by Brayden Yee
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has entered its second week, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has restated his desire for a no-fly zone over Ukraine. Russian President Vladmir Putin countered by stating that a no-fly zone would further increase tensions and that the countries participating in it would be considered participants in the conflict.
President Zelensky has stated that without a no-fly zone, Russia has free rain to bomb Ukraine. He has expressed his frustration at NATO for refusing to do so, stating that those who die from this day forth will be because of them. NATO responded saying that it would incentivize Russia to bring the rest of Europe into the war.
A no-fly zone means that the US or NATO would need to enforce it by shooting down Russian aircraft and weapons flying into the no-fly zone, which may result in shooting into Russia to take out military equipment. Actions like this could risk an all out war, or at the very least, greatly increase already high tensions between Russia and NATO. Countries such as the US and other NATO members are already involved in the conflict, with them providing aid to the Ukrainian government.
Putin has restated his aim in Ukraine was to protect Russian communities through de-militarism and “de-Nazification”. Putin claims that his actions are being done to make Ukraine neutral and restore peace.
However, Ukraine and other countries in the West have dismissed the claim as an excuse to invade Ukraine and make it a part of Russia. Putin has stated that the sanctions imposed on Russia come as an alternative to a declaration of war, but has stated that he’s thankful that it hasn’t come to that. Putin also brushed off any rumors of there being martial law imposed in Russia, stating that there is not any external aggression, and therefore it wasn’t needed.
The calls for a no-fly zone over Ukraine have been increasing over the past days, with Zelensky stating that it’s needed to protect the citizens of Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly stated that it’s intentions never were to take over Ukraine, however, Western countries dismissed this claim as being a lie. With the conflict intensifying, NATO has to decide whether or not it is worth it to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
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