American Veteran Interviews Ukrainian Soldiers Fighting in Europe’s Forgotten War

At this very moment, a war rages on in Europe. To paraphrase Marko Ramius, it is a war with no monuments. No parades. No victories. Only casualties.

Many Americans have forgotten or “moved on” from the idea of Russian aggression in Europe, while our friends and allies in Ukraine are embroiled in a struggle for territorial integrity. But a very real and kinetic conflict exists today that is contributing to a humanitarian crisis not seen in Europe since the Yugoslav civil wars of the 1990s.

Now, Russia has amassed a hundred thousand soldiers on the border in preparation for a possible invasion.

But how did Ukraine get into this position? And where is it going?

The Path to War

In the 2000s, several successive Ukrainian governments sought closer ties with the European Union (EU). One of the keys to achieving this goal was an association agreement with the EU that would have provided Ukraine with monetary assistance in return for reforms.

In November of 2013, protests erupted in Kiev after then-President Viktor Yanukovych and his pro-Russia government refused to sign the EU agreement, choosing instead to pursue a Russian loan bailout and closer ties with Russia.

The protestors were young, pro-EU Ukrainians who would eventually occupy Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in the capital Kiev. This occupation would…