Russia's top diplomat says the 'geography' of Ukraine has changed as the White House warns Moscow plans to annex more territory (2023)

FAQs

What is the dispute between Russia and Ukraine? ›

Throughout 2021, bilateral tensions rose due to a Russian military buildup near the border with Ukraine, and on 24 February 2022, the conflict saw a major escalation as Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Between 2014 and 2022: Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists says the Russian arsenal includes 4,447 warheads of which 1,588 are deployed on ballistic missiles and at heavy bomber bases. It says there are an "approximate additional 977 strategic warheads, along with 1,912 non-strategic warheads" being held in reserve.

Russia controls more than 90,000 square kilometres (34,750 square miles) of territory or about 15 percent of Ukraine's total area – roughly the size of Portugal or Jordan.

In a decisive offensive in the north-east, Ukraine drove back Russian forces. It claims to have regained 3,000 square kilometres (1,158 sq miles) of territory around the city of Kharkiv alone. Its forces have also retaken territory in Luhansk, in eastern Ukraine.

The country produced only 74,000 barrels per day (b/d) of petroleum and other liquids. Ukraine imports most of its petroleum products from Belarus, Russia, and Germany. Crude oil imports, sourced increasingly from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, supply Ukraine's sole operating refinery, the Kremenchug facility.

Plans for NATO membership were shelved by Ukraine following the 2010 presidential election in which Viktor Yanukovych, who preferred to keep the country non-aligned, was elected President. Amid the unrest, caused by the Euromaidan protests, Yanukovych fled Ukraine in February 2014.

Depending on its impact radius, even a Tsar bomb cannot destroy a whole country. Only a small country such as Vatican City or Monaco with land areas of 44 ha and 202 ha respectively can be completely destroyed using a nuclear weapon.

According to the Military Balance 2021, quoted in Kyiv Independent, Russia has over 10,000 battle tanks in storage, mainly T-72s and T-80s.

How many soldiers does Ukraine have? ›

150,000 naval troops. Around two million reservists.

Russian Forces Are Not Large

That military is long gone. Today, Russia maintains a total military of about 900,000, of which 280,000 are in the army. To put the Russian force into perspective, the United States has an active-duty force of 1.3 million and organized, trained reserves of 800,000.

The warheads were removed from Ukraine by 1996 and disassembled in Russia. Despite Russia's subsequent and internationally disputed annexation of Crimea in 2014, Ukraine reaffirmed its 1994 decision to accede to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear-weapon state.

An upper estimate is for 700,000 Russians to have fled conscription since it was announced. Many went to Kazakhstan, Serbia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Georgia, and Finland.

Ukraine has a century-long history of oil and gas production and possesses substantial conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon reserves, estimated at 9 billion tonnes of oil equivalent (Btoe).

Ukraine normally produces one-third of the world's sunflower oil and accounts for nearly half of global exports; however, in marketing year 2022/23 Ukraine's share in global oil production and exports is projected to shrink to 21 and 35 percent, respectively.

NATO, which was formed in 1949, is the most powerful military alliance in the world. At its formation, NATO had 12 member countries, which has now increased to 29 member countries and four aspiring member countries.

Europe. Six EU member states, all who have declared their non-alignment with military alliances, are not NATO members: Austria, Cyprus, Finland, Ireland, Malta, and Sweden.

What are some countries not in NATO? ›

Seek shelter indoors, preferably underground and in a brick or concrete building, per the Red Cross and FEMA. Go as far underground as possible, per the Red Cross and FEMA. If that's not possible, try to stay in the center of the building, for example in a stairwell.

“The odds of surviving that refrigerator — from a lot of scientists — are about 50-50,” Lucas said.

The safest place in your home during an radiation emergency is a centrally located room or basement. This area should have as few windows as possible. The further your shelter is from windows, the safer you will be.

1. Tsar Bomba: The Tsar Bomba qualifies as a weapon of mass destruction in every way. The weapon was the Soviet Union's response to the nuclear program of the United States. The bomb was a massive thing, intended to destroy everything.

The thousands of tactical warheads wielded by both sides in the late-1980s declined to an estimated 230 American and 1,000 to 2,000 Russian Federation warheads in 2021, although estimates for Russia vary widely.

The declassified study from the scientists at the Los Alamos laboratory, published in 1947 had first shed light on the question that how many nuclear bombs it would take to destroy the world. According to the study, it would take about ten to a hundred 'super nukes' to end humanity, a publication reported.

At a distance of 40-45 miles, a person would have at most 3 hours after the fallout began to find shelter. Considerably smaller radiation doses will make people seriously ill. Thus, the survival prospects of persons immediately downwind of the burst point would be slim unless they could be sheltered or evacuated.

A new study sponsored by the American Physical Society concludes that U.S. systems for intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles cannot be relied on to counter even a limited nuclear strike and are unlikely to achieve reliability within the next 15 years.

The Tsar Bomba (Russian: Царь-бо́мба) (code name: Ivan or Vanya), also known by the alphanumerical designation "AN602", was a thermonuclear aerial bomb, and the most powerful nuclear weapon ever created and tested.

How many tanks do USA have? ›

In 2022, the United States had approximately 6,612 main battle tanks in its armed forces, the most of any NATO member state.

These tanks are only used in NATO by their respective countries. There are roughly 200 tanks in service for each tank type, making a total of 800, plus roughly 1500 Leopard 2's and roughly 2500 M1 Abrams. The majority are M1A2's and the rest M1A1's.

The Latin-script letter Z (Russian: зет, tr. zet, IPA: [zɛt]) is one of several symbols (including "V" and "O") painted on military vehicles of the Russian Armed Forces involved in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is speculated that the Z helps task forces distinguish themselves from other forces.

NATO's main headquarters are located in Brussels, Belgium, while NATO's military headquarters are near Mons, Belgium. The alliance has targeted its NATO Response Force deployments in Eastern Europe, and the combined militaries of all NATO members include around 3.5 million soldiers and personnel.

Despite numbering over 1.4 million in 2021, the U.S. military is outnumbered heavily by China.

“Patriotically-minded citizens are choosing to sign contracts for three or six months to take part in the special military operation,” Major Sergei Ardashev said, promising training for everyone. The minimum monthly wage on offer is 160,000 roubles ($2,700), which is almost three times the national average.

“In the aggregate, the United States' military posture can only be rated as 'weak,'” the 578-page report states. Heritage says the Air Force is “very weak,” the Navy and Space Force are “weak,” and the Army is “marginal.” The Marine Corps and nuclear forces are rated “strong.”

The AK-12 is a Russian assault rifle chambered in 5.45×39mm designed and manufactured by the Kalashnikov Concern (formerly Izhmash), making it the fifth generation of Kalashnikov rifles.

Ukraine became independent again when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. This started a period of transition to a market economy, in which Ukraine suffered an eight-year recession. Subsequently however, the economy experienced a high increase in GDP growth until the economy plunged during the Great Recession.

As a result of disputes over non-payments by Ukraine, Russia suspended natural gas exports several times between 1992 and 1994. This led to the illicit diversion of Russian natural gas exports from transit pipelines by Ukrainian companies and institutions in September 1993 and November 1994.

What is the conflict between Russia and Ukraine 2022? ›

The invasion began at dawn of 24 February, with infantry divisions and armoured and air support in Eastern Ukraine, and dozens of missile attacks across both Eastern Ukraine and Western Ukraine. The first fighting took place in Luhansk Oblast near Milove village on the border with Russia at 3:40 am Kyiv time.

While Russian crude oil is shipped on tankers, a network of pipelines transports Russian gas to Europe. In fact, Russia accounts for 41% of all natural gas imports to the EU, and some countries are almost exclusively dependent on Russian gas. Of the $25 billion exported in pipeline gas, 85% went to the EU.

Ukraine was one of the most important republics of the Soviet Union, which resulted in many top positions in the Soviet Union occupied by Ukrainians, including notably Leonid Brezhnev, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1982.

Once the preeminent republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.; commonly known as the Soviet Union), Russia became an independent country after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991. Russia is a land of superlatives.

USD/bbl. Europe's frenzied buying of liquefied natural gas means it's likely to have enough of the power-generation fuel this winter to offset supplies from Russia, according to BloombergNEF.

Ukraine has a century-long history of oil and gas production and possesses substantial conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon reserves, estimated at 9 billion tonnes of oil equivalent (Btoe).

A full shutdown, while not their base case, could drive European household energy costs up by about 65% to around €500 ($512) per month, according to estimates by Goldman Sachs Research. Industries like chemicals and cement in Germany and Italy might have to cut their gas usage by as much as 80%.

March 12, 1947 – December 26, 1991

Cold War / Period

Does the US use its own oil? ›

But that statement, while true in some ways, covers up several decades of short-sighted energy policies. The U.S does indeed produce enough oil to meet its own needs. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), in 2020 America produced 18.4 million barrels of oil per day and consumed 18.12 million.

In 2021, imports from Russia accounted for 8% of all U.S. petroleum imports, which includes the 3% share of crude oil imports and the 20% share of petroleum product imports. More than half of U.S. total petroleum imports from Russia in 2021 were unfinished oils.