All eyes are on the rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine.  Since 2014, Russia and Ukraine have been in a border dispute, with the conflict still going unresolved.

At the border of Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers stand prepared to invade Ukraine. If the Russians display any aggression, it will cause the largest conflict on European soil in decades. 

War is the worst case scenario, as it has the potential to result in thousands of civilian and soldier casualties, a mass exodus from Ukraine and Russia and the involvement of Western allies. With weapons of destruction more powerful than at any other point in history, some fear that the war may cause nations to resort to extreme measures.

Already, Biden and the U.S. government have been forced to intervene, as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) asked the U.S. for assistance. The U.S. agreed to send troops to Ukraine, though President Biden has made it abundantly clear that the U.S. will not allow soldiers to fight in Ukraine if war breaks out. 

Because Russia has violated multiple international laws, including threatening to invade Ukraine, Biden and other world leaders have considered ways to punish Russia, such as by cutting out the country from Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication or minimizing Russia’s oil and gas intake.

AP Comparative Government teacher Kenneth Spiegelman is educated on this topic. Russia is one of the six AP countries dissected in his course. In his class, Spiegelman further analyzes the ins and outs of Russia’s infrastructure as a whole.

“The United States seems to be taking steps consistent with a real concern that Russia will invade. They’ve asked embassies with families inside to evacuate and sent additional military forces to Europe,” Spiegelman said. 

An all out war is something that all nations continue to work to prevent at all costs. Extreme measures are being taken now so that war does not break out. The United States themselves hope to not get involved because of the effects it will have on not only themselves but the world.