By Disha Chakraborty
Artwork by Suha Tasfia
Russia, Ukraine and the USA, the three major political figures in the Russo-Ukrainian War, evaluate their political stance with hopes to consolidate their power.
Ever since Russia’s initial invasion almost eight months ago, Ukraine has faced constant chaos due to Russian persistence in the region. This conflict has become one of the most prevalent global issues, changing frequently with updates. Just a few weeks ago, Putin signed documents which, according to international law, illegally annexed four eastern Ukrainian regions. The whirlwind of political turmoil has left New Hyde Park students feeling strongly about the matter.
“When Russia first started the war I was shocked, as it was an awful thing to do and the unthinkable happened,” said sophomore Anna Goldhirsch.
Despite Russia’s control over much of eastern Ukraine, the Russian military is struggling, suffering significant losses in two of the four Ukrainian regions recently annexed. Ukraine’s military has strengths that Russia’s military does not: funding and supplies from Western nations and most importantly, patriotism. Intense pressure from Ukrainian soldiers has forced a retreat of Russian forces, whose officials have called this period of setbacks "regrouping."
“The back-and-forth between the two nations has left NHP students feeling concern and uncertainty for the future...”
As stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, "The Ukrainian army is making quite fast and powerful progress in the south of our country." Russia's losses are not just those of territory, but also of soldiers and equipment. Recent reports display a loss of up to three-quarters of an elite Russian military intelligence unit's reconnaissance manpower in Ukraine. Similarly, military experts critique Russia's military strategies, claiming that Russia is at its weakest point as a result of a lack of early mobilization paired with a loss of troops and equipment. Though a long fight still remains a possibility in the future for Ukraine, this progress has added fuel to the Ukrainian spirit and rallied more support from the New Hyde Park community.
“I think that Russia has crossed a previously unimaginable line during its so-called special military operation. Russia’s threats of using such great and destructive force in a sovereign country are absolutely despicable. I find it impressive that Ukraine has been able to stand up to a behemoth global military power such as Russia,” freshman Darsh Mirchandani said.
Amidst the support, the back-and-forth between the two nations has also left NHP students feeling concern and uncertainty for the future.
“I cannot predict the outcome of the war, but I feel that Ukraine has a chance of overcoming Russia. This war has left both sides with major losses. I feel as if Russia expected this invasion to be much quicker and did not expect Ukraine to put up as good of a fight as they did.” said sophomore Anna Goldhirsch.
Overall, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and its waves of effects on the world have an unforeseeable future, but students at NHP are supportive of a struggling Ukraine in their fight against Russia.