Russia, Ukraine war takes toll everywhere

by John Eche

The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine is taking a toll on virtually every part of the world, The Difference news reports. Though the crisis had begun as, and remains a chiefly conventional assault by Russian troops who invaded the territorial space of their smaller neigbour earlier in the week afler several weeks of a hostile blockade, its reveberations are being felt everywhere.

The US and the NATO block has imposed a rash of blinding sanctions on Russia and gone ahead also to deploy counter-offensive troops to the critical and adjoining Eastern flank.

Further on the business and economy flank, Oil prices have surged beyond $100, a bitter-sweet scenario for countries like Nigeria that are heavily dependent on refined products imports. There are similar concerns that domestic gas prices may also rise further.

China, a somewhat ambivalent ally of the Kremlin, which had earlier called out the US and NATO as being a precipitator somewhat iof the crisis has now asked President Vladimar Putin of Russia to abandon any cold war mentality he may yet be harbouring and proceed to the peace table.

On its part, a shell-shocked Ukraine is calling for an end to hostilities and also pushing out more and more of its population into the streets to defend the fatherland. And the latter seems to be bearing fruit as between the Ukrainian armed forces and the new conscripts, unconfirmed reports are that hundreds of Russian soldiers have presently been killed, wounded and captured.

The question that is then now being asked in several quarters is, given that there was clearly no question of Russia being seemingly stronger than Ukraine in the first place, has the current assault not even more strategically eroded and eaten away at the underbelly of the rampaging Bear?

The invasion has also brought out echoes of Russia’s equally punitive 2008 invasion of Georgia whose residents are strongly cheering the Ukranians to fight back in defence of their fatherland.

President Vladimar Putin of Russia: Would he regret this?