Less than one week ago, Vladimir Putin instructed hundreds of thousands of Russian troops to invade the neighboring country of Ukraine. While the movement started off slowly, the Russian army has advanced and is now in the capital city of Kyiv. Russian troops have bombed buildings, including hospitals. The world has been standing with Ukraine, with many businesses refusing to do business with Russia. The United States has also issued sanctions, hoping to cripple the Russian economy.
Many large companies who have done business with Russia in the past are also speaking out against the invasion. Disney is the first film studio to release a statement about the crisis. Disney, which was preparing to release several films in the country, has released the following statement.
Even though many businesses have cut ties with Russia, Putin has not indicated that he has any intention of slowing down. The Russian President has never his the fact that he wants to change the area back into the USSR. Putin — a former member of the KGB — first became President in 2000 and was in power for eight years. He then became president once again in 2012 and has been there ever since. His critics have claimed that those who run against him will either end up in jail or dead.
As millions around the globe watch in horror as thousands of Ukrainians flee to safety, some have been giving updates from the ground. Ukrainian-born Dancing With the Stars pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy has informed followers that there is fighting everywhere in the city of Kyiv. He has revealed on Instagram that he was arrested and then released. He has shared that he is working on a way to get out of the country. Chmerkovskiy was there filming the show World of Dance, where he was a judge.
Currently, Ukraine still holds the country and the Ukrainian President has said that he is attempting to negotiate peace talks.
