraine were once sister states of a much larger union, the United Soviet Socialist Republics, better known as the USSR or the Soviet Union. However, after its collapse in 1992, the states fractured, with many of the former becoming independent territories with their own government and laws. Russia has not been too happy about that, since as the former head state of the USSR, they lost much territory, including critical access to the black sea, especially through what is now modern day Ukraine. In response to this, they started a shadow war with Ukraine in 2014, helping rebels fight a civil war then straight up invading Crimea and seizing the city and land around it. A more recent escalation now is that Russian forces have blocked off a critical waterway for Ukraine, called the Sea of Azov, by parking a freighter in under a bridge which is the only access to the sea in the narrow strait. There are also reports of Ukrainian sailors being detained and Ukrainian vessels being fired upon by Russian ships. This a sharp escalation from the status quo, where there was hostility but not much action before. Many are wondering what the U.N. will do with Russia as a member of the security council, or Donald Trump, seeing if he will let Moscow have free reign.

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