Prelude to Russia-Ukraine war

US dream of Unipolar World: After the disintegration of the former socialist Soviet Union the Western World led by the US breathed a sigh of relief. It began to dream of a Unipolar World for capitalism-imperialism. Since then its only mission has been to take East European countries under its military alliance North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). On the other hand the collapse of Soviet Union put Russia in a deep soup. One by one its federal states began to secede from Russia as a result of which Russia lost its control over them.

Fall of socialism in Russian in 1991, destruction of Berlin Wall in 1989, China's turning around to mixed economy gave the imperialists a upper hand. The US, taking the advantage, moved towards establishing a 'New World Order' that in fact stands for a Unipolar Capitalist World.

Seed of war was sown decades back: Over the past 30 years or more the Western Power has expanded territories of influence in East European countries, including Ukraine. Its forward march towards the East has gradually become a matter of big concern for Russia. When it comes to the question of Germany's joining any of the alliances - NATO or WARSAW - George W. Bush assured the then Russian President Mikhail Gorvachev that if Germany became a NATO member NATO would stop expanding to the East. Russia accordingly abolished its WARSAW pact but NATO continued to exist with its expansion policy in place even much more vigorously.
This was the way the seed of war in Europe was sown led by the US-sponsored Western World. After inclusion of a dozen of East European countries into the NATO the Western World, especially the US, intended to include Ukraine aboard the alliance.

How Russia-Ukraine crisis began: In November 2013 the European Union called a meeting of former Soviet republics in a bid to bring Ukraine under their control. They offered Ukraine a few hundred dollars and opportunity to trade with the EU states. As per the deal Ukraine was supposed to be the part of the NATO.

Putin stepped in as the then Yanukovich government was about to sign the deal with a counter offer of 15 billion dollar loan and a one third reduction of the price in Russian-supplied gas, favorable trade deal and elimination of tariffs. Naturally the government of Yanukovich rejected the offer of the western countries incurring the wrath of the NATO.

It was during this time the capital city of Kiev began to see demonstrations after demonstrations demanding union with Europe forcing the government to come to a deal with European countries in February 2014.

It was clearly understandable who was behind those demonstrations. The election was delayed by a year and was reset for December 2014. By the time the stage was set for the change, the US-sponsored Fatherland Party called a rump session and outside parliament the fascist marauders in Maidan Square backed by western world forced Yanukovich to flee the country.

Crimean Crisis: Under this circumstance, Russia very naturally was scared of losing its former and a geopolitically strategic country. It boarded the stage with its counter offensive attacks. Finally after losing the war in Ukraine it managed to come to a deal with Crimea. Referendum was held on 16 March 2014 in which Crimean people overwhelmingly voted to secede from Ukraine and eventually became the part of Russia. Russia has now a naval base in the Black sea that has a huge reserve of crude oil and gas. This is the reason why Crimea is so important to both Russia and the Western World. During the Soviet era Crimean peninsula was the part of Ukraine. Then Soviet President Nikita Khrushchev transferred Crimea to the Soviet Republic of Ukraine in 1954.

US policy of killing two birds with one stone: After the collapse of socialist Soviet Republic NATO, the military alliance of the Western Imperialism led by the US, advanced towards East Europe and swallowed up a dozen of East European countries. Russian Southeaster border is strategically very important. It is this part of Europe where Ukraine is located.

If Ukraine can be captured it is a kind of killing two birds with one stone. On the one hand, the western imperialists can position itself in a location that can help deter any kind of Russian move or advancement to its former states and on the other hand they can take control of Ukrainian heavy industry and mineral resources.

Their vaulting ambition was clearly manifested in a report sponsored by the A U.S. State Department. The report was published in 2004. It said that 'Ukraine's strategic location between the main energy producers (Russia and the Caspian Sea area) and consumers in the Eurasian region, its large transit network, and its available underground gas storage capacities' made the country 'a potentially crucial player in European energy transit'.

From this statement it is clear that the conflict between the imperialist countries over Ukraine is for expansion of geopolitical power and taking control over natural resources of the region. The purpose of the US to include Ukraine and Georgia in the NATO is to increase the influence of the US over the region. As its target is natural resources of the vast areas of Russia in no way it will allow Russia and China to dominate the area.

Both Ukraine and Russia were included in the former Soviet Union. In the erstwhile Soviet Union after Russia, Ukraine was the largest geographical area. Once, Ukraine was known as the 'breadbasket of Europe' as it has natural resources and Russia has always its eye on it. After the Russian-backed government stepped down in the face of the US-sponsored demonstration in 2014 Russia lost its control over the natural resources of Ukraine which it wants to restore now. After that the relation between the two countries deteriorated.

American dream of 'New World Order' shattered: The American dream of 'New World Order' hasn't come true rather new rival great powers like China and Russia have emerged. Their imperialist desires to take control of the world market have spelled dark clouds of a great war. The Russian President's declaration of recognition on 21 February to the rebel governments of Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic in the Southeast region of Ukraine added salt to the injury.

In fact, the US imperialist and imperialist Russia have no fundamental difference in their intentions. The aims of both of them are to deny the sovereignty of other countries to establish their control over markets, natural resources and raw materials.

Is the third word imminent?

The human history has seen two world wars. Neither the First World War nor the Second World War began very big. After the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria the war began involving only Hungary and Austria that gradually involved the entire world. The same way the Second World War also began with the German invasion of Poland that gradually encompassed the whole world killing millions of people. This time too Russian invasion of Ukraine forebodes similar chains of events. The war is at our doorsteps. China and America are already flexing muscles over the South China Sea Route. If somehow it cannot be prevented we are yet to know what is going to befall us, especially in the South Asian region. 
  
The writer is a Senior Sub-Editor
at the Daily Observer