Final Blog Post: Ukrainian Conflict

Throughout the semester, we researched and kept close tabs on the Ukrainian Conflict. We introduced the basic conflict: the struggle between Western Ukraine, which wants to join the EU, and the Pro-Russian Separatists in the East. Protests erupted from both sides and resulted in many deaths. There is, essentially, a tug-of-war going on between Russia and the West with Ukraine acting as the rope. We also covered the significance of the downing of Malaysian Airlines MH17, in regards to Russia’s involvement in Ukraine.

In order to be as unbiased as possible, our research came from multiple sources from different perspectives. We all researched individually and compiled all of our findings. We used various public media sources including BBC and The Guardian. Finding information, data, research, was not difficult as this topic is heavily covered worldwide. Working in a group was especially beneficial for me; having more individuals to give explanations provided a greater understanding of the topic and concepts. Also working in a group promoted positive group discussions as we bounced ideas and contributed different points of views. Working in a group was an interesting experience for me because it important to be understanding of other’s opinions and to see what other individuals believe about the same topic.

Before this assignment, I knew little to nothing about the Ukrainian Crisis and had never read a blog let alone written one before. That being said, I learned the mechanics of writing a blog. I was able to broaden my perspective and I became more of an active, global citizen because of this class. It was not only about the Ukrainian Crisis that I learned, but also about all of the current events covered by the other blog groups.

Image Source: https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRQRHpV8uRcZp EXZ21PtIsrqIVUYzPwRJbcWOAHI0lkTo5IvBjxVA

Crisis in Ukraine Reflection

Throughout this semester my group members and I covered the ongoing crises between Ukraine and Russia. The coverage ranged from the cause of the protest to the shooting down of the MH17 plane.  We provided a summary of the events that happened in between as well. For example, we covered how Ukrainian president was split between joining the European Union or siding with Russia, this split between the country was one of the main causes for the beginning of the crises.  Russia then annexed Crimea, an island if the coast of Ukraine and tensions rose higher.  Russia and Ukraine agreed to a cease fire but that was quickly broken and several riots broke out shortly after. Another important thing that we talked about was the impact that Russia caused on the international economy due to the sanctions imposed against them. The international economy was affected because several countries had to stop importing and exporting goods to and from Russia. 

Finding information for our topic was rather easy due to the fact that it affected much of the world and because it was topic that was largely talked about. The way I conducted my research was quite simple. I would research websites such as CNN and BBC and read the stories that were written about it. Also, several of the events that followed the protest were heavily covered so the information was easy to find. Working with a group impacted the way I did my research because whenever I found something interesting I would share it with the rest of the group.

Working with a group was a nice experience because it meant that more people could research different aspects of the crises and still make the ideas relate to the general theme of what we were covering. It was also nice, because we were able to divide the work and save a lot of time. From working in a group I learned how to communicate with classmates better. As for the topic itself, I leaned so much. Before, I started to do research on the topic of Ukraine I only knew the basic summary of what was happening. Not only that but I knew these basic things because of what mainstream media was covering and mainstream media does not cover small details. They only report what they believe the audience would enjoy and therefore small details are usually left out.  However, doing this project made me learn more of the details such as why exactly things where happening. For example, I learned more about the Ukrainian soldiers and what they had to do in order to fight for what they believed in. In other words I learned more about the details that the mainstream media was not covering. 

Ukraine/Russia: A Reflection

Throughout the semester, the Ukraine/Russia conflict group covered everything from the beginning Euromaidan Protests, The downing of MH17, economic sanctions, and the military equipment that had ended up in the hands of the rebels. Ukraine is in the midst of one of the biggest political changes since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1992, and one of the biggest invasions of a sovereign nation since Germany invaded Poland in 1939. The Eastern Bloc has always been of interest since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Empire, of which Ukraine was a part of until its demise. Ukraine has been the center of European news, due to its proximity to the rest of Europe, making the opinions of their news outlets more interesting and relevant.

Gathering information and data for our blog posts was fairly easy due to the relevance that it has to the European countries that surround Ukraine. In terms of coverage, once the MH17 Disaster occurred, the Western nations were more keenly aware of the dire situation, and were more willing to cover the developments of Ukraine in depth. Working in a group made me keenly aware of deadlines, and allowed corroboration with others to not only discuss what was happening, but allowed for my analysis to be skewed by different views rather than simply my own central idea. Our research was based from historical ties of Russia and Ukraine, but also from the leading news organizations in Europe. The BBC, The Telegraph, Deutsche Welle, and The New York Times all provided different viewpoints from different political vantage points, from state run media to the liberal western media. The diverse attention to news was definitely a benefit, and we were lucky enough that it was able to be encompassed by all these organizations.

The Ukraine/Russia project was interesting,

In that it was my first collaborative project at USF. Group work is demanding because it relies on everyone as cogs in a machine, if one person doesn’t do their work, it jams up everyone else. Learning about the topic was the greatest reward of the blog in general. Being from Russia, this was a topic that was relevant to myself, and I feel that I was able to contribute particular insights into the discussion. The blog was not meant to only inform, it was written as a platform to incite informed discussion with others. I think we were able to have a good balance between information and analysis, and leaving open ended questions for the reader to answer and question themselves. I greatly enjoyed working with my groupmate, and had fun doing it.

Image Citations:

http://s.newsweek.com/sites/www.newsweek.com/files/styles/headline/public/2014/04/22/2014/04/14/4085-4-18-fe0216-chernobyl-01.jpg?itok=azWaXC-n

http://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.1578440!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_620/image.jpg

Unrest in Ukraine

The unrest between Kiev's government troops and 

pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine still continues to accelerate. Russia’s entrenching influence in Eastern Ukraine shows their fixed ambition of annexing more territories. In response to Russia’s aggression, The U.S. deputy National Security advisor Tony Blinken told a Senate committee that the U.S. should provide weapons in order to strengthen Ukraine’s military. In Doing so, Russia warns that the U.S. is “destabilizing” the situation. Although, earlier this month, Russia rolled in their tanks and heavy weapons into Eastern Ukraine, which gives more power to the separatists to siege more territories and expanding the war zone into western Ukraine, further tearing the nation apart.

Although Russia and Ukraine declared a ceasefire truce two months ago, Russia has been blatantly disregarding the deal and continues to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and security. Western influences join in a collective response to Russia’s aggression, the attempts thus far have been futile, With at least 4,317 deaths, 466,829 displaced citizens, and a nation of citizens that are losing their human rights a the conflict. This situation can only escalate as long as Russia’s ambition in claiming more territories remains unsettled. We are now counting on the International Communities next response to see how Ukraine can regain its sovereignty with fewer obstacles than what already lies ahead.


Works Cited
Vlasov, Dmytro. "Biden Urges Russia to Uphold East Ukraine Truce." ABC News. Associated Press, 21 Nov. 2014. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/biden-calls-russia-uphold-east-ukraine-truce-27078971>.

Image Source:

http://www.marxist.com/images/stories/ukraine/ukraine-russia.jpg

MH17 and developments in Ukraine.

Crash site of MH17

A turning point in the Ukraine Crisis was the downing of Malaysian Airlines MH17, in which, an unarmed commercial jet flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by Pro-Russian separatists. The Boeing 777 was carrying 283 passengers and 15 crewmembers, 31 miles from Russian Airspace when shot down in a rural area of Hrabove, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) had advised airlines to be wary of flying over Ukraine, while British Airways among others had ceased to fly over the entirety of Ukrainian Airspace. Whilst the ICAO had advised, The United States FAA issued restrictions on flights over Crimea which was at the heart of the conflict. In the week leading up to MH17, More than 900 flights over 37 separate carriers including industry leaders such as Lufthansa and Aeroflot crossed the Donetsk region without incident. Even though the commercial airlines crossed without incident, the same cannot be said for Ukrainian Air Force planes. On June 14th, over a month before the crash, a Ilyushin Il-76 carrying 49 passengers was shot down, with no survivors. One month later on July 14th, three days before MH17, A Ukrainian Air Force An-26 transport plane was shot down at altitude with 6 out of 8 airmen were lost. We must remember while as tragic as these other incidents are, the most troubling thing about MH17 was not that it just happened to fall out of the sky in a rural part of Ukraine, or that it was over a warzone, it’s that it was a civilian aircraft. Boeing designs planes to be sleek, fuel efficient, and maneuverable to a reasonable extent. Even had the crew known of the SA-11 Missile coming at them, there was probably little they could have done to protect the aircraft; the problem in fact, was that the crew had no idea at all. U.S. Military aircraft have Missile Approach Warning systems, as well as countermeasures and advanced flying techniques that can improve the likelihood of holding off an attack to the aircraft. (The only Boeing jet that could possess such countermeasures is Air Force One.) The Buk System that brought down MH17 is presumed to be a Russian built Almaz-Antey Buk-M1, Ground-based Air Defense System (GBADS). The Buk system is a surface to air missile system that is capable of hitting planes at medium to long ranges. By medium and long ranges, it is meant that the Buk has the capability to shoot down planes that are as high as 79,000ft in the air. MH17 was flying at 33,000ft, Which was 1000ft over the barred height restriction imposed by Ukrainian Authorities, but still within range of a GBADS. Therefore, it is very likely that the Buk system was used to bring down flight MH17.

The political implications of the MH17 Disaster are huge, mainly due in part because the entirety of the situation was a mistake. MH17 supposedly was not the intended target. The Pro Russian Rebels were targeting Ukranian Military aircraft, and mistakenly shot down a civilian commercial jet. Igor Strelkov of the Ukrainian separatist movement claimed on Russian social media site Vkontakte, that the separatist forces had shot down another Ukrainian Military Antonov AN-26, on the same day as MH17. Since, there was no AN-26 shot down on July 17th, 2014. We can only assume that they had mistaken the Boeing 777 as an AN-26. From an aviation standpoint, that sounds like a hilarious assumption. The AN-26 and a Boeing 777 are completely different aircraft. An Antonov AN-26 has a wingspan half that of a 777, and a length of ⅓ of a 777. That being said, the pro-separatists are untrained militants in a field with missiles, so they aren’t exactly up to par on aircraft identification. That being said, they are in fact trained to a point, using highly specialized equipment. The downing of MH17 changes the entire dynamic of the situation. The separatists brought down an unarmed civilian aircraft, with a highly specialized weapons system, which would lead some to think..”Where did they get it? And then learn how to use it!?” Well we can all be certain it wasn’t from a BassPro Shop mail order catalogue or a “How to” DVD. Although difficult to prove, considering it was a Soviet rocket launcher, it is not too much of a jump to assume the Russian army are training the fighters/separatists, although that is impossible to prove.

Along the lines of indiscriminate weaponary, another weapon deployed by both sides in the Ukrainian conflict is the GRAD Missile system. The GRAD system is a multiple rocket launcher system typically mounted on a truck. It can fire up to 40 unguided missiles within the span of 10-20 seconds. The issue here is that these missiles are unguided. Unguided missiles that are being used in a civil war, where the battlegrounds occur in cities that consist large amount of civilians. Unguided missile systems can be devastating in this sort of conflict, who knows where a missile could land. Missiles have gone astray and landed on apartment blocks and houses, killing innocent civilians indiscriminately. It needs to be taken into account that both sides of this conflict are using this weapon. Therefore, when a missile barrage comes down and accidentally hits an apartment block, Both sides then blame the other, and civilians are left to ponder who did what. A GRAD Missile system is similar to what was used in the MH17 incident. GRAD missile systems are to an extent, complex to use, not very common, and not very easy to obtain. Keep in mind the Pro-Russian separatists are separatists, many of them have no military training, and supposedly aren’t supported by a country. Therefore it brings into question, who supplies these defense systems, as well as the missiles themselves.

The insignia of the AZOV Battalion
a Pro-Ukrainian Militia, the insignia
has been criticized due to the Nazi
iconography used in it.

Weapons that indiscriminately destroy a plane or that flatten apartment blocks are very important to talk about because it brings up the question of legitimate and illegitimate violence. These weapons are developed and deployed by nations which maintain that reputation of legitimate violence. They make the weapons and they make the rules on how they can use them. But then a line is crossed, civilians are brought into the fray and they become victims of war as seen with both the Buk surface-to-air missile system and the GRAD missile system.

Indiscriminate bombings and missile attacks put civilians in a weird position. Especially in the conflict in Ukraine, what side do they chose? On one side they have Ukraine which many citizens have lived in with no problem. But on the other side Russia is calling and many citizens recall the great Soviet Union. In a way a number of civilians feel connected to both. Same language, same ethnicity, and for the most part similar ideology and religion. It’s the latter that’s being put into question, who do they plead their allegiance to.

The Donetsk Peoples Republic Flag,
the flag has the Double Headed Eagles
that are also found on the Russian flag

Ukrainian and Russian Nationalism are on completely different sides of the spectrum. Eastern Ukraine held its own referendum in May of 2014 which claimed the Donetsk region wanted to break from Ukraine entirely, whilst Western Ukraine which is closer to Europe, is trying to distance themselves from their past relationship with Russia and their old Soviet ties, and is looking to join the EU. The results have reportedly been skewed, but apparently 90% of the Ukrainians in the Donetsk region want to join Russia instead of the EU. This is unsurprising given the proximity of the Donetsk and the location of the MH17 crash site, which is only 31 Miles from the Russian border, in a rural area in which has changed little since the days of Gorbachev and Khrushchev. The strategy that Russia is using is in fact putting pressure on Kiev. Less than a month ago, Kiev was forced to hold off on a trade deal in which the Kremlin strongly opposed, regardless of the sanctions that the United States or the European Union had put in place to allow Kiev to move forward with the agreement.

The developments in the past month have been eye opening. The ceasefire has given light to an idea of diplomacy rather than rocket launchers, as our group looks forward to the developments that will happen in the upcoming weeks.

References

2014-07-14 Ukraine Air Force Antonov An-26 shot down in eastern Ukraine » JACDEC. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.jacdec.de/2014/07/14/2014-07-14-ukraine-air-force-antonov-an-26-shot-down-in-eastern-ukraine/

Army Guide - BM-21 9K51 GRAD, Multiple rocket launcher. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.army-guide.com/eng/product1373.html

BBC News - MH17 crash: Airlines divert flights from eastern Ukraine. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/business-28356745

Buk Missile System Lethal, But Undiscriminating | Defense content from Aviation Week. (2014, July 21). Retrieved from http://aviationweek.com/defense/buk-missile-system-lethal-undiscriminating

Gigova, Radina, Lena Kashkarova, and Journalist Lena Kashkarova Contributed to This Report from Donetsk. "Ukraine's Donetsk Region Asking to Join Russia, Separatist Leader Says." CNN. Cable News Network, 12 May 2014. Web. 05 Oct. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/12/world/europe/ukraine-crisis/>.

DW.de. (2014, July 18). Opinion: Consequences of MH17 for Ukraine are huge | World | DW.DE | 18.07.2014. Retrieved from http://www.dw.de/opinion-consequences-of-mh17-for-ukraine-are-huge/a-17794958

The Guardian. (2014, July 17). Downed Malaysia Airlines plane: how did it go wrong for flight MH17? | World news | The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/17/malaysia-airlines-mh17-flying-just-above-restricted-airspace

Human Rights Watch. (2014, July 24). Ukraine: Unguided Rockets Killing Civilians | Human Rights Watch. Retrieved from http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/07/24/ukraine-unguided-rockets-killing-civilians

Malaysia Airlines MH17: Lufthansa überflog Ost-Ukraine 56 Mal - SPIEGEL ONLINE. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/malaysia-airlines-mh17-lufthansa-ueberflog-ost-ukraine-56-mal-a-981813.html

Crisis in Ukraine

Our topic will be covering the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, and the history of the two nations that has led us to this crisis.

This event emerged from the recent Euromaidan protests that began in November of 2013. The protests were sparked by the Ukrainian government signing an agreement that sought closer ties with Russia. The problem with this is that many citizens especially in Western Ukraine were under the impression that Ukraine would be pushing to join the EU. By signing the agreement with Russia many Ukrainians felt betrayed and some even felt fear, remembering what the Soviet Union once was. The Euromaidan continued through the frigid Ukrainian winter and into the spring of 2014. It was in this period of time that the Euromaidan protest turned into the 2014 Ukraininan Revolution. The protests in Kiev turned violent as police and national guard ordered by President Viktor Yanukovych to disperse the protesters; whom many have occupied many regional administration buildings across the country. Ukrainian protesters were shot and many were killed. After many bloody days and months of conflict power within the government finally shifted and a new coalition government was formed. Viktor Yanukovych was ousted and he subsequently fled the country to Russia along with many of his advisors.

Link for Euromaidan

http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/euromaidan-ukraine%E2%80%99s-self-organizing-revolution

After the formation of a new government with elections on the horizon it was during this time that new protests erupted in Eastern Ukraine. But this time Pro-Russian protesters stormed and occupied regional administration buildings. Also as the crisis got worse and worse in Eastern Ukraine. Russia occupied the Crimean peninsula with it’s armed forces. All of the armed forces occupied Crimea without any insignia claiming that they are local Crimean residents with armored tanks and helicopters at their disposal. The region held a disputed referendum that annexed Crimea to Russia. It is this intervention by Russia that the crisis in Eastern Ukraine hasn’t been resolved. Many Pro-Russian militant groups control the cities of Donetsk and Lugansk along the Russian border. It has taken some time for the Ukrainian authorities to regain control over much of the territory but the Separatists remain. It is here that Russia has been accused of being involved yet again. Pro-Russian Separatists have long depended on hand-me down AK-74s and various pieces of captured Ukrainian military equipment. But when the situation deteriorated, the Pro-Russian Separatists responded with highly sophisticated anti-aircraft weaponry (Flight MH17) and GRAD rocket barrages.

links:

Flight MH17

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/12/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh17-most-likely-shot-down-from-ground

Sophisticated Weaponry

http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine-separaatists-sophisticated-weaponry/25462211.html

We feel this topic is of high importance because Russia’s actions in violating international law really question the actions and integrity of countries around the world. If Russia does not feel the need to respect other countries sovereignty and respect international law, why should anybody? The United Kingdom could take over the whole country of Ireland, China, as well as all the islands in the South China Sea, and if you respond and tell them no you can not, they will show you their military might. China would show Vietnam the second largest military in the world and Vietnam would have no choice but to back out. So the little guy loses, and the balance of the world yet again depends on military might.This is an issue that is extremely important because it gives us insights of how the world could change in the future, what forces shape it,  and the interests that the leading nations of the world have. If we look very close at this problem there are many factors that have led us to this point; The cultural identity, the natural resources, and the contrasting military forces, etc.

Alec Benedetti
Bartosz Rost
Sanish Shrestha
Magaly Velasco
Diego Jones
Keiko Jimenez
Hoyan Mok

References

Bezhan, F. (2014, July 18). Charting Separatists' Use Of Increasingly Sophisticated

Weaponry In Ukraine. Retrieved September 14, 2014.

Deeks, A. (2014, March 2). Here's What International Law Says About Russia's Intervention in Ukraine. Retrieved September 13, 2014.

Diuk, N. (2014, April 1). Euromaidan: Ukraine's Self-Organizing Revolution. Retrieved September 14, 2014.

Earnest, J. (2014, September 2). Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest, 9/2/2014. Retrieved September 14, 2014.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17: 'most likely' it was shot down from ground. (2014, September 12). Retrieved September 14, 2014.

Wingfield-Hayes, R. (2014, September 9). China's Island Factory. Retrieved September 13, 2014.

Hill C., Fortell Q., (March 5 2014). 5 Ways Ukraine Could Affect US Consumers.Retreived September 13,2014