It’s been about a week since Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine sovereign territory, kickstarting a war that has seen Ukrainians stand firm against a large Russian invasion force.
There have been scores of civilian and military casualties and deaths, as well as cities reduced to rubble.
Despite widespread condemnation from much of the international community and heavy sanctions and penalties being imposed against Russia, Putin and his forces continue to lay siege to the country and show no signs of stopping.
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However, in the face of worldwide criticism, Putin does have a handful of allies around the world that support his actions and are willing to defend his country’s aggression against Ukraine.
When a resolution was put before the United Nations General Assembly asking for condemnation of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, it received the overwhelming support of the world, with 141 countries lending their support to the resolution, which included a demand for Russia to ‘unconditionally withdraw’ forces.
However, that leaves 35 countries that abstained from voting on the resolution, and five that voted not to support the condemnation.
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Of course, Russia has a vote and obviously voted against the resolution, as you would imagine.
Still, Putin doesn't seem to have even the full support of his people, with protests springing up in many Russian cities last week, and Russians worldwide joining protests in support of Ukraine.
Belarus was another country that supported the Russian invasion.
Belarus neighbours both Russia and Ukraine and was thought to have let Russian forces through the country and into Ukraine.
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Leader Alexander Lukashenko has denied these claims, even though Belarus has also been hit with sanctions.
Also in support of Russia’s invasion are North Korea, which might seem fairly obvious, given what we know about the Asian hermit state and their leader Kim Jong-un’s aversion to the global West in general.
Syria has also voted against the resolution, which makes sense given that Russia has historically supported the prevailing regime of President Bashar al-Assad, even when other world powers have stood against his leadership.
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Perhaps most bizarrely, the African nation of Eritrea was the fifth country to vote against the resolution.
Many other African countries chose to abstain from the vote, including South Africa, Algeria, Senegal and Zimbabwe.
Also to abstain were Asian countries such as Laos, Vietnam, India and Pakistan.
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In a fascinating turn of events, even historical Russian allies such as China, Cuba and Nicaragua chose not to vote.
The passing of this resolution will likely mean almost nothing for the end of the war, as it seems clear that Putin is set on his plan and unwilling to break his attack in the face of criticism from other nations.
It does, however, present a picture of a country that is isolating itself from world society, hit by sanctions and – so far – unexpected resistance from a Ukrainian people that it would have expected to easily overcome.
In short, Putin has few friends left to call on, and – if sanctions bite as intended – that could leave him facing some difficult decisions before too long.
Hopefully wiser heads prevail, because those decisions could have a profound impact that stretches way beyond Russia and Ukraine.
f you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information.
Topics: Ukraine, Russia, World News, Vladimir Putin, Politics, North Korea, United Nations