Megan LeBoff
Staff Writer

A detailed explanation of the tensions in Russia and Ukraine

     The first thing that you have to understand is that the tension between Russia and Ukraine is built upon two main reasons. One: Ukraine is a matter of strategic importance to Russia. Ukraine is quite a big country that finds itself right in between the European Union and Russia, making it highly valued territory.

      Two: there have been years of territorial conflict between Ukraine and Russia. And to fully understand that conflict, we have to rewind time a bit. 

     Ukraine was once part of the Soviet Union, and after it’s fall, Ukraine became a separate country, officially declaring itself independent on 24th August 1991.

      Geographically, Ukraine borders Russia, so naturally, the east side of Ukraine (the side bordering Russia) is heavily mixed with Russian and Ukrainian culture and political ideals. 

     Ukraine as a whole can essentially be broken into two political parties: those who support westernization/joining European forces, and who are typically more liberal, and those who are pro-Russia and are typically more conservative. The Ukrainian president from 2010-2014, Viktor Yankovitch, was the latter, and was particularly popular in the east. 

     However, after a few corruption charges and political “blunders”, by 2013 Yankovitch’s popularity was rapidly declining. So, in an effort to counter that,  Yankovitch agreed to sign an accord that would officially declare Ukraine as part of the European union. Keep in mind this was an extremely critical agreement that had major support from the Ukrainian public, and was practically guaranteed to increase his approval ratings. 

     However, on November 21, 2013, the government went back on its promise at the last minute, and suspended the signing of the European Union Ukraine association agreement, causing major civil unrest in the country. 

     The unrest started as protests, then turned into riots and civil disobedience, and finally turned into a movement called the Euromaidan movement. During this period, Ukrainian society fell into chaos, and  Yankovich ended up fleeing the country. 

     Amid the chaos, Russia strategically took control of Crimea, a Ukrainian Peninsula, officially declaring it independant on March 16, 2014. This caused uproar in the Ukrainian government, calling it a “violation of international law.” 

     Russia responded by saying a majority of the soldiers that took control of Crimea were volunteers and rebels from Ukraine itself. In addition, Vladamir Putin, the prime minister of Russia, made a statement saying that Russia will support the rights of Russian speakers in Crimea and South Ukraine.

     This feeling of connectedness with Russian-speaking Ukranians and Russia caused a major ethnic division in Ukraine, creating regions on the east side of Ukraine called donetsk and luhansk (collectively known as the Donbas region) where fighting between Ukraine and Russia/rebel forces began. 

     Many reports say Russia supplied the Donbas region with heavy military equipment that was allegedly used to shoot down a passenger airplane over Ukrainian airspace, which crashed in the Donbas region.

     That crash became a matter of international dispute between Russia and the United States/European Union, and Ukraine became the battleground. NATO even got involved, and in April 2016, NATO announced that they would support Ukraine, despite their lack of membership. And in October 2018 Ukraine joined the United States and seven other North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries in a series of large-scale air exercises in western Ukraine.

     For five years this war raged on, even after multiple attempts at a cease fire agreement. Then, in 2019, the current Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, was elected. He agreed to implement the Steinmeier formula, an alternative to prior agreements, that said once Russia removed all their troops from the Donbas region, and there was a complete ceasefire, then Ukraine would grant the Donbas region self-governing status, and local elections would be held. Essentially, Ukraine wanted the Donbas region free of Russian military influence, before any elections were held.
    Russia responded by saying “the elections and autonomy, then everything else.” So in essence, even though they would be given the land they have been fighting over, Russia refused to remove their military power from the region.

     If Ukraine had signed the agreement, despite Russia’s lack of cooperation, it would be a major risk. For starters, Ukraine would be rebuilding and supporting an autonomous zone, whose vast political power was Pro-Russia, helping Russia be in charge of domestic affairs. Additionally, the public will see it as a concession to Russia, causing even more protests and riots. 

     As a result, Ukraine is trapped, and with its current military power, Ukraine cannot compete with Russia for the Dombas territory, so they would require help from NATO.

     Surprisingly, although NATO has offered its support, there is little support within NATO to grant membership to Ukraine. This is because NATO knows that Russia is already inside Ukraine, so the moment they grant membership, this will wage a full scale war against Russia, possibly causing what some have described as WWIII.

     As the high-stakes diplomacy continues, Russia has kept up its military pressure, while NATO allies have been deploying troops and working on new plans for a longer-term presence in Eastern Europe; to deter Russia, not defend Ukraine. 

     Another hint of averting war came from Ukraine’s president, who said Monday that his country might have to abandon the possibility of joining NATO — one of Russia’s biggest demands. And while Russia has repeatedly said it has no plans to launch an invasion, they have continued to add to their arsenal. Last week, when asked about the possibility of invasion, Vladimir Putin refused to rule out the possibility.

Jim Marsoobian
Staff Writer

MVHS has a fun Winter Formal planned for the end of February, so here are some of the details.

Well, there are a lot of things happening at our high school, including the soon-approaching 2022 MVHS Winter Formal. The event will be taking place on Saturday, February 26th at the MVHS campus, and the dress code is semi-formal. It will also start at 7 PM.
Tickets will be up for sale on Monday, February 7th, and will be available in the campus Student Store, as well as the online Web Store. A discount on the tickets will be given to those who have an ASB card. An ID card is needed to purchase the tickets, and also for admission into the dance. However, free tickets will be given out to those who have the most-liked picture on the @mvhs.proposal account on Instagram, where students send in photos of their proposals.

→tip from the writer: I’ve noticed that the most-liked Instagram photos tend to be funny. So when you’re about to propose to that person you’ve had your eye on, think of something that will make them laugh! Chances are, it will make the Instagram population of our school laugh, too.

After much anticipation, the mysterious Winter Formal theme was finally revealed. The theme for this year’s winter formal is “Lights, Camera, WOFO.” The Hollywood-inspired theme was revealed in a video posted on the @mvhs.asb Instagram account when some of the ASB students went to Los Angeles for the big reveal.
“What in the world am I supposed to wear to a “Lights, Camera, WOFO” dance?” you may be wondering. Well, this theme actually allows for a lot of creativity in your attire. For a Hollywood look, go for something bold and outrageous. Maybe wear something with sparkles and shine, or something with stars (get it? stars? lol). Colorful suits and ties, shiny jewelry, bright, sparkly dresses… trust me, there are options out there.

→tip from the writer: Wearing something red-carpet-ready is a must, but make sure you’re also comfortable in your outfit (especially those shoes!). When I went to the Homecoming dance, I got these beautiful black heels and they made me super tall. But when I got there, I had to take them off and my friend ended up carrying them in his pocket the whole night. Wear comfy shoes, please, you’ll thank me later.

There’s also dinner to consider. Going on a romantic dinner with your date before the dance is a high school tradition. But as teenagers, it’s hard to find somewhere nice that doesn’t leave you broke afterward. So, some of the best pre-Winter Formal dinner options are, in my opinion, Cheesecake Factory, Avila’s El Ranchito, California Pizza Kitchen, Olive Garden, and Sushi Ramen House. And of course, you could go to In-n-Out, because that’s what a hamburger’s all about.

→tip from the writer: For you fellow vegetarians and vegans who always struggle with eating out and ordering from restaurants, try Veggie Grill! Their totally vegan menu has a ton of delicious options, and your meat-eating friends will probably enjoy it, too.

Overall, this Winter Formal should be pretty fun. Whether going with a date, a friend, or alone, I hope you have an amazing time!