- A war involving Russian-backed separatists in the east killed 14,000 people.
- Putin began massing Russian troops near Ukraine in 2021.
- Putin denied invading his neighbour for months.
Russia and Ukraine have a complex history. As the USSR collapsed in 1991, Ukraine moved closer to the EU and West.
Moscow long opposed Ukraine’s EU and Nato membership.
Putin denied Ukraine sovereignty for years, culminating in a lengthy 2021 essay declaring Russians and Ukrainians one nation.
Since 2014, when pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown following months of protests, he has accused Ukraine of being ruled by fanatics.
Russia seized Crimea in retaliation. A war involving Russian-backed separatists in the east killed 14,000 people.
Putin began massing Russian troops near Ukraine in 2021.
Putin denied invading his neighbour for months. On 24 February 2022, he announced the invasion, accusing Nato of jeopardising Russia’s “historic future as a nation”.
The US had warned its European partners that military actions on Russia’s borders were compatible with preparations for an attack on Ukraine, but until this day last year, few believed Russia might actually invade.
But, perhaps few expected Ukraine to last as long as it has.
What transpired at 2:30 on this day last year (all times in GMT) Russian President Vladimir Putin declares the beginning of a “special military operation” in Ukraine in a speech that is broadcast on television.
As Ukrainians awake to war, the first explosions are heard in Kyiv, and more explosions are later reported around the nation.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, acknowledges reports of widespread missile strikes
From the Arctic to the Mediterranean, Nato activates its defence strategies, which comprise 120 alliance ships at sea and more than 100 allied jets on standby.
Boris Johnson, the former prime minister of the UK, addresses the people “All of our warnings have unfortunately proven to be accurate, and our greatest fears have come true. Russia’s President Putin started a war without any justification or serious provocation.”
There are rumours that Mariupol, a port city, has been heavily attacked.
In 40 locations around Russia, anti-war protests result in nearly 2,000 arrests.
Zelensky declares martial law and orders a general mobilisation. He claims that on the first day of the assault, 137 Ukrainians perished.
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