Earlier in March, Russia acted in a imperialist manner that has alarmed western powers and reminded its neighbors of the old USSR. Russian armed forces invaded the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, and have been creeping north over disputed territory ever since. Due to its strategic location, Crimea has been the source of dispute for years.

Not even the United Nations, founded for the very purpose of keeping Europe from war, nor the United States could help smooth negotiations between the two heads of state, these being Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and President Vladimir Putin. After several truces and cease fires, the conflict has only escalated further.

On Monday, September 1, exactly 75 years after World War II began, the Ukrainian Defense Minister released a statement saying that Russia and its actions had “launched a great war.”

“A great war has arrived at our doorstep – the likes of which Europe has not seen since World War Two,” Esra Dogramaci of the BBC. He later added, “Unfortunately, the losses in such a war would be measured not in the hundreds, but in the thousands and tens of thousands.”

This was released after the Ukrainian army was forced to leave an airport in eastern Ukraine, which was taken over by pro-Russian rebels. Russia dismissed these comments, claiming that they only pushed Ukraine further into their own gruesome civil war conflict. Russian officials are referring to large riots over the past year in Ukraine, supposedly caused by corruption among the heads of state.

The meaning and reasoning behind the minister’s statements is clear. What the Ukrainian Defense Minister is saying is that border conflicts between countries as politically different as Russia and Ukraine, are enough to cause a full-scale war. For example, what originally sparked World War I were the border conflicts between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. Once they declared war, all of Europe declared war due to existing alliances at the time. If this conflict did escalate, and the two countries were forced to declare war, history would repeat itself, and Europe could become split in two.

Ukrainian Conflict Quick Timeline( info from BBC):

• Nov. 21, 2013: Outraged Ukrainians take to the streets after Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych signs an agreement separating Ukraine further from the European Union and instead tying it closer to Moscow. Yanukovych had considered an economic treaty treaty with the EU, which angered Putin. His reversal angered the pro-European populations in Ukraine.
• Feb. 18 2014: More clashes leave 26 people dead and hundreds injured, news of this helps rally support for the protesters.
• Feb. 22: Ukrainian Parliament votes to dismiss Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.
• Mar. 1: Without firing a shot, 16,000 troops apparently lead by Russia invade Crimea, President Obama calls for Putin to withdraw all troops.
• Mar. 24: Ukrainian troops are forced to exit Crimea, leaving behind them families and children.
• Apr. 24: Ukraine sends troops to Slavyansk to try and drive away Russian forces.
• May 19: Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has called for a withdrawal of Russian troops in eastern Ukraine. NATO says no troops have pulled back.
• June 7: Petro Poroshenko swears in as president of Ukraine.
• June 23: Truce is declared by Poroshenko, which falls apart a week later.
• July 17: Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is shot down over Ukraine by pro-Russian militia.
• Aug 18: Refugee filled area is hit by rockets, leaving women and children dead, rebels deny carrying out the attack.
• Aug 29: Germany warns the conflict is slipping out of control, and that everything needs to be done to avoid direct military confrontation.
• Sep. 1: Ukrainian Prime Minister warns that conflict could escalate into full-scale war.