As the Russia-Ukraine War continues to
escalate and with a new administration in office, WFS
history teachers have their eyes on the conflict.
John Schropp has been teaching high school
history for 29 years. “Russia is a huge country, Ukraine
is a big country, and the longer this continues, the more
displaced people there are, the more deaths, destruc-
tion,” Schropp says. “That’s what the scary thing is.”
Nick Childers, ninth grade Global Peace and
Justice teacher, is concerned about civilian casualties.
“War ultimately affects civilian populations to a much
greater degree than the militaries that are fighting
them,” Childers says.
In his re-election campaign, Trump expressed
that he would withdraw American financial and mili-
tary aid from the war, which would basically collapse
the Ukrainian economy. Trump also claimed that he
would aim to forge a peace treaty.
Scott Clothier has been teaching history for 26
years between Mount Pleasant and WFS. “I think that
we have to give any incoming president time to truly
learn about a situation,” Clothier says. “What a pres-
idential candidate says prior to election is often quite
different from what they do once in office.”
How the War Started
In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine,
creating the largest war in Europe since 1945. Vladmir
Putin, president of Russia, claims that the goal of this
war is to ‘demilitarize and denazify’ Ukraine, following
false statements that Ukraine was governed by neo-Na-
zis who harbored hostility towards Russians. Putin says
that the war is needed to “protect the people” of the
Russian-controlled breakaway republics.
A History of Tension
Tensions between Ukraine and Russia began
long before the start of the war. “This is the largest and
bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II,” says
Childers. “It can be traced back to 2014 when Russia
annexed Crimea.”
More than a century after annexing Crimea
in 1783, Russia gave its territory to Ukraine in 1954.
Decades later, Russia is looking to win Crimea back
because of its strategic value. Crimea has ports to the
Black Sea, which allow easy access to the eastern Med-
iterranean and to the Middle East, both of which could
be useful to Russia.
Under Biden’s Administration
The United States and Ukraine have been close
allies due to American support for Ukraine’s demo-
cratic values and valuable trades, such as big oil.
“The U.S. has continued to maintain its support of
Ukraine, for democracy, the European Union, NATO,
and the rules-based international order,” says Childers.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense,
the United States spent $175 billion under Biden’s ad-
ministration to assist Ukraine with military equipment,
financial and humanitarian aid.
No End in Sight
Even if this war could be put to a halt, there
could still be the possibility of Russia attempting to
take control of other nations, due to their geographical
placements and resources.
“[Russia] has always felt at odds with western Europe,
and wants to secure as much protection as it can for
itself,” says Schropp. “If the war ends, peace may be
only temporary. Russia may once again act on its desire
to possess Ukraine and other former Satellite nations.
Whether that happens in a year, ten years, who knows.”
A peace treaty between the two countries, or a
win for Ukraine, would also be in the best interests of
the US.
“A big country with a fair sized economy. It
may be in our interest to see a successful Ukraine,” says
Schropp. The United States would most likely gain from
the resources that Ukraine has to offer, and their shared
democratic ideals.
North Korean Complication
Recently, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty
Organization) has confirmed that North Korean troops
are stationed in Russia. There are an estimated eleven
thousand Korean troops that will be accompanying
Russia in the fight against Ukraine.
“If there is international confirmation that
North Korean troops are being deployed inside Ukraine,
it certainly would indicate an escalation of the conflict
and increased cooperation between the autocratic states,”
says Childers. This could affect the United States and
other countries supporting Ukraine.
Schropp agrees. “It’s creating some dividing lines for the
world.”
Clothier finds North Korean involvement
hard to predict. “As a rogue state, it is rather difficult to
predict how the global community will react to almost
anything that North Korea does,” says Clothier.
The Associated Press recently reported around
300 North Korean fatalities, along with another 2,700
soldiers injured.
“From what I read, North Korean troops have
been getting hammered pretty good,” Schropp says. “We
may find that the North Korean pipeline for troops to
Russia has dried up.”
The Impact of US Aid
Childers is concerned about the current
Executive order that has stopped US aid from providing
humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. The withdrawal will
likely hurt Ukraine in the long-run.
Though President Trump has made it difficult
for USAid to provide humanitarian assistance to
Ukraine, the US public can still raise money through the
media to support Ukraine in the war. “I think that the
US public can still offer support through community
outreach,” says Clothier.
WFS Teachers Hope for an End to the War
Schropp fears the ineffectiveness of the war.
“The other worry is, [will this] turn into a war that
continues on and on and on, that America funds for
huge stretches of time, that seem to be unending?”
“I hope the current administration is able
to bring an end to the violent and costly conflict
in Ukraine,” says Childers. Though he hopes the
administration can do so while defending the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, in
accordance with international law.
