Political tensions have increased significantly in past weeks, as coverage of political turmoil in Ukraine dominates news outlets.

Images of the burning cars, smoking buildings and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s and updates of the Crimea peninsula and Russia’s invasion have dominated news coverage. All of these are related to the current political crisis in Ukraine.

Tim Collins, professor of political science, believes it is important for students to be aware of this conflict and the impact it could have on the world.

“(Awareness) is part of being a literate citizen of the world as well as a patriotic U.S. citizen,” Collins said.

What is happening in Ukraine?

Russian forces are currently occupying an area of Ukraine called the Crimean Peninsula. Russian officials cite this military move as a police action to protect stability within the country.

However, a negative view of the situation would suggest that Russia’s actions might be an attempt to reclaim some of the territory they occupied as the Soviet Union, Collins said.

Why did Russia invade the Crimean Peninsula?

While it is hard to say, this invasion is part of a chain reaction that dates back to the Cold War.

The more recent events begin in Kiev, Ukraine’s capital city, where protestors began protesting economic decisions made by former-Ukranian President Victor Yanukovych.

“The President rejected a trade deal from the European Union, which would have improved trade relations between the EU and Ukraine,” Collins said. “In response to that, the Russians offered Ukraine a $15 billion bailout. Yanukovich rejected the EU’s offer and accepted the Russian offer.”

Yanukovych’s decision upset many within the Ukranian population, since it appeared to some that the President was acting as a puppet for the Russian government. To some citizens, accepting Russia’s bailout money draws Ukraine further into Russia’s sphere of influence, Collins said.

Adding to the tension is the division between Ukranian citizens, with some being pro-Russia and others disliking the idea of Russian control.

“The protestors are those who want Ukraine to be more westernized, more like Europe and have stronger ties to Europe rather than to Moscow,” Collins said. “(These dissenters) began to protest and the protest grew. They eventually toppled the statue of Lenin (in Kiev, which serves as a reminder of Ukraine’s history).”

How did the protests escalate?

The protests came to a head in February, when Yanukovych was removed from office and fled the country.

“In the mean time, the Russians argued that (this action) was a coup,” Collins said. “Soon after, the Russians took over the airports in the Crimean Peninsula. (Western governments) responded by banning the visas of those who had ordered the taking of the Crimean peninsula and froze the assets of those who are involved.”

In response, Putin threatened to suspend nuclear inspections and halt gas supplies to the Ukraine. Members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, who inspect and act as observers in these situations, have been turned away in the region.

Senior Morgan Massey believes that Russia’s actions are unfair toward the human rights of Ukrainian citizens.

“Someone trying to infringe upon the rights of someone else is not fair,” Massey said. “We’re going to deal with stuff like this all of the time but it’s important to fight for your rights.’

Has anything like the Ukrainian conflict happened in this region before?

Yes, we can compare this struggle to a three-day war that occurred between Russia and the Republic of Georgia in 2008.

“It was a confusing conflict because Georgia claimed an area that the Russians also claimed,” Collins said. “It was a conflict where the Russians were able to say that they react to Georgia, but their reaction was seen as being too strong.”

Senior Sam Michaels and junior Colton Weimann, ROTC cadets who trained with Georgian soldiers, believe there are strong similarities between Georgia’s war and the current conflict in Ukraine.

“Both Ukraine and Georgia have portions of the population that want to ally their country to the west, away from Russia and their former ties through the Soviet Union,” Michaels said. “The west is seen as more open, stable, and profitable.”

Weimann believes the Ukrainian people’s desire for independence is similar to the struggle of Georgian citizens and should be taken seriously.

What does our government say about Ukraine?

“The way the (Obama) administration has approached it is to say that Putin has acted kind of rashly and that he’s looking for a graceful way out, kind of like an off ramp,” Collins said.

The Russian government has recently denied initial offers to sit down with Ukrainian officials in a mediated environment.

While a nightmare scenario would be the escalation of this conflict into a larger global conflict, there are other possible outcomes, such as the Russian government backing down quietly, Collins said.

What the Russian government will choose, we will have to wait and see.