Questions tagged [ukraine]

Questions relating to the government or the politics of Ukraine.

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As of January 2023, and short of overt war, what retaliatory steps Russia could take against Ukraine's Western allies?

Ukraine has various Western allies who support the Ukrainian war effort for different reasons. Russia sees this support more and more as direct participation in the war. It appears that if Russia ...
mart's user avatar
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How can Estonia give "all" of their 155mm howitzers to Ukraine?

Kaimo Kuusk, the Estonian Ambassador to Ukraine apparently announced that: We are giving all our 155mm howitzers to Ukraine. I can't see how an army would agree to give all their artillery in that ...
the gods from engineering's user avatar
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2 answers
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Why do negotiations have to be done at a capital city?

Putin proposes talks in Minsk. Zelenskyy is ready for talks with Russia in Baku, Warsaw, Budapest and Istanbul. I see only capitals here and wonder - does it have to be a capital of some country? Time ...
klm123's user avatar
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6 answers
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What would it take to require Russia to pay war reparations to Ukraine?

According to this about $1 trillion dollars of Russian assets have been frozen by the international community This money is currently 'frozen', not 'taken' i.e. there's an expectation that it will at ...
ConanTheGerbil's user avatar
18 votes
2 answers
7k views

Did Russia communicate President Vladimir Putin's planned Mariupol visit to Ukraine for deconfliction purposes?

When US President Biden visited Kiev, it is thought that Russia was made aware of the visit ahead of time for purposes of deconfliction - for example to avoid a Russian attack on Kiev while unaware ...
uhoh's user avatar
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What is the benefit of Ukraine declaring martial law after a naval attack by Russian forces?

So as of my writing of this question—November 26, 2018—Ukraine declared martial law after a Russian naval attack. And as per The New York Times: Ukraine’s Parliament voted Monday to declare martial ...
Giacomo1968's user avatar
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3 answers
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Have any politicians in Ukraine considered ejecting Luhansk and Donetsk?

(Edit - Feb 22nd: seeing the events of the last 12 hours I feel kind of dirty for asking this question, which I did before reading about Russia's recognition - though I was aware the Duma had ...
Italian Philosophers 4 Monica's user avatar
17 votes
9 answers
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Why is the help provided for Ukraine by the USA government perceived as excessive?

According to a December 2023 study, around half of American Republicans view the assistance provided to Ukraine as excessive. Around 16% of Democrats agree. USA is spending 877 billion dollars on its ...
Ruslan Oblov's user avatar
17 votes
8 answers
3k views

Can the current European sanctions against Russia have a significant effect?

Many European countries and the EU itself have imposed economic sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. However, according to this Guardian article citing this study, European nations are ...
terdon's user avatar
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17 votes
10 answers
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How could it happen that Ukrainian soldiers did not try to defend against the invasion?

What I do not understand about the current crisis in Crimea is how this invasion could be successful without anyone firing a gun. Weren't there Ukrainian soldiers stationed in Crimea? Maybe the ...
o0'.'s user avatar
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17 votes
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Why didn't the US and allies supply Ukraine with air defense systems before the October strikes?

As was well covered in the media, the Russian war of aggression came into a new phase in October with strikes on the civilian energy infrastructure in Ukraine. I can understand why they're doing this ...
Igor's user avatar
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Why did NATO not extend to include Ukraine along with the Baltic States back in 2004?

Note: This is somewhat related to this question According to CNBC, one of the goals of Russia is to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO. I am not sure if this is related to not having a direct border ...
Alexei's user avatar
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Apart from Serbia, have there been pro-Russia/pro-Putin demonstrations in other countries, since the war started?

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-60630351 Up to 4,000 people have taken part in a pro-Russia demonstration in the Serbian capital. Friday's march was a show of support for Moscow after its ...
the gods from engineering's user avatar
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4 answers
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Why is the West ignoring Belarus when threatening with sanctions related to the current Ukraine and Russia situation?

When reading different news outlets (e.g. Associated Press, CNN, Reuters) it seems the west is focused on threatening Russia with action should it decide to go forward with the expected (from the west ...
HaroldH's user avatar
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4 answers
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Why do Crimeans think so differently of Russia compared to the people of Donetsk/Luhansk?

Crimea overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in 2014, and even in retrospect, Crimean public opinion is strongly in favor of joining Russia (source, source). Comparatively, the rest of Ukraine - ...
Allure's user avatar
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Is the Crimean referendum legal?

Как известно, Верховная Рада Крыма в обход Конституции Украины приняла решение о проведении в Крыму 16 марта референдума по присоединению к России. (src) As was noted, the Supreme Council of Crimea ...
user4012's user avatar
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Have Donetsk and Luhansk recognized each other as independent states?

The Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic, fighting alongside Russia against Ukraine, have been recognized as independent states by Russia, Syria, and North Korea (as well as by ...
Mitsuko's user avatar
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Is there any proof that Ukraine was planning military deployment into the self-proclaimed republics in Donbass prior to 24 February 2022?

In an interview with CNN's Christine Amanpour (transcript), the Russian president's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has claimed that there have been "strong indications" that Ukraine had been ...
Gallifreyan's user avatar
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What is the argument made by Gregor Gysi against the delivery of weapons by Germany to Ukraine?

In a TV debate the prominent left wing politician Gregor Gysi made the following argument. (Translated) Interviewer: You didn't change your opinion on weapons delivery to Ukraine? You are still ...
CuriousIndeed's user avatar
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Why does the Trump-Zelensky phone call matter?

I think that a simplified version of this question (which is put on hold because of too much opinion in the question) is an interesting one and I hope to learn something from this discussion. The ...
Phlegon_of_Tralles's user avatar
16 votes
3 answers
753 views

How unusual is Rudy Giuliani's involvement in government?

Recently Rudy Giuliani's name has been all over the news, and my understanding is that he has been deeply involved in negotiating US foreign policy in Ukraine. From Wikipedia's article on the Trump–...
Arcanist Lupus's user avatar
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6 answers
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Would it be possible for Russia to "unannex" parts of Ukraine?

How easy is it now for Russia to undo their annexation of the parts of Ukraine that they recently took or at least laid claim to? e.g. if there was a change of leadership to someone not in favour of ...
komodosp's user avatar
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Why is Hunter Biden’s position in Burisma not considered a problem?

While I believe the current admin’s attempt to initiate an investigation into the Bidens’ Ukraine dealings was nothing but a political maneuver, what I’m more interested in is why most don’t consider ...
joshperry's user avatar
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What is the public evidence about Russian claims concerning US promising non-expansion of NATO towards it borders?

During the recent 2022 conflict in Ukraine and the diplomatic talks preceding it, the Russian government kept saying that there were promises made by the US and the west that NATO would not expand ...
Schwarz Kugelblitz's user avatar
15 votes
14 answers
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What is the political justification by China and India for not participating in the sanctions against Russia?

China and India are not participating in the sanctions imposed by the Western world on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine. This has effectively made the sanctions much less effective, compared to what ...
user000001's user avatar
15 votes
8 answers
7k views

Does Putin want to restore the USSR?

Joe Biden's speech in Poland has attracted much attention due to some of his off-cuff remarks (see, e.g., the discussion here). I found another curious passage: A dictator bent on rebuilding an ...
Roger V.'s user avatar
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6 answers
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Why is US reluctant to consider Russia a state sponsor of terrorism?

CNN mentions that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a request to US President Joe Biden to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a ...
Alexei's user avatar
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Why must export of Ukrainian grain go through Russian diplomatic and military approval?

You can find claims all over the media that Ukraine cannot export their grain (I assume it was last year's production since it is too early for the new harvest) because the Russian navy has blockaded ...
FluidCode's user avatar
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Why is Saudi Arabia "sitting on the fence" on Ukraine?

For the first time in twenty-five years, China, India, and Pakistan took a similar position on a global issue, choosing to abstain from voting on Ukraine, like so many others, including Indonesia, ...
Sayaman's user avatar
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3 answers
3k views

Has Ukraine ever considered being neutral after the collapse of the Soviet Union?

This article that was written a few weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine suggests that Emmanuel Macron did not rule out the idea of Ukraine's neutrality following Finland as a model: During the tense ...
Alexei's user avatar
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4 answers
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Why do Western countries not send more powerful weapons to Ukraine?

One of the most important reasons for Ukrainians being able to defend themselves against the Russian military is the weapons sent by various NATO / EU countries. However, it seems that there is quite ...
Alexei's user avatar
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15 votes
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Why does Russia reject China's peace proposal?

On 24 February 2023, China issued a twelve-point peace plan outline, calling for a cease fire and peace talks. The same day, Zelenskyy indicated he was willing to consider aspects of the proposal, ...
Sayaman's user avatar
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15 votes
4 answers
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Does NATO have any obligation to defend Ukraine against Russia?

Does NATO have any obligation to defend Ukraine against Russia? Why is it not sending NATO troops on the Ukraine border to defend against Russia? I thought the point of NATO is to defend against ...
user avatar
15 votes
1 answer
2k views

Did the US embassy in Kyiv resist hanging Trump's picture while Yovanovitch was ambassador?

Trump charges that was the case. As the BBC reported yesterday: President Donald Trump has pilloried an envoy who testified in the impeachment inquiry, claiming she refused to hang his photo in the ...
the gods from engineering's user avatar
15 votes
3 answers
5k views

Does the UK have the military capability to deny Russia air supremacy over Ukraine?

Some Tory backbenchers have called for British military intervention in the Russian invasian of Ukraine (source). The specific proposal seems to be to deny Russia air supremacy (which Russia claims1 ...
Arno's user avatar
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15 votes
1 answer
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At the beginning of the war in Ukraine, which U.S. forces were immediately ordered to pull back, and from where?

Politico's 02/27/2022 article Pentagon wants Moscow back channels to prevent nuclear escalation includes the following: When the Russian invasion began in earnest last week, U.S. forces in the region ...
uhoh's user avatar
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15 votes
3 answers
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Why did the LPR and DPR in Donbas not form one People's Republic?

Right now, in the Donbas region of Ukraine, there are two quasi-states — the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) and the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). They emerged due to the events of the War in ...
isakbob's user avatar
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14 votes
4 answers
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Would a tit-for-tat retaliation against Russian civilian infrastructure be a violation of the Geneva convention?

Ukraine is currently suffering from a series of Russian attacks against civilian infrastructure, which might soon result in the entire country not having access to electricity. Does the Geneva ...
JonathanReez's user avatar
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14 votes
4 answers
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Why did Ukraine mobilize a relatively small number of soldiers for the war?

As far as I can tell, Ukraine mobilized less than 500 thousand people for the war effort. But given that the war is an existential crisis for the nation, why didn’t they mobilize a few million men in ...
JonathanReez's user avatar
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14 votes
6 answers
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Does banning oil import from Russia damage its economy in the short term?

Tucker in this video said that sanctions against Russia aren't hurting Putin and its side-effects are just hurting US people by raising gas price. Do US sanctions against Russia really not have any ...
Amir reza Riahi's user avatar
14 votes
1 answer
4k views

Did the Minsk Agreements somehow give Russia the right to move troops into Ukraine?

There is a video circulating since (shortly?) before the Russian invasion of Ukraine (it was published at latest on Feb 15, 2022) in which someone (apparently an "Oleg Pakholkov" (Олег ...
O. R. Mapper's user avatar
14 votes
2 answers
5k views

Russia attacks Ukraine. Why is world's reaction so slow? [closed]

Russia has occupied Crimea, and Russian soldiers are getting ready to attack Kharkiv this night. About Crimea - this has been obvious for last few days. Just words. Russia don't do it, this is bad. ...
Bogdan Burym's user avatar
14 votes
3 answers
2k views

Why did Ukraine give up nuclear weapons through Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances?

Through Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine gave up their nuclear weapons between 1994 and 1996. According to the same source: Before that, Ukraine had the ...
Alexei's user avatar
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14 votes
3 answers
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Could NATO accept a new member who is at war?

Could NATO Accept a new member who is at war? There are many reasons why NATO would not want to accept Ukraine as a new member state right now. The most prominent reason being the perception that this ...
Joey Joystick's user avatar
14 votes
3 answers
1k views

What are some non-partisan sources about the relative balance of power in the Russia-Ukraine conflict?

Before the war everyone was saying Russia would just walk right in; now everybody makes a big kerfuffle about every Ukrainian tactical victory. What are good analyses on what the strategic situation ...
JCool's user avatar
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14 votes
6 answers
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Does the shipment of large amounts of a variety of sophisticated weapons to Ukraine carry a high risk of retaliation or misuse for the senders?

Does the shipment of large amounts of a variety of sophisticated weapons to Ukraine carry a high risk for the senders? A couple of things come to mind: Similarity to Afghanistan. We send weapons to ...
user avatar
14 votes
1 answer
507 views

Is Ukraine entitled to redress of breach to the Budapest Memorandum?

Ukraine gave up nukes in a separate agreement in 1994, under guarantees from Russia and USA and UK that Ukraine's territorial integrity won't be violated and in case of such violation would be ...
Rohit's user avatar
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13 votes
3 answers
6k views

What was the point of Trump trying to get dirt on Hunter Biden's dealings with Ukraine?

When Trump was impeached, the big issue was that he wanted to get dirt on his political opponent. He wanted dirt on Joe Biden's son and how he worked with an oil company and wanted to accuse Biden of ...
Number File's user avatar
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13 votes
8 answers
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Why is a country like Poland that is vehemently anti-refugee so accommodating to people of Ukraine?

The ruling Polish PiS party's single biggest sensationalized issue seems to be immigration and the anti-immigrant euro-skepticism. But Polish people now are very receptive of Ukrainian people. Is it ...
Ash Rivers's user avatar
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13 votes
2 answers
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Did Russia violate international laws in Ukraine and if so, how?

There have been several claims since the Russian Federation attacked Ukraine the 24th of Feb that it violated international laws, and such claims have been made several times since the Crimea got ...
vmonteco's user avatar
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