Russia Ukraine War: Cold War between Russia and America Oppressed Seven Countries

"When a big tree falls, the earth shakes," as the adage goes... After two world wars, the globe is once again fearful of identical anxieties. Increased tensions between the world's two great superpowers, America and Russia, have affected Ukraine, an Eastern European country, in recent years. On whose border are tens of thousands of Russian soldiers camped? The images of artillery fighter planes and state-of-the-art weapons of war stationed there have sparked debate around the world.

Raising concerns of a second world war

The battle is anticipated to begin at any time, and the NATO army commanded by the United States has expanded the barrier in Eastern Europe in favor of Ukraine in retaliation. The deployment of warships from warship to warship on both sides has alarmed the entire globe, raising concerns of a second world war.

Russian army force has returned to its camp near the Ukrainian border

February 16, is especially significant because, based on intelligence, the United States has stated that Russia is secretly preparing to invade Ukraine on February 16th. All countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have issued orders for their citizens to leave Ukraine. However, amid concerns of conflict, news from Russia has arrived that a Russian army force has returned to its camp near the Ukrainian border. The entire world's attention is now focused on both the dread of war and the possibility of averting it.

The war's consequences will be felt throughout the world

After Russia, Ukraine is Europe's second-largest country by area. If a conflict breaks out over Ukraine, no country, including India, will be spared the consequences. All types of activity will be affected all across the world, including business, oil supply, and corona vaccine supplies. As a result of these anxieties, stock markets all around the world, including the Sensex, have been falling sharply for several days. A war may be fought between two or more countries, but in today's global world, no country will be immune to its consequences.

It is necessary to turn the pages of history to understand what happens to the countries that have become the focal point of a clash between superpowers such as America and Russia. After the Second World War ended in 1945, the Cold War worsened the situation of many countries. Know what happened to the countries that were a battleground or a source of conflict between these two superpowers over the last seven decades.

1. Crimea's Occupation

Crimea is the most recent example of a superpower conflict before this. Russia annexed this region of Ukraine in 2014 by assaulting it. Russia annexed Crimea, claiming historical ownership of the territory. The reason for this was that in 2014, Ukraine's pro-Russian president was removed from office. Russia was enraged and annexed the Crimean peninsula in southern Ukraine. This debate has a long and illustrious history. Crimea, which was populated by Russians, was handed from Russia to the Ukrainian Soviet Republic in 1954. Previously, Russians made up the bulk of the population in Eastern Ukraine and Crimea, and they stayed loyal to Russia. And it was for this reason that Russia was able to seize Crimea without facing any opposition.

2. Partition of Korea

With the end of World War II in 1945, the world witnessed the first result of Russia and America's supremacy struggle: the partition of Korea. After a long-running conflict in which America's soldiers were also involved on one side, Russia and China intervened on the other. The country was partitioned into two sections in 1953. Since then, North Korea has been ruled by a dictatorship based on communist ideology, and the rest of the world is unaware of the people's plight. The people in the south, on the other hand, who moved to America with the capitalist system received a country named South Korea.

Since then, neither the hostility between these two Korean countries has diminished nor the arms race has ended in the 70 years since then. Even now, Russia and China support North Korea, while American troops are stationed in South Korea to protect the country. North Korea is subjected to a variety of sanctions, making life difficult for its citizens.

3. Czechoslovakia's War

The true conflict between communist Russia and capitalist America throughout the Cold War was over how many countries from around the world should join which group. When Czechoslovakia broke away from communist doctrine in 1968 and began discussing economic changes, tensions between the two sides grew. On August 20, 1968, Russia and the rest of the Soviet bloc launched an attack on Czechoslovakia, accusing it of seceding from the Warsaw Pact and plotting against communist doctrine. More than 3 lakh Czech and Slovaks were forced to escape their houses as a result of the attack.

Eastern Europe became the battleground of the Cold War between Russia and the United States as a result of this conflict. Following this, numerous countries, including Yugoslavia, Serbia, and Croatia, were separated on the map one by one, with the friction between America and Russia as the catalyst.

4. The Missile Crisis in Cuba

How can the world forget Cuba's crisis, the communist country closest to the United States? In the early 1960s, when Russia installed missiles in Cuba, the US replied, claiming it was a threat to US security. Russia may have withdrawn the missiles as tensions rose, but Cuba remains a battleground for domination between the US and Russian-backed forces today. There is a pro-Russian communist administration in place and thousands of pro-democracy opposition figures who the US backs are either fleeing the country or imprisoned. The existence of intelligence missions is sometimes questioned. Due to international sanctions, the economy in this country is in bad shape.

5. Afghanistan is a disaster

In Asia, Afghanistan has been the most significant victim of the Cold War between the United States and Russia for decades. In the 1970s, while the government was running with Russian support, America made Pakistan a means to overthrow it and establish a stronghold in Asia, and a power like the Taliban was born there. In the 1990s, America used this strategy to destabilize pro-Russian governments.

The Taliban, on the other hand, became a crisis for America later on. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the United States invaded Afghanistan and deposed the Taliban. After 21 years, the same Taliban retaliates with the backing of Russia and China, and Afghanistan is once again under Taliban rule as of August 15th, 2021. Thousands and millions of people have fled the Taliban's fear in recent months across the globe.

6. Vietnam became a Cold War battleground

From the beginning of the 1960s, Western countries continued to boost force deployments in Asia, and at one point, more than 1 lakh 80 thousand American soldiers were stationed in Vietnam alone. The Vietnam War began as a rebellion against the US occupation in parts of North Vietnam that were influenced by Russia and China. Vietnam was subjected to American airstrikes and attacks over the following many years. Vietnam remained the battleground between the two sides for the next several years, until American soldiers withdrew, bringing the conflict to a close. The tragedy of this battle impacted millions of individuals. This country, though, has not forgotten the damage.

7. The invasion of Hungary resulted in the eviction of millions of people

Following WWII, many countries formed governments led by supporters of Russian despot Stalin. The American faction also joined the supremacy struggle against them. In the 1950s, Hungary became its arena. Where the Soviet Union had entered Hungary in 1956, Russia's supremacy was on the decrease. Thousands of people from the opposing side were detained and imprisoned as a result of Russia's crackdown on the supporters' regime overthrow. Thousands of people were kidnapped and imprisoned in Soviet jails. Because of the war, more than 2 lakh people have fled their homes.

...and now there's Ukraine's disaster.

To comprehend the current crisis in Ukraine, it is vital to grasp Russia's motivation for planning the attack. In truth, Russia's siege on Ukraine has gotten worse in the last two months. Russian President Vladimir Putin has long argued that the United States committed in the 1990s not to extend NATO in the Far East, but that promise has been broken. Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are four countries that share borders with Russia and were once part of the Russian bloc.

These countries, however, are now members of NATO. Russia is unwilling to accept NATO's presence on its border to such a degree. NATO, Russia claims, is mobilizing its military strength and military equipment along our border through these countries.

Ukraine no longer has a pro-Russian administration, and it has stated that it would not join NATO under any circumstances. This is thought to be the primary cause of the current tense situation. Ukraine is bordered on the west by European countries and the east by Russia. Russia accuses NATO members of supplying Ukraine with weaponry regularly, while the US is escalating tensions between the two countries. Russia wants NATO forces to revert to their 1997 border positions.

If this is agreed upon, NATO forces will be required to withdraw from Poland as well as the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. It will also be unable to maintain its weapons in nations such as Poland and Romania. Although French President Macron recently visited Russia to avoid war, and efforts are being made at many levels to avoid war, NATO members, including the United States, are unlikely to acquiesce to Russia's demands.