What college students need to know about what is happening in Ukraine and Russia

Being in college can feel like being stuck in time. But when global events break through, it can be jarring and confusing. Over the past couple of weeks, it seems like the headlines have been riddled with news about Russia and Ukraine. To give some insight on what is happening, Dr. Raney gave her expert opinion.

“I was born in 1956. Right. So I grew up in the Cold War… the Soviet Union was always ever-present in the headlines,” Raney said. Raney has her Ph.D. in History, and her level is Russian history. To fully understand what is happening in Russia today, we have to go back to 2014.

“In 2014, Russia took control of the Crimean peninsula, which had been jointly occupied by Russia and Ukraine since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. So, there were already troops there…fighting in southeastern Ukraine has been going on ever since 2014. So it's more appropriate [to] describe it as a buildup because there have been Russian troops and tanks material, in that area, at least since 2014…So this is an escalation of that conflict that already exists… So it wasn't a big surprise. If you've been watching the region. It's been an escalation for the past seven years of increasing Russian involvement in that region,” Rainey said. Russia and Ukraine are in a tense situation, but how does this affect the United States?

“President Biden has taken a very active role. You know, he met virtually like we all do these days. He's had a long conversation with President Putin already about this… Last week, [Biden]had another Zoom meeting you know, we're all meeting on Zoom. So [they] had another meeting with the European leaders… talking about the possibility of increased sanctions. See, we put…economic sanctions on Russia back in 2014… What you have to remember is that you know that we're not alone. We have to work with our NATO allies in this situation,” Rainey said. While leaders around the globe are communicating with Putin about his intentions, this prompts the question: what are Russia and Ukraine fighting over? Access to the Black Sea.

“There's a big naval base on Crimea, and that gives them access to the Black Sea. The Black Sea is connected to the Mediterranean, which is connected to the Atlantic ports…Putin views the loss of access to the Black Sea as an existential threat. Without access to the Black Sea, the Russian Navy cannot get into the Mediterranean and then on into the Atlantic. That is why he is saying publicly now that he may "have to" use nuclear weapons. The only other port that Russia has that is not frozen most of the year is in the Far East at Vladivostok on the Pacific. They believe that they cannot defend themselves without Crimea including easy land access to the peninsula,” Raney said. With anxiety over the tension that is continually building overseas, it can be nerve-racking for college students. For the moment, we need to be well aware of the situation.

“I don't want to sound overly alarmist here. But you know, in talking about this with my colleague who said, ‘world wars have started for less’ So, what I would hope is that as your audience reads your article, is that they would pray for peace,” Raney said. Let us band together to pray for the global leaders that are working diligently working through this tense and trying situation.