Since February 20, 2014 Vladimir Putin has had his eye on the brethren country Ukraine. Ukraine left the USSR in 1991 and for eight years now Putin has been trying to drag them back since his 2014 Crimea grasp. 

On February 24th, Putin told his troops to step foot on Ukrainian soil. Instead of just making footprints in the white snow, they made it red and the cities full of ash. Missiles were launched that day and that was just the start to the amount of loss and mourning on both sides. Many people in both of the countries have parents or family across the border. There have been over 2,000 civilian casualties since the start of the attacks. Families all over Ukraine have gone under the ground and have made bunkers and bomb shelters their new found home. 

People have been calling the Russo-Ukrainian war, the “Tik-Tok War” all because of the Gen Z app TikTok. All over the app, you can see videos of a child on her bicycle getting hit with a missle head on, farmers stealing Russian tanks, an elderly woman telling Russian soldiers to “put sunflower seeds in their pockets” so when they die there will be pretty flowers to grow in their place, and even young Russian soldiers confused on why they are fighting their brother country. Many are saying the app has played an important role in the war, educating people of all ages on what’s happening. 

People of all political affiliations are coming together to rail against Putin and his plan. Conservative or liberal, almost everyone has the same idea that what he is doing isn’t okay. Even Russian civilians are making posters claiming that they still believe Ukraine to be their brother. There has been talk from civilians about how Putin has been able to get the Taliban and the EU on the same page within six days, meaning that even the Taliban asks for “restraint on both sides”. 

There has been talk about the difference between a leader and a dictator. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is being called a true leader and war hero by people all across the world. He loves his country so much that he is even fighting on the front lines to possibly save the place he proudly calls home and to save as many lives as he can. Vladimir Putin has been called a dictator and a boss because he gives orders. Zelenskyy said, “We do not hold out, we fight, and our nation will fight to the end. This is our home, we are protecting our land, our homes. For the sake of our children’s future.”

Putin doesn’t just have his eye on Ukraine either, he has stated to the press that, “Consequences greater than any you have faced in history.” If anyone intervenes on his attack on Ukraine. He has told Sweden and Finland that if they think of joining NATO, he will attack. No matter the outcome of the war, too many lives have been lost.