Application of Just War Theory to the 2022 Russo- Ukrainian War
On February 24th, 2022, after months of military buildup on its border with Ukraine, the Russian Federation launched its invasion of the former Soviet Bloc nation. A salvo of more than 100 Kalibr cruise missiles struck sensors and firing units of the integrated air defense systems throughout the country. Simultaneously, Russian tactical-aircraft flew hundreds of sorties, seeking to draw out radars and surface-to-air missile batteries that had not been destroyed in the initial strike, while also hitting assembly areas and defensive positions of Ukrainian Ground Forces. While those jets and attack helicopters were striking their targets, Russian air assault support helicopters carried elite paratroopers to within 10 miles of the center of Kyiv, while dozens of battalion tactical groups stormed border posts near Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Cherniv, Kherson, and a hundred other crossing points. Since then, a United States and United Kingdom led coalition have buoyed Ukrainian President Zelensky's war effort with military and economic aid, while simultaneously targeting the heart of the Russian economy with crippling sanctions.