In the early hours of February 24, weeks of push-pull aggression on Ukraine's borders culminated in Russian President Vladmir Putin launching a full-scale invasion of the neighboring nation. Citizens immediately began fleeing Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, hunkering down as explosions rocked the city.
In case it isn't immediately clear, we want to leave no doubt that we stand with Ukraine's citizens.
As a platform and as the people who work at Highsnobiety, we are staunchly anti-oppression and anti-violence.
Yes, general statements like these don't directly aid the people of Ukraine but there's value in speaking out against injustice. As bystanders with a platform, it's literally the least we can do.
Some of Highsnobiety's staff with Ukrainian roots have accordingly shared a link to a collection of relevant Ukrainian content, compiled in a comprehensive dedicated website.
We also recommend on-the-ground reporting from the usual reliable sources, including CNN, which is updating its live coverage, and the Council on Foreign Relations' tracker, which summarizes key moments leading up to Russia's attack.
To briefly recap: though the conflict reached a head in 2022, Russia and Ukraine have long been at loggerheads.
The Russo-Ukrainian War, for instance, informally began in 2014 over disputes over control of Crimea and the Donbas — the international community recognizes Ukraine; Russia seeks to claim these territories for itself or at least ensure that Ukraine doesn't oversee them.
Over the years, Russia's military presence ebbed and flowed on its Ukrainian border, eventually swelling to over 100k troops by October 2021.
Two months later, Russia demanded that Ukraine would not join NATO, the post-WWII alliance of international countries who've banded together in the name of mutual defense.
Russia also stipulated a decreased presence of NATO militaria and troops in Eastern Europe, vaguely threating violence should its terms not be met.
NATO rejected Russia's propositions by mid-January as Ukrainian citizens girded themselves for battle.
By February 22, President Putin rejected 2014's Minsk agreement, opening the door for the full-scale Ukrainian invasion on February 24, with global implications.
It goes without saying that the story is ongoing and the conflict will continue to devolve.
Again, it's perhaps only some small solace but as tensions rise, it's worth reiterating: Highsnobiety's stance is with the Ukrainian people.
