By Tuyisenge Yedidiya

UEFA (European Football Association) convened an open committee meeting on Friday to discuss the issue between Ukraine and Russia. It could lead to the relegation of the Champions League final to Russia due to the insecurity in Russia.

The decision is expected to be made at Friday's meeting of the European Football Association, which will be chaired by FIFA president Gianni Infantino and UEFA teammate Alexander ceferin.

The main reason for the study was that Russia would host the final of the European Championship (CHAMPION LEAGUE). Ukraine, on the other hand, have a match against Russia in March and are looking to qualify for the World Cup. The Ukrainian league is scheduled to resume this weekend, February 26, following a holiday that could be postponed due to insecurity in the country.

Inflamed tensions

In the eight years since, Moscow has been accused of engaging in hybrid warfare against Ukraine, using cyberattacks, economic pressure and propaganda to whip up discord. Those tactics have escalated in recent months, and in early February the US State Department claimed Putin was preparing a false-flag operation to create "a pretext for an invasion."

Those efforts have also manifested themselves on the ground, as seen in this map, which illustrates the buildup of Russia's military presence around Ukraine in the past year. Russia has amassed more than 150,000 troops, as well as equipment and artillery, on the country's doorstep.

Putin has indicated he sees NATO's expansion as an existential threat, and the prospect of Ukraine joining the Western military alliance a "hostile act." He has emphasized his view that Ukraine is part of Russia, culturally, linguistically and politically, and Russia asked amid recent tensions for guarantees the European and North American defense alliance wouldn't expand further east.

The United States and NATO have resisted. The alliance's "open door policy" states that any European country ready and willing to undertake the commitments and obligations of membership is welcome to apply for membership. And since the end of the Cold War, more than a dozen countries from the former Eastern bloc have joined.

Russian invasion

On February 21, Putin said he officially recognized the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DNR and LNR), highlighted in the map below in red, in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, ordering the deployment of Russian troops there on the pretext of protecting the local population.

The territory recognized by Putin extended beyond the areas controlled by pro-Russian separatists, raising red flags about Russia's intended creep into Ukraine.

Hours before dawn on Thursday, February 24, Russia's assault on Ukraine finally began with a series of missile attacks and the use of long-range artillery. This map shows the locations of reported attacks and explosions as of Thursday night, including in and around major cities such as the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Kharkiv in the east and Odessa in the south, among others.