[5.1] Russian Invasion of Ukraine - Introduction

Russian Invasion of Ukraine - Introduction

If you've turned on the news the past few weeks you might have heard about Russia invading Ukraine. This lesson will lay out the basics of this conflict so that you can understand some of the terms and names you might be hearing. After reading this lesson, complete the assignment at the bottom titled (WH 5.1 Russian Invasion Introduction.docx) and upload it to your student folder, OR email it to your Roopu tutor! 

1) The Parties: 

Russia: A country that is in both Europe and Asia. It is the biggest country in the world by land-size, though much of the territory is sparsely (barely) populated. (Click here to see a population map! The darker the colour the more people live in that region, notice how most of the country lives in the Western portion!) It has both a President and a Prime Minister.

Ukraine: A country in Europe, the second biggest by land-size after Russia. However, Russia has over 100 million more people than Ukraine. They also have a President and a Prime Minister.  

Belarus: A smaller country in Europe which shares a border with both Ukraine and Russia. It only has 9 million people living in it. 

NATO: Short for "North Atlantic Treaty Organization" is an international alliance made up of 30 countries living near the Atlantic Ocean which have all agreed to defend each other if anyone of them is attacked by another country. Russia and Ukraine are NOT members of NATO, but most countries around them are. Ukraine wants to be a member of NATO. 

Soviet Union: Also known as the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) or CCCP (which means the same thing but uses the Russian alphabet). A former alliance of several countries which was controlled by one party, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, with Russia in control of the smaller countries. This union lasted from 1922 until 1991. Ukraine and Belarus were under the control of the Soviet Union until its dissolution (the point where it ceased to exist). 

The countries of NATO are highlighted in Purple and Orange on this map. Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia are on the right side of the map (this only shows a very small portion of Russia). 


A map of the Soviet Union with Russia in red and the other smaller states around it. 

2) The People 

Vladimir Putin 

Vladimir Putin (often just called "Putin") is the President of Russia, the former Prime Minister of Russia, and a former spy in the Soviet Union. He has switched between the role of Prime Minister and President since 1999, changing the laws to allow himself to continue serving these roles despite laws which would have previously prevented him for being in charge for so long. He has been accused of faking election results to remain in power, and killing political opponents with poisons. 

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Volodymyr Zelenskyy (often simply called Zelenskyy) is the President of Ukraine. Prior to becoming a politician, he was an actor and a comedian, having played the President of Ukraine on a TV show from 2015 to 2019. He was born in the Soviet Union, and grew up in a region that spoke predominantly (mostly) Russian. He ran a campaign against corruption and a promise to ease tensions with Russia. Once Ukraine was invaded, he famously gave a speech promising to defend the country before joining the military to help the soldiers.


Assignment: Download by clicking the file name below. Follow the instructions and contact your Roopu tutor if you need help.

This is awesome thank you Bryant! Really looking forward to seeing some awesome student work!