If you are familiar with the news or the internet in general, you have heard about the potential “World War III” sparks flying between the countries of Russia and Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin, after denying for months that his military buildup of tanks and fully loaded weapons near the border with Ukraine signaled an invasion, did in fact invade his neighbor in late February. According to AP News, “[Putin’s] initial objective, which he announced in a television address on Feb. 24 as the invasion began, was to ‘demilitarize’ Ukraine and save its people from ‘neo-Nazis.'” While Ukraine does have white supremacist groups on its political periphery, the country’s leader is a Jewish man, Volodymyr Zelensky, who was elected in 2019 with 73% of the vote, making Putin’s claim “absurd” according to UCLA adjunct history professor Jared McBride, who specializes in the area’s history.

According to Reuters, Russia fired more than 320 missiles at Ukraine just in the first four days of the attack. The invasion has sent millions of Ukrainian citizens fleeing or praying from bomb shelters for their safety. 

Will the young men of America ages 18-25 be drafted to help out if the Russia-Ukraine war broadens to engulf Europe? It is unlikely. Although it is mandatory for 18-year-old men to register with the U.S. Selective Service, draft induction authority expired in 1973, two years before the end of America’s involvement in the Vietnam war. Nearly 2 million men were inducted during that conflict. According to USA Today, “It would take an act of Congress to reinstate the draft. The president would then be authorized to induct civilians through the Selective Service Administration into the armed forces under an amendment to the Military Selective Service Act.”

Are the fighting and subsequent U.S. and European sanctions influencing the global stock market? Fidelity.com says, “History shows that while geopolitical crises such as the one between Russia and Ukraine can temporarily roil markets, they don’t typically have long-term consequences for investors,” while JP Morgan predicts, “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will slow global growth and raise inflation,” adding their projection of “a high risk of large energy supply disruptions…given the possibility of more severe sanctions.”

If you are curious about the bombings and their aftermath, go to:

https://www.vox.com/2022/2/23/22948534/russia-ukraine-war-putin-explosions-invasion-explained

The United States government has sent aid to Ukraine, and private citizens have also been raising money and collecting supplies Ukrainians need such as water, food, and more. Two of these citizens include actors Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, who have started a GofundMe that has collected almost 35 million dollars. (Mila Kunis was born Milena Markovna Kunis in 1983 in Chernivtsi, Ukraine. Her family is of Jewish ancestry and her grandparents are Holocaust survivors.) If you want to donate to this Gofundme, go to: 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/stand-with-ukraine?qid=5cdf6b44e58f8c889d50ada7d07205fc