On February 24, 2022, Russian Forces invaded Ukraine for the first time. 

According to CNN, Putin announced their operation to “protect the people” of Ukraine. He maintained that Russian forces were not meant to occupy Ukraine, but rather to keep the peace.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has drawn worldwide praise for his response to the crisis unfolding within his borders. He has been spotted on the front lines of the war, fighting alongside his soldiers.

On April 25, it was reported that Zelenskyy met with the American Secretary of State to discuss strategy and future plans for the war. American Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was asked about the meeting and said “The first step in winning is believing that you can win. We believe that they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support, and we’re going to do everything we can … to ensure that gets to them.”

While Ukraine is a small country with limited resources, it is receiving support from all over the world. United States, Belgium, Germany, and France are among the countries that have sent military aid to Ukraine. President Joe Biden agreed to send an additional $350 million of military weapons to Ukraine. The European Union, for the first time in history, is financing weapons for Ukraine. They have sent over 500 million USD worth of weapons to Ukraine. 

The outpouring of support for Ukrainians is more than just military assistance from other countries. Support Ukraine has become a social movement around the world. #SupportUkraine has been trending on Twitter ever since news of the war broke. Celebrities in the United States have pledged support and donations to Ukraine, with other citizens following suit. Gigi Hadid announced she will be donating all profits from Fashion Week to help the people of Ukraine who are actively seeking shelter. To involve more people in the war effort, married couple Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively have agreed to match their follower’s donations up to one million USD. Mila Kunis and her husband Ashton Kutcher have joined forces with Airbnb and Flexprot.org to raise funds for the people of Ukraine. They have said their goal is $30 million.

Joey Sims, a senior at Lafayette High School, was asked for his thoughts on what many are calling the beginning of the Third World War. He says, “Russia, they suck lowkey. I recommend the Vladimir Putin diss track on SoundCloud.” When asked why he was a fan of said diss track, he replied “It goes hard.”

Another senior at Lafayette High School, Caden James, weighed in on the war situation. “I think this war is being put on by Zelenskyy and Putin to improve Zelenskyy’s rating and get Russia to access to the Crimean Sea. Zelenskyy’s approval rating was plummeting before the war due to him being unable to control the Russian Ultranationalists in his country. After several attempts to limit free speech, he ended up harming his people more than he helped them. A so-called truce will probably happen within the next few years.” After being asked if he believed his theory will ever be common knowledge, James responded “Americans will never understand Europeans.”