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Russian Federation's Invasion of Ukraine

Provides resources related to the Russian Federation's invasion of Ukraine, initiated on 24 February 2022.

Event Tracking

News from the Region

The Kyiv Independent

A reputable English-language newspaper based in Kyiv.

 

The Kyiv Post

Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper.

 

Ukrainska Pravda

Online newspaper, known for advancing the cause of freedom of information in the country, which publishes significant amounts of its content in English.

 

The New Voice of Ukraine

A large, independent daily online news source, available in English.

 

Meduza

A news aggregator and producer of original investigative reporting. It’s run by Russian journalists out of Latvia and offers critical perspectives that push against Russian state media narratives. We’ve linked to its English-language version.

Overview of the Invasion

Dimensions of the Conflict

Silvia Aloisi and Frank Jack Daniel (eds.), "Timeline: The Events Leading up to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine," Reuters, 1 March 2022.

  • A bullet-pointed summary of Ukrainian-Russian relations beginning with the collapse of the Soviet Union.
     

"Timeline of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine," Wikipedia.

  • Informative day-by-day overview of the invasion.

Emiko Terazono, "Food Crisis Looms as Ukrainian Wheat Shipments Grind to Halt," Financial Times, 06 March 2022.

Anthony Faiola, "Flour Rationing in Lebanon, Grain Hoarding in Hungary: How the Ukraine War Is Lurching the Globe toward a New Food Crisis," Washington Post, 11 March 2022. U-M users who do not have a subscription to the Washington Post can access the article here through the library catalog.

David J. Lynch, "Oil Price Shock Jolts Global Recovery as Economic Impact of Russia’s Invasion Spreads," Washington Post, 11 March 2022. U-M users who do not have a subscription to the Washington Post can access the article here through the library catalog.

Scott Kennedy, "China's Economy and Ukraine: All Downside Risks," Center for Strategic and International Studies, 03 March 2022.

The Financial Times, otherwise a subscription online news service, is making its coverage of the Ukraine invasion free. Since economic sanctions are, at this point, the West's main mechanism for penalizing Russia, their analyses can be especially insightful.

 

Eir Nolsoe and Valentina Pop, "Russia sanctions list: What the west imposed over the Ukraine invasion," Financial Times, 4 March 2022.

Jonathan Guthrie, "The Chilling Effect of Sanctions on Russia," Financial Times, 07 March 2022.

Thomas Duthois, "Ukraine War: Which Countries are Sending Weapons and Aid to Forces Fighting the Russian Invasion?," EuroNews, 04 March 2022.

Constantine Atlamazoglou, "The NATO Rapid-Response Unit Created After Russia's 2014 Invasion of Ukraine Is Being Activated for First-of-Its-Kind Mission," Insider, 02 March 2022.

Dave Phillips, "I Just Can’t Stand By’: American Veterans Join the Fight in Ukraine," New York Times, 05 March 2022.

It is difficult to gauge with any accuracy the general Russian population's attitudes about their country's invasion of Ukraine. There is a strong nationalist contingent in the country who seem to support such moves. Putin does enjoy significant citizen support—even if there's reason to believe that the numbers are inflated. Indeed, the state's almost complete control over media and the narrative it broadcasts about the invasion and, more broadly, about Russia's place in the world, make it difficult for many citizens to encounter other perspectives. At the same time, there has been much visible expression of domestic dissent such as protests with thousands of participants. Understand, too, that to vocalize dissent in Russia today is dangerous: such expression of anti-war or anti-Putin sentiments have been violently quashed by state police. There's even been reports of the authorities tracking down individuals who've posted dissenting content via social media. The following articles aim to introduce the different dimensions of this topic.

Norman Hermant, "Polls Say Most Russians Support the Invasion of Ukraine. But with Putin's Tools of 'Fear and Corruption', Is That Really the Truth?," ABC News Australia, 4 March 2022.

"Russia’s Tricky Opinion Polling. Sociologist Alexey Bessudnov Shares Five Charts That Help Explain How to Read the Kremlin’s Survey Data on Support for the War in Ukraine," Meduza, 07 March 2022.

Cheryl Teh, "Decoding the 'Z' — the Mysterious Russian Military Symbol That's Been Co-Opted by Russia's Nationalist Movement," Insider, 07 March 2022.

"Thousands Arrested Across Russia at Anti-War Protests," Aljazeera, 06 March 2022.

Elahe Izadi and Sarah Ellison, "Russia’s Independent Media, Long Under Siege, Teeters Under New Putin Crackdown," Washington Post, 04 March 2022. U-M affiliates can get access to the Washington Post, and the article above, via the library catalog here.

Jack Newman, "Russian Fury Grows over Putin's Madness: Shoppers Face Empty Shelves and 13,500 People Have Now Been Arrested for Anti-War Protests as Vladimir Tries to Snuff out Ukraine Dissent," Daily Mail UK, 08 March 2022.

 

The Institute for the Study of War (Washington, D.C.) is producing the regular reports "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment" and "Ukraine Conflict Updates" along with analytical essays and predictions, as well as general information such as the "Explainer on Russian Conscription, Reserve, and Mobilization."

Jeffrey S. Merrifield, "Russia Sees Gold in Ukraine's Nuclear Plants," The Wall Street Journal, 10 March 2022. U-M users can access this article and other WSJ content here via the library catalog.

Claire Parker, Ellen Francis, Douglas MacMillan, and Maite Fernández Simon, "What to Know about Ukraine’s Nuclear Sites and the Risks the Russian Invasion Could Pose," The Washington Post, 04 March 2022. U-M users can access this article here via the library catalog.

"Russian Attack on Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant More Dangerous than First Thought," NPR, 11 March 2022.

History / Contexts Behind the Invasion

The relationship between Ukraine and Russia is a complex one, and the tensions which have turned so horrifyingly violent today had been building since long before Euromaidan (the 2013-14 protests in Ukraine against the government’s decision to strengthen ties to Russia), long before the Soviet Union. Below are some resources which offer a deeper historical context and help illuminate why Russian President Vladimir Putin is attempting to take possession of Ukraine.
 
"The History of Bilingualism in Ukraine and Its Role in the Present Day Political Crisis"

by Natalia Shevchenko, in Cahiers Sens public 17-18, no. 1-2 (2015): 203-225.
Ukrainian's distinction from the Russian language has long been a a potent element of Ukrainian national identity and self-assertion and, accordingly, a prime target for Russian/Soviet cultural suppression. Natalia Shevchenko's article excavates that convoluted relationship.

 

“The Real and Imagined History of Ukraine”

by Noel King, Miles Bryan, and Lauren Katz, in Vox, 25 February 2022.
Renowned historian of Central and Eastern Europe Timothy Snyder (Yale) illuminates Ukraine’s unique place in the Soviet Union.

 

“Putin’s Revisionist History of Russia and Ukraine”

by Isaac Chotiner, in The New Yorker, 23 February 2022
An interview with historian Serhii Plokhy where he argues that Putin’s designs on Ukraine harken back not to the Soviet Union but to the imperial era.

Impacts: Global health, health policy, diplacement.

Statistic: Number of refugees from Ukraine crossing Central and Eastern Europe borders after Russia's invasion of Ukraine between February and March 2022, by selected country (in 1,000s) | Statista
Find more statistics at Statista

The Russian Federation's invasion has diverse and devastating impacts in addition to the immediate violence. Experts predict millions of Ukrainians fleeing their homes for neighboring countries and other public health concerns.

For much more information and resources on these topics, please see the Research Guide Refugees and Displaced Persons, featuring a spotlight on Ukraine.

Artem Rastorguev. "Ukraine: War Has an Impact on People’s Health Beyond Bullets and Bombs," The Conversation, March 2, 2022,

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