government that is trying to harm another country’s homeland. It all reminds me of the invasion of Poland in 1939 when German dictator Adolf Hitler spoke ill of the country and claimed that there were German minorities living there who were being oppressed. 

     This similarity surprised me. It got me thinking about how similar this invasion is to other events in history, and what possible outcome can come of this if not handled properly. 

     In order to get an accurate opinion on the matter, I decided to use a virtual private network (VPN) to look at Ukrainian and Russian news media to see how they are delivering the events. 

     According to Al Jazeera writer Niko Vorobyov, most Russian people believe that Putin’s plan is to take back land that was once part of the Soviet Union. According to E-International Relations writer Taras Kuzio, Putin wrote a 6000-word article published in July of 2021 stating that Ukraine was “Russian land.” I tried to read this document myself, but it was removed from public viewing. 

     Going back to Hitler’s 1939 speech, he claimed that a part of Poland once belonged to Germany and that it was time to take back what belonged to them. It makes me wonder if Putin really knows what he is doing, or if he’s even telling the truth to begin with. 

     Another shocking comparison is when Russia had previously tried to recover Finland at the beginning of World War II (1939-1945) after their departure from the country in 1917. According to Imperial War Museums, dictator Joseph Stalin wanted to “re-expand” Russia’s territory and overthrow Finland’s government. This was done to prevent them from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which many believe is Putin’s goal. To me, it almost sounds like Putin is trying to repeat history. 

     One would think with what has already happened previously, Putin would see that his plans are destined to lead to failure. So far, he has already been criticized for his actions and plans, and with what Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is doing to protect his people, there’s going to be a rude awakening for him and his armies. 

     Right now, Zelensky is doing what most heads of state don’t usually do: he is physically fighting. Since this hasn’t been seen in history before, it’s hard to pinpoint the outcome of the president doing this. 

     Head of the Ukrainian presidential office Andriy Yermak wrote to the New York Times about having to hide with Zelensky under a bunker, and that they plan on fighting until they give their last breath. This ultimately proves how strong this country is, and I can almost see a bright future ahead for their people. 

     This invasion will definitely be in the history books, especially because there is so much going on that history has already mentioned. For anyone who would like to help in any way, there are charities to donate money to, such as the World Central Kitchen, Global Giving’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund and the International Rescue Committee, that want to do whatever they can to help. This topic should stay in the media for as long as it can, and people all around the world need to be aware of what’s going on.