Russia’s invasion of Ukraine draws to a close on Sunday with no end in sight to the fighting that has killed thousands, reduced cities to rubble and forced millions to flee.
Faced with mounting sanctions and strong Ukrainian resistance, bolstered by Western weapons, Russia continued its longrange bombardment and opened a new offensive in the east.
The following are the most important events since the beginning of the invasion:
February 24: Russia invades Ukraine on three fronts in its largest attack on a European nation since World War II. Tens of thousands immediately flee the country. Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that he will launch a “military special operation” to demilitarize and “denazify” Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted: “Russia has taken the path of evil, but Ukraine is defending itself.”
2 of 12 Map shows locations in Ukraine bombed in Russia’s first attack — Photo: Arte g1
Map shows locations in Ukraine bombed in Russia’s first attack — Photo: Arte g1
February 25: Ukrainian forces fight Russian invaders in the north, east and south. Russian artillery is attacking Kyiv and its suburbs, and officials are urging residents to prepare Molotov cocktails to defend the capital.
3 out of 12 civilians make Molotov cocktails to play against Russians in Kyiv — Photo: Gabriel Chaim/g1
Civilians make Molotov cocktails to play against the Russians in Kyiv — Photo: Gabriel Chaim/g1
February 26: A US defense official said Ukrainian forces were “putting up determined resistance”.
February 28: the first talks between the two sides are not progressing.
1st March: Russia hits a TV tower in Kyiv and intensifies bombing of Kharkiv to the northeast and other cities seen as a change of tactics as Moscow’s hopes of a quick attack on the capital are dashed.
G1 in 1 minute: Russia attacks Kiev TV tower, says Ukrainian government
A US official said a kilometerlong Russian tank column approaching Kyiv had made no progress in the past 24 hours due to logistical problems.
4 of 12 satellite images show a Russian military convoy approaching Kyiv — Photo: Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters
Satellite images show a Russian military convoy approaching Kyiv — Photo: Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters
2nd March: Russian troops bomb Mariupol’s southern port for 14 hours, preventing civilians from leaving, mayor says. It was the beginning of the Moscow blockade of the city. Russia denies attacking civilians.
5 of 12 A man rides a bicycle amidst the destruction in Mariupol, Ukraine — Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo
A man rides a bicycle amidst the destruction in Mariupol, Ukraine — Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo
Russian troops arrive in the center of the Black Sea port of Kherson, claiming the first capture of a major urban center.
6 of 12 A player from Caruaru recorded what the sports field looked like after the Russian bombing in Kherson, Ukraine — Photo: Ewerton Florêncio/Personal Archives
The Caruaru player recorded what the sports field looked like after the Russian bombing in Kherson, Ukraine Photo: Ewerton Florêncio/Personal Archives
3 March: Russia and Ukraine agree to set up humanitarian corridors for fleeing civilians. A cargo ship sinks near a Ukrainian port hours after another was hit by an explosion at another port.
A million people fled Ukraine, says the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
7 out of 12 refugees line up in Shehyni near the Polish border to leave Ukraine — Photo: Daniel Cole/AP Photo
Refugees queue up in Shehyni near the Polish border to leave Ukraine — Photo: Daniel Cole/AP Photo
4th of March: Russian forces control the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe. NATO rejects Ukraine’s call for nofly zones, saying it would escalate the conflict.
8 of 12 Ukraine: Security cameras show flames at Zaporizhia nuclear power plant after Russian attack — Photo: Reuters
Ukraine: Security cameras show flames at Zaporizhia nuclear power plant after Russian attack Photo: Reuters
6th March: “Rivers of blood and tears are flowing in Ukraine,” Pope Francis told the crowd in St. Peter’s Square. “This is not just a military operation, but a war that sows death, destruction and misery.”
8th of March: Civilians flee the besieged city of Sumy in the first successful humanitarian corridor of the war. According to UNHCR, two million have already fled Ukraine.
9th March: Ukraine accuses Russia of bombing a Mariupol maternity hospital and burying people in rubble. Later, Russia says that the hospital stopped working and was occupied by Ukrainian militants.
9 of 12 Mariana Vishegirskaya was in a bombed out maternity hospital in Mariupol, eastern Ukraine, and was transferred to another hospital. — Photo: Mstyslav Chernov/AP Photo
Mariana Vishegirskaya was in a bombedout maternity hospital in Mariupol, eastern Ukraine, and was transferred to another hospital. — Photo: Mstyslav Chernov/AP Photo
March 13: Russia is extending its war deep into western Ukraine, firing missiles at a base in Yavoriv near the border with NATO member Poland. According to a local official, 35 people were killed and 134 injured in the attack.
10 of 12 Attack on a military base in Yavoriv, Ukraine, near the Polish border — Photo: Reuters
Attack on a military base in Yavoriv, Ukraine, near the Polish border — Photo: Reuters
the 14th of March: Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova breaks into a state television studio during a live news broadcast with a banner reading: “NO WAR. stop the war Don’t believe the propaganda. They are lying to you here.”
Russian state television workers invade a program to protest the war in Ukraine
Satellite image shows the destruction of the Mariupol Theater after an airstrike
25th March: Moscow signals it will scale back its ambitions and focus on areas claimed by Russianbacked separatists in the east, while Ukrainian forces go on the offensive to retake towns outside of Kyiv.
March 29: Ukraine proposes to adopt neutral status during negotiations in Istanbul.
March 30: More than 4 million people have fled Ukraine, according to UNHCR.
April 1: Ukraine is reclaiming more territory around Kyiv from Russian soldiers abandoning destroyed villages and abandoned tanks as they move away from the capital.
April 3rd and 4th: Ukraine accuses Russia of war crimes after a mass grave and bodies shot at pointblank range were found in the retaken city of Bucha. The Kremlin denies responsibility and says the images of the bodies were staged.
11 out of 12 dead bodies of civilians on the streets of Bucha, Ukraine — Photo: RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP
Dead bodies of civilians on the streets of Bucha, Ukraine Photo: RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP
April 8th: Ukraine and its allies blame Russia for a missile attack on a Kramatorsk train station that killed at least 52 people trying to flee an upcoming offensive in the east. Russia again denies responsibility.
Dozens of people were killed in an attack on a train station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk
April 14th: Russia’s main battleship in the Black Sea, the Moskva, sinks after an explosion and fire Ukraine says was caused by a missile attack. Russia says the ship sank after a munitions explosion. Washington believes the warship was hit by two Ukrainian missiles.
April 18: Russia begins its attack on eastern Ukraine by mobilizing thousands of troops in what Ukraine has dubbed the “Battle of Donbass” campaign to capture two provinces and secure a battlefield victory.
20th of April: More than 5 million people have fled Ukraine, says UNHCR.
UN: Number of refugees from Ukraine exceeds 5 million
April 21: Putin declares the southeastern port of Mariupol “liberated” after nearly two months of siege, despite leaving behind hundreds of defenders at a huge steel mill.
12 of 12 War in Ukraine A man walks through destroyed buildings in Mariupol April 22, 2022 — Photo: REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
War in Ukraine A man walks by destroyed buildings in Mariupol April 22, 2022 — Photo: REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko