How the Ukrainian war changed the world News. Last Minute GERMANY, France, England, Russia headlines and events

With Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine on February 24, 2022, a more unstable and fearful atmosphere has taken over the world. The war, which meant catastrophe for Ukraine, caused a crisis around the world.

In the year after the war, thousands of Ukrainian civilians died and countless buildings were destroyed.

Tens of thousands of soldiers were killed or wounded on both the Russian and Ukrainian sides. Outside of Ukraine, the war has undermined security in Europe, changed the relationship of countries with each other and weakened the global economy.

So, how has the war in Ukraine changed the world over the past year?

War returns to Europe

Three months before Russia invaded Ukraine, then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condescendingly commented that the British Army needed more heavy weapons, saying: “The concept of fighting big tanks in Europe is long outdated.”

Johnson, no longer prime minister, is now urging the UK to provide Ukraine with more tanks to fight back against Russian forces.

Despite the role played by new technological products such as satellites and drones, this war in the 21st century is a lot like the 20th century. The trench warfare in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine is reminiscent of World War I.

According to some experts, the war in Ukraine has triggered a new arms race reminiscent of the 1930s before World War II.

Russia, which began mobilization with a recruitment of thousands of people, aims to increase the number of soldiers in the army from one million to one and a half million.

The United States, on the contrary, has accelerated the production of weapons to replace those supplied to Ukraine.

While France plans to increase military spending until 2030, Germany has supplied Ukraine with missiles and tanks, leaving aside a long-standing ban on sending weapons to conflict zones.

Patrick Bury, a security expert at the University of Bath in England, says that before the war, many observers predicted that the armed forces would fight more advanced technology and cyberspace to fight tanks and artillery.

But firearms and military ammunition have become essential elements of the war in Ukraine.

“At least now we are seeing a return to traditional methods of warfare in Ukraine,” Bury says.

Alliances tested and toughened

Russian President Vladimir Putin hoped that an invasion of Ukraine would divide the West and weaken NATO. On the contrary, the NATO military alliance has gained momentum.

NATO, which was created against the Soviet Union, now has a new target and two new candidate members, Sweden and Finland.
The two Scandinavian countries, abandoning their longstanding principle of neutrality, have applied to join NATO to defend against Russia.

The 27-member European Union has provided Ukraine with billions of dollars of support while imposing tough sanctions on Russia.
The war also led to the settlement of differences between the European Union and the UK over Brexit and the softening of diplomatic relations.

“The EU is imposing quite serious sanctions, as it should be. America is back in Europe in a way we thought it would never happen again,” said defense expert Michael Clark of the Royal United Services Institute think tank.

NATO member countries have supplied Ukraine with weapons and military equipment worth billions of dollars. NATO, having strengthened its eastern flank and consolidated its hold on the countries closest to Ukraine and Russia, such as Poland and the Baltic states, has shifted Europe’s center of power to the east.
However, it should not be overlooked that there are some cracks in the NATO alliance.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Putin’s closest EU ally, has lobbied for sanctions against Moscow, refused to send weapons to Ukraine and blocked an aid package for Kyiv.

The extension of the war in Ukraine means that unity in the West will come under great pressure.

At the end of 2022, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “Russia is planning a long war. But the alliance is also ready for a long war.”

New Iron Curtain

The war led to the rejection of Russia from the West. International brands such as McDonalds and Ikea have pulled out of Russia, and Russian oligarchs and companies have been sanctioned.

However, this does not mean that Russia does not have other friends. Although the Beijing government did not send weapons or enter into conflict, Russia strengthened its economic ties with China. However, the US fears that China’s policy of refusing to supply weapons to Russia may change.

China is closely following the war in Ukraine, which serves as an incentive or a warning for an attempt to invade Taiwan with military force.

Putin is also strengthening military ties with countries like North Korea and Iran that are excluded from the international arena. Iran supplied unmanned aerial vehicles that Russia used to attack Ukrainian infrastructure.

On the other hand, Moscow continues to expand its sphere of influence with its economic and military influence in Africa and the Middle East. The Russian mercenary company of Wagner is consolidating its power in conflicts in many regions from the Donbass in eastern Ukraine to the Sahel in the southern Sahara Desert in Africa.

The world is divided into two camps, as in the era of the Cold War. Other countries such as India are monitoring the situation to see who has the upper hand.

Professor Tracey German, a conflict and security expert at King’s College London, notes that the war in Ukraine has further widened the gap between the “America-led liberal international order” on the one hand, and an angry Russia and emerging superpower China on the other.

Economy destroyed and rebuilt

The effects of the Ukrainian war on the economy have been felt in many places, from unheated homes in Europe to the food market in Africa.
Before the war, EU countries imported almost half of their natural gas and one third of their oil from Russia. The occupation and subsequent sanctions against Russia led to an increase in energy prices in Europe not seen since the 1970s.

The war also disrupted global trade, which was trying to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Food prices have risen rapidly as Russia and Ukraine are among the world’s largest producers of wheat and sunflower oil, and Russia is the world’s largest fertilizer producer.

Thanks to the agreement on the Black Sea Grain Corridor, reached under the auspices of the UN and Turkey, ships with grain began to be exported from Ukrainian ports, and food prices began to return to record levels.

But food remains a geopolitical bargaining chip. Russia blames the West for high food prices, while Ukraine and its allies accuse Russia of using hunger as a weapon.

Professor Tracey German notes that the war, like the pandemic, shows “how fragile” communications around the world are, and that its full impact on the economy has not yet been felt.
On the other hand, the war has also hampered efforts to combat climate change. Europe has started to use coal, which pollutes the air more.

However, reducing Europe’s dependence on Russian oil and gas could pave the way for a faster transition to renewable energy.

The International Energy Agency notes that in the next five years the world will provide as much renewable energy as has been created over the past 20 years.

A new era of uncertainty

The Ukrainian war once again reminded us that individuals have little control over the historical process. This fact is most felt by the 8 million Ukrainians who had to leave their homes and countries to build a new life for themselves in Europe and beyond.

For millions of people not directly affected by the war, the sudden deterioration of peace in Europe has created uncertainty and anxiety.

Putin’s veiled threats that nuclear weapons could be used if tensions escalate have revived fears of nuclear war that have lain dormant since the Cold War.
Violent clashes around Zaporozhye, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine, have heightened fears of a Chernobyl-like nuclear disaster.

But the war also reminded people that sometimes individual actions can make a difference. Defense expert Clarke said it was an example of Ukrainian President Zelenskiy swearing an oath he would not leave the city by filming himself on the streets of Kyiv the day after the invasion.

Clarke said: “This moment was important because it showed that Kyiv would fight. After Zelensky’s decision, America and Joe Biden also sided with Ukraine. If not for these two events, the Russians would have won. This will play a very important role. ,” He said.

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