February 2022 saw the biggest attack on a European state since World War II with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 23rd. With the attack’s wide broadcast and far-reaching impacts, many students may be curious about the causes and impacts of these events.
To help students better understand the invasion of Ukraine and to place it in a broader context, we've gathered history-social science, civics, and social and emotional learning resources to support educators in helping students process these current events.
Positively Engaging Your Students
Facing History’s Head, Heart, Conscience protocol is a wonderful tool to set up conditions in the classroom to hold difficult conversations about world events. It helps students reflect on what they know, how they feel, and how ethics plays a role in world events to help them understand their own views.
Overview of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Sequence of Events
- Ukraine Invasion Explained (NPR): The roots of Russia's invasion of Ukraine go back decades and run deep. Here are some helpful resources to make sense of it all.
- Transcript: Vladimir Putin’s Televised Address on Ukraine (Bloomberg): Read a full transcript of Vladimir Putin's order to invade Ukraine.
- The Russia-Ukraine Monitor Map: This tool maps, documents, and verifies significant incidents during the conflict in Ukraine. It aims to provide reliable information for policymakers, journalists as well as justice and accountability bodies about the evolving situations both on-the-ground and online.
- Assessing the Ukraine-Russia Crisis (Stanford): Stanford scholars provide expert analysis and commentary on the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
- Democracy Now!: This is a non-partisan news source that can be used to review the latest information regarding the conflict in Ukraine.
Response from the United States
- The West’s Plan to Isolate Putin: Undermine the Ruble (The New York Times): Details the United States' efforts to restrict the Russian central bank's ability to support the ruble.
- In an effort to choke Russian economy, new sanctions target Russia’s central bank (NPR): The United States and its allies are taking additional steps to squeeze the Russian economy in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
- What are economic sanctions, and how did they become Washington’s foreign policy tool of choice? (The Washington Post): Learn more about economic sanctions and how they are used in foreign policy.
About Ukraine
Ukraine became an independent country after the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991, although it struggled to obtain democracy, economic reform, and civil liberties. Learn more about the history of Ukraine and its relationship with Russia below.
- Ukraine (The World Factbook): Details the geography, society, environment, economy, and other factors about Ukraine.
- A Historical Timeline of Post-Independence of Ukraine (PBS): Provides a timeline of events leading up to February 2022.