Environmental and Social Aspects of the Conflict in Ukraine: an Update

This update attempts to analyze social, historical and environmental aspects of the conflict in Ukraine, formulating proposals potentially conductive to peace initiatives and prevention of conflicts. Should the power in Eurasia be displaced to the East, it will come along with losses of values like liberties and human rights. Quality of many services, products and foodstuffs would decline. The environmental protection and energy conservation is less popular in Russia than in other industrialized countries. The reason of the “special military operation” started February 2022 was the anti-separatist activity by the Ukrainian army in Donbas since 2014. In principle, the fight against separatism within national borders is justifiable. Ukraine in her 1991 borders was recognized by all nations including Russia. However, another argumentation is also possible. The Ukraine in today’s borders was created in 1918 disregarding ethnic and linguistic realities. A majority of residents in southern and eastern provinces are Russian-speaking. Many people in Donbas were disappointed that their region had not become a part of the Russian Federation. Recent referendums on occupied territories have been met with skepticism. The Soviet-trained collectivism and mass intimidation influences referendums and elections. Many residents of occupied territories voted for the unification with Russia to avoid personal trouble as they don’t believe that the situation will be reverted. A workable solution would be an international agreement delimitating spheres of influence. Some areas in the East and South of today’s Ukraine should belong to the Russian sphere of influence as the majority of residents are ethnically and linguistically Russians. If the world is becoming multicentric, armed conflicts of various magnitudes may become permanent. A reasonable alternative is a global leadership centered in the most developed parts of the world, based on humanism and modern science.