RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR: CAUSES AND AFTERMATHS

Abstract

The international system has been enjoying relative peace almost immediately after the end of the cold war. However, recent development especially among the so-called ‘super powers’ in Europe and terrorism as well as insurgency has been considered has a threatening factor for the relative peace enjoyed by mankind. There has always been an unhealthy relation between Russia and Ukraine since the days of the defunct Soviet Union. The recent unfortunate Russian-Ukrainian war which has revived the bad blood relationship between the two warring nations has undoubtedly attracted wider global attention for the implications of the recent development are better imagined than seen or felt directly or indirectly. Since the break-up of the USSR, political tensions between the two neighbouring states-Ukraine and Russia-have continued on many issues. The conflict that rears its ugly head in that part of the world had its roots at the very outset of the post-Cold War era. It is against this backdrop that the paper examines the current crisis between Russia and Ukraine. It discusses the remote and immediate causes of the war. Attempt would be equally made to x-ray the implications of the war as it is likely to affect the international system and the peaceful co-existence of mankind especially when most countries of the world are grappling with the negative effects of COVID-19. Finally, the paper will be concluded with recommendations. Primary and secondary sources were used in the collection, collation and interpretation of data.