#2 – The Ukrainian Hysteria*: (Part One) Should We Care?

Summary in seconds: the tale of Russian-Ukrainian conflict: professional media coverage or hysterical propaganda? The US leading the Ukrainian war hysteria, Russian forces at the border: to threaten or to invade? What to expect in our upcoming articles about this saga.

On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin Unleashed a military operation against Ukraine. Almost 18 months later, I am still asking myself: “Should I even care about this saga?”

The origins of this conflict trace back to the early 1990s when the Soviet Union allowed the reunification of East and West Germany and their entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In return, Russia claims to have received assurances from the United States and other NATO nations that the alliance would not expand into Eastern European countries that were once part of the Warsaw Pact. This perceived promise, according to Russia, was meant to safeguard its “vital sphere” from potential NATO threats.

However, NATO had different plans for Eastern European countries. By 1999, three former Warsaw Pact nations—Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland—joined NATO. Over the following years, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Albania also joined. This expansion brought NATO forces closer to Russia’s borders, increasing Moscow’s sense of isolation and mistrust of the West.

Turning to the current conflict, it did not commence with Russian forces crossing their border with Ukraine at the dawn of February 22, 2022. The Kremlin’s interest in Ukraine had been brewing since its 2014 invasion of Crimea. Moscow made it clear that preventing Ukraine from joining NATO and securing its neutral status were top priorities. However, as Ukraine did not meet Russia’s demands, the military option became a possibility.

Moscow began amassing forces near the Russo-Ukrainian border in March 2021, followed by a second buildup in Russia and Belarus from October 2021 to February 2022. Despite Russia’s denials of invasion intentions, the United States estimated approximately 150,000 Russian troops surrounding Ukraine by mid-February 2022.

On February 18, 2022, tensions between the United States and Russia escalated as the U.S. claimed that Russia had amassed a significant number of troops, around 190,000, near the Ukrainian borders. On the same day President Biden raised alarm, suggesting a high likelihood of imminent invasion.

This presidential unnerving remark, triggered a sensationalized response in the American media, with various TV stations amplifying fears and demonizing Putin and warning of impending violence against Ukrainian civilians. Rather than addressing the complex issues surrounding the potential conflict in Europe, the media coverage lacked substantive questioning and contributed to a heightened sense of hysteria.

In the months leading up to the conflict, the United States had opportunities to mediate diplomatically. Instead, it bolstered Ukraine’s image as freedom fighters and champions of self-determination, and portraying them as defenders of democratic values.

However, when Russian shells rained down on Ukrainian cities, NATO’s support fell short of direct military intervention, offering only weapons. The request for a “no-fly zone,” met reluctance due to fears of triggering a global conflict.

I do perceive the Ukrainian war as a crime, and it needs to be framed as such. As a crime, we need to figure out the crime scene, potential suspects, identify the beneficiaries of committing it, try to predict the impact of this crime, and if we could have prevented it from happening. In my next articles of this series, I intend to address these topics.

Let us now attempt to answer the question posed by the title of this article: “Should we care about this war?” The answer to this question depends on whom you direct it to, and to answer it consciously, we must clarify a set of relevant topics that I am looking forward to discussing in my upcoming articles.

Sources

1. Why Did the Soviet Union Collapse?

https://www.britannica.com/story/why-did-the-soviet-union-collapse

2. News about the conflict in Ukraine has been different