A BRIEF BACKGROUND INTO THE UKRAINE WAR
The Ukraine War began in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula on the Black Sea, sparking a conflict that has continued to this day. The roots of the conflict can be traced back to the fall of the Soviet Union and the emergence of an independent Ukraine, which has struggled to balance its ties to Europe and the West with historic and cultural ties to Russia. At the heart of the Ukraine War is a deep divide between pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine and the Ukrainian government, which has sought to maintain control over the region. The conflict has been marred by violence, with both sides accused of human rights abuses and war crimes. The origins of the conflict can be traced back to protests in Ukraine in 2013 over former President Viktor Yanukovych's decision to scrap a trade deal with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia. Yanukovych was eventually ousted in a popular uprising, but his ouster was seen as a victory for Western-backed force...