Contemporary World

What is the basis of International Criminal Court (ICC) to launch an investigation into the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine?

• ICC believes that war crimes have been committed during the conflict.

• ICC believes that Russia has been unfair to Ukraine

• ICC has all the right to investigate Russia since Ukraine is a signatory of Roman Statute

• ICC believes that the economic sanctions imposed on Russia have tremendous effect on Ukraine, too.

Answer explanation

ICC believes that there is a reasonable basis to believe that there is genocide: war crimes that are committed against humanity and ICC has all the mandate to investigate.

What is the immediate agenda/goal of the February 28 talks participated in by Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov and Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky in Belarus?

• talks focused on possible ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian troops

• talks focused on rules of engagement in war

• talks focused on lifting the economic sanctions

• talks focused on allowing Ukraine to join NATO

Answer explanation

“It isn’t clear what those priority topics may be … but the Ukrainian side, they’re looking for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops … and the Russian side, they’re looking for guarantees about Ukraine’s neutrality and that it would never join NATO.”

Which is NOT an economic sanction imposed by other powerful nations on Russia?

• Blocking the access of Russia to foreign cash reserves

• Banning Russia from using the SWIFT messaging system for international transactions. SWIFT stands for Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication.

• Russian banks are cut off from the international financial system.

• International Olympic Committee has imposed a ban of Russian athletes and officials international events.

Which is NOT TRUE about the Ukraine-Russia conflict?

• There are now about 352 dead people, including 14 children.

• Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy calls for no-fly zone to stop Russian bombardment.

• US, UK, EU, Canada have imposed sanctions on Russia’s central bank.

• High-level talks between Kyiv and Moscow ended with a ceasefire agreement.

Which is NOT true about Ukraine?

• Ukraine voted for independence after the fall of Soviet Union in 1991

• Ukraine is the largest country in Europe by land-mass and has a sizable population of ethnic Russians.

• Ukraine had physical possession of the world’s third-largest nuclear stockpile.

• Russia seizes Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula with a predominantly ethnic Russian population, in the aftermath of the Euromaidan protests.

Which is NOT true about Ukraine?

• Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a former comedian, defeated the pro-Russia incumbent Petro Poroshenko in a presidential election in 2019.

• By December 2021, tens of thousands of Russian troops are deployed to the borders and Putin issues demands to NATO and the United States. Among these demands is that Ukraine never be admitted to NATO – a request rejected by the Biden administration.

• The Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk broke away from Ukraine, under the leadership of what the Ukrainian government considered to be Russian-backed terrorists.

• Zelenskyy did not declare martial law in Ukraine which ultimately led to break its ties with Russia.

Which is NOT a possible theory of Russian invasion on Ukraine?

• Ukraine’s ambitions to align itself more with Western countries – including its publicly stated interest in joining NATO.

• Russia’s ongoing tensions with North Atlantic Treaty Organization

• The military conflict can be tied to a complicated history

• Ukraine's membership in NATO.

Which is NOT true about NATO or North Atlantic Treaty Organization?

• NATO is a European and North American defense alliance set up to promote peace and stability and to safeguard the security of its members.

• It was created as the Cold War escalated and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

• It aims to protect Western European countries from the threat posed by the Soviet Union and to counter the spread of Communism after World War II.

• NATO is led by United Kingdom.

Which country is NOT part of NATO?

• Greece

• Germany

• Ukraine

• France

Which is NOT an impact of the current Ukraine-Russia conflict on our country?

• Possible higher prices of commodities due to oil increase

• It affects the Philippine-exported goods to Russia.

• Energy price inflation would rise over the coming months and remain elevated

• Philippine government will be able to collect more revenues from higher oil prices.