Short-term Causes

Question 1

Identify 2 Causes

Answer 1

1. Russia’s need to ‘de-nazify’ and ‘de-militarise Ukraine’ to prevent the ‘genocide’ of ethnic Russians.
   Russia’s desire to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO.
2. Russia’s desire to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO.

Question 2

Russia’s need to ‘de-nazify’ and ‘de-militarise Ukraine’ to prevent the ‘genocide’ of ethnic Russians.

Explanation

Ethnic Russia population

Answer 2

One cause of this global crisis has been Russia’s objective to “de-Nazify” and “de-militarise Ukraine” via a “special military operation” which Russian President Vladimir Putin claims is necessary to protect ethnic Russians in Ukraine from “genocide.”

Ethnic Russians composes of approximately 17% of Ukraine’s total population, concentrated in the eastern provinces of Donestk.

Question 3

Preventing Ukraine from joining NATO

Explanation

• Putin 2021 quote
• Russian Foreign Ministry quote

Answer 3

Russia’s opposition to NATO expansion has been long-standing, with President Putin stating in 2021 that “further NATO expansion eastward is unacceptable.”

Ukraine’s pursuit of NATO membership was perceived as crossing a red line. In December 2021, Russia demanded legally binding guarantees that Ukraine would never join NATO, demands rejected by the military alliance.

The Russian Foreign Ministry declared, “the key to everything is the guarantee that Ukraine will not be in NATO,” illustrating how this issue was central to Moscow’s decision to commence the “special military operation.”