NATIONAL INTEREST AS A CATALYST FOR THE RUSSIAN-UKRAINE WAR AND THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN DONETSK

Abstract

The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine which started in February 2022 can be traced back to 2014 when a pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was removed from office as a result of a revolution organized by pro-Western Ukrainians. Similarly, the Russian invasion of the Crimea peninsula, a territory owned by Ukraine signifies a strong political gesture, which has been the casus belli of the war between the two nations, arising from a complex historical background, the struggle to build a national identity, and political power. The war shows no signs of abating and has continued to drive humanitarian crises across the country, especially in the Donetsk region. The intense hostilities and fight have left more than 17 million people representing 40 per-cent of the country's population in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection. In the Donetsk region, the hostilities have resulted in the death of many civilians, including women and children, internal displacement of millions of persons and the destruction of critical infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, electricity and water supply systems. This paper, therefore, by employing the power theory explains how the Russian military actions driven by its national interest led to war in Ukraine, resulting in the humanitarian crisis in the Donetsk region. The paper depended on the time series research design, utilizing the documentary data generation method. Content analysis was used. This paper found that the actions of the Russian military in Ukraine led to the humanitarian crisis in the Donetsk region. The paper recommended that Russia should pursue its interest in Ukraine by diplomatic means and cooperation, not military actions leading to the humanitarian crisis in the country, especially in Donetsk.