Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 and the prior annexation of Crimea on 10 February 2014 constitute a fundamental breach of international law. From a historical perspective, Putin’s invasion represents a continuation of Russia’s longterm drive to create and maintain an empire and a substantial sphere of political and economic dominance in Europe and Asia.
The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing war that continues to date is the greatest, and most recent, manifestation of Putin’s desire to enlarge Russia and extend its zone of influence. The Ukraine war is different from Soviet Union’s and Russia’s other invasions since WWII in that Ukraine’s territory is large and the Ukrainian leadership and people have demonstrated an unprecedented willingness to fight the invading army. The losses in human lives and physical destruction have been enormous, but the country resolutely perseveres in its struggle.
Major military support for Ukraine is needed if the country is to protect itself from the aerial and surface attacks, and eventually repel Russia’s aggression. The Ukrainian authorities have launched a platform for collecting funds in support of Ukraine called United24 . The main areas of activity of United24, according to which the funds are distributed, are: "Defense", "Humanitarian demining", "Medical assistance", "Ukraine reconstruction" and "Education and Science". A team of top technology companies created a fund to help the armed forces of Ukraine, called KOLO . They focus on technical equipment: drones, thermal imagers, walkie-talkies, armored vehicles .