About the upcoming war between Russia and Ukraine

I am from Odessa, Ukraine. Throughout my life I had been mostly indifferent to politics, focusing on my education and my free time, but most likely there will be war in my country in the coming months. The Russian army is gathering along the Ukrainian border, and the Ukrainian army is gathering along the Russian “border” (so-called “Donbass”). I understand that I don’t know everything, but to me it seems like a war is inevitable, so I decided to write this post to raise awareness of the issue.<br><br>Putin has been president of Russia for the past 16 years. He constantly speaks about the former USSR, saying how strong and great it had been and hinting and how he wants to unite these countries once again. One of the former Soviet republics is Ukraine, which he has wanted for himself for most of his political career.<br><br>In 2013 a war began in Ukraine due to the (former) President leaving office. For a few years Ukrainian cities were occupied by Russian proxies.<br>The Russian President is constantly speaking about the strategic importance of Ukraine and how it should be Russian territory. The Russian government is constantly trying to take control of Ukraine, but the Ukrainian people do not want this, as Russians are oppressing their own citizens, they see what’s going on in occupied Ukraine, and they do not want to have contact with Russia.<br><br>Putin has been president of Russia for over 16 years. Over this time he has imprisoned or killed many of his political enemies, and today there are no political rivals left in Russia. He controls the media, the army, and other branches of government (though not entirely). He also uses propaganda against Ukraine, claiming that Ukraine is ruled by Nazis and neo-Nazis and that the Russian government has to protect the Russian and Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine. However, Ukraine is a democratic country, and there are no Nazis in power there.<br><br>Putin has been gathering troops along the Ukrainian border for over 2 months. His government says that it is simply a training exercise, but I don’t think anybody believes this. Today there are more than 100,000 Russian troops along the Ukrainian border. The Ukrainian government insists that they will not attack Russian troops first, but it is clear that Russia will attack Ukraine in the coming months. It is war after all, and I don’t think Putin will back down before achieving his goals.<br><br>Ukraine is an independent country and it will defend itself. Our army is prepared to fight the Russian army, and I’m sure that they will fight to the death. I hope that Ukraine will win this war, and the territorial integrity of my country will be preserved.<br><br>I think that Ukraine will win this war because we are fighting for our homeland.<br>Ukraine is our country, and we love our country. We will protect our home with all our strength. Ukraine will not give up, even if our capital and largest city is conquered. The government will go underground, and war will continue there, like it is in Donbass and Crimea.<br><br>The territorial integrity of Ukraine will be preserved, because the Ukrainian people will not let Putin win this war. We have been an independent country for 30 years and we will not become Russian slaves. It is our choice to live freely and independently in our country, no matter the cost. It is our right to decide our country’s fate. We will protect what is rightfully ours. It is our duty to our country.<br><br>Russia will lose this war because its government is undemocratic and its citizens don’t want war. Most have never even been to Ukraine and don’t even know the location of many of its cities, but most still support the war. They believe what the television tells them, and the television says that Ukraine is ruled by Nazis, who are killing Russians. The government hides the fact that most of the occupied territories are in ruins. Many Russian citizens don’t know this, but many also do know this, and do not support the war. Many of them want to live in a free democratic country, not an empire ruled by a dictator.<br><br>Russia will not win because most of its citizens do not want war. The government will try to force them to go to war, but many will abandon their positions and go into hiding. Many will openly protest the government, and the government will have to fight not only Ukraine but its own citizens as well. Many Russian citizens will support Ukraine, especially in territories that Russia took from Ukraine, such as Crimea. I’m sure that many of them will protest openly when war begins.<br><br>Russia will not win this war, because Ukraine has support from the Western bloc. For a few years Ukrainian citizens have been able to freely enter Europe.<br>Citizens of Russia do not have this privilege. Russia and Ukraine have signed a number of agreements with Europe, but Russia has violated them all. Ukraine has always kept to its agreements. For this reason Ukraine is viewed as a more reliable partner than Russia. Russia has been sanctioned by the Western bloc many times already, but Ukraine is often given many benefits.<br><br>I am sure that in case of war the Western bloc will openly take Ukraine’s side. It will help Ukraine in any way it can politically and economically, while Russia will be sanctioned even harder than before. Ukraine’s economy is much smaller than Russia’s, but it is still large enough that with help from the Western bloc, Ukraine will be able to fight Russia and win.<br><br>Ukraine will win this war because the Ukrainian army is much stronger than it was 8 years ago. Back then Ukraine had lost Crimea without a fight, and the war in Donbass only ended after losing 14,000 hectares of territory. Over the years Ukraine has received funds from its allies to buy new military equipment, and the Ukrainian army is well-prepared for this war.<br><br>Even though Russia has an army much larger than Ukraine’s, Ukraine will still win. In my opinion this war will be like Afghanistan, where the USA had lost even though they had a much larger army. Ukraine is fighting for its independence and will not surrender. Ukraine is a free country and will not become a Russian colony.<br><br>Russia will also lose this war because its military is weaker than it is thought to be. Russia began a war against Syria a few years ago, and its army is still there. Russia won the war in Syria, but at great cost. In my opinion Russia is not able to defeat Ukraine without losing too many of its own soldiers.<br><br>Russia will not just lose the war politically and economically, but physically as well. Many Russian soldiers will die in Ukraine. The Russian army will suffer great casualties, and in the end they will retreat.<br>It is clear that Russia will lose this war. It is clear that the Ukrainian army will win.<br><br>I am not afraid that Ukraine will lose, but I am still worried. Throughout my life I have been privileged to live in peaceful conditions. I understand that war is inevitable, but I do not want it. I love my peaceful life, and I don’t want to speak about war.<br><br>I do not want war, but it is out of my control. I don’t know if my city will be occupied, and I do not know if I will be drafted into the army. I do not know what will happen to my family, friends, classmates, etc.<br><br>War is a terrible thing, and I do not want my country to go through this. I understand that war is inevitable, but I still do not want it. I can only hope that the war is not too harsh and that the Ukrainian army will win as soon as possible. However, I know that this is most likely not possible.