How Will Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Affect Daily Life in U.S.?
In spite of the United States' warnings over the past several weeks, Russia has declared war and invaded Ukraine.
In what some experts are calling the worst attack of one European country on another since World War Two, this was a full on, unprovoked invasion.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter, "Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes."
According to reuters.com,
Russian missiles rained down on Ukrainian cities. Ukraine reported columns of troops pouring across its borders into the eastern Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, and landing by sea at the port cities of Odessa and Mariupol in the south.
Speaking on the invasion, Russian leader Vladimir Putin said, “We have taken the decision to conduct a special military operation” which would for all intents and purposes be his version of a declaration of war, claiming it was for the “demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine.
What Does This All Mean to the United States?
President Joe Biden has stated that no United States troops will fight in Ukraine, but there have been scores of deployments from the United States and American installations in Europe.
CBSNews.com wrote that President Joe Biden is,
... accusing Russian leader Vladimir Putin of personally choosing to carry out "a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering." Ukraine's Foreign Minister called it a "full scale invasion."
An article from nbcchicago.com highlights the thoughts of William Muck, a professor of political science at North Central College, who stated that this will certainly be a test of U.S. leadership.
"There’s definitely going to be an economic impact, and you’re absolutely right to say that gas prices are going to go up, and the global economy as a whole is gonna have a hiccup," Muck said. "
Financial sources state that stock futures and crypto markets took a substantial plunge when news of the attack began to surface.
All in all, we should be braced for possible deployments from Barksdale to Europe. We should also expect even greater increases to the price of fuel. And certainly, we will see some volatility in the stock market which will likely affect most everyone's retirement savings in a 401-K.
Of course this is a fluid story and we'll have more news as it develops.