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3/2 2022 ~Ukraine and Russia~

    News of Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been all over the news. Every social media platform, every news channel has been reporting the bombs and deaths of Ukrainians and continuous interviews of people who are under attack have aired. Since the start of the invasion, I have been researching why Putin was planning on invading Ukraine and what his purpose was. Many websites and news articles that explain the situation state that the expansion of NATO is a threat to Russia and how Putin values his legacy, just like precedent prime ministers, he wanted to be remembered as a somewhat politically strong figure. Up until now, I haven't talked to anyone who had the same mindset as Mr.Paterson. He talked about the history of Russia and Ukraine, and the fact that Ukraine is not the only victim, despite the invasion and other damages. It was truly eye-opening to hear a perspective so different from myself and others. Before his explanation, we were told to discuss in small groups and write on the board what we think caused the current situation. Our group came up with the reason that Russia does not want Ukraine to join NATO, but at the same time, I noticed how everybody had knowledge regarding different areas of the situation. Some talked about the weapons and how people were killed, while others talked about how Putin was as a person. Unfortunately, we only wrote one reason just like the other teams, which was strange since there should have been countless causes that had led to this situation.

    In recent news I saw on my phone, a reporter was talking about how Trump's praise of Putin was unbelievable and unacceptable. Trump has long expressed admiration for Putin and described his war strategy in Ukraine as "wonderful" and "genius." whatever his reasonings are, the majority were disappointed as seen on the news. But after this lesson, I realized there is more than one side to this war, meaning there are various perspectives. Also, many people from different countries are contributing and supporting each side of the country, and whether it is for the "good" or "bad" side, businesses are corrupting and support is needed for both economic systems. 




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