An estimated. [346] Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov characterized the conflict as a proxy war started by NATO. For the escalation since 2022, see, Independent Ukraine and the Orange Revolution, Euromaidan, Revolution of Dignity, and pro-Russian unrest, Mariupol offensive and first Minsk ceasefire, Russian military buildup around Ukraine (2021–2022), Full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022–present), Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns, Reactions to the Russian annexation of Crimea, Reactions to the Russian intervention in the Donbas, Reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. [261][262] The Ukrainian offensive in the northeast successfully recaptured the majority of Kharkiv Oblast in September. [316] In retaliation, Ukrainian operations have included the Surkov Leaks in October 2016 which released 2,337 e-mails in relation to Russian plans for seizing Crimea from Ukraine and fomenting separatist unrest in Donbas. Conflict at a glance. [10][11], The 2004 Ukrainian presidential election was controversial. Remember about the Gas – Do not buy Russian goods! Here's Why", "Yanukovych tops list of presidential candidates in Ukraine – poll", "Yanukovych set to become president as observers say Ukraine election was fair", "Parliament passes statement on Ukraine's aspirations for European integration", "Rada removes Yanukovych from office, schedules new elections for May 25", "Was Yanukovych's Ouster Constitutional? [294] Another section of the pipeline exploded in the Poltava Oblast on 17 June 2014, one day after Russia limited the supply of gas to Ukrainian customers due to non-payment. "[338], Putin and Russian media have described the government of Ukraine as being led by neo-Nazis persecuting ethnic Russians who are in need of protection by Russia, despite Ukraine's President Zelenskyy being Jewish. According to Anthony Cordesman, Russian military officers viewed such colour revolutions as an attempt by the US and European states to destabilise neighbouring countries and undermine Russia's national security. Intelligence that the Kremlin ordered an invasion prompted the latest Biden warning, officials say. [144][non-primary source needed], In January 2014, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Mariupol represented the three battle fronts. Leaders of Russian-speaking eastern regions of Ukraine declared continuing loyalty to Yanukovych,[28][35] causing the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine. In late September, Russia declared the annexation of four partially-occupied regions in southern and eastern Ukraine, which was internationally unrecognized. [301][302], In May 2021, the Biden administration waived Trump's CAATSA sanctions on the company behind Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany. [79], In late March, Russia continued to gather forces near the Ukrainian eastern border, reaching 30–40,000 troops by April. [199], Putin falsely claimed that Ukrainian society and government were dominated by neo-Nazism, invoking the history of collaboration in German-occupied Ukraine during World War II,[200][201] and echoing an antisemitic conspiracy theory that cast Russian Christians, rather than Jews, as the true victims of Nazi Germany. Other observers considered that the positive reaction of the global financial markets on Monday 17 March 2014, after the announcement of sanctions against Russia by the EU and the US, revealed that these sanctions were too weak to hurt Russia. [398], After expending large amounts of heavy weapons and munitions over months, the Russian Federation received combat drones and loitering munitions from Iran, deliveries of tanks and other armoured vehicles from Belarus, and reportedly planned to trade for artillery ammunition from North Korea and ballistic missiles from Iran. On 22 February 2013 the Ukrainian parliament had overwhelmingly approved of finalizing the agreement with the EU,[25] subsequent to which Russia had put pressure on Ukraine to reject it. [207] These demands were rejected. [212][213] There was a sharp increase in artillery shelling by the Russian-led militants in Donbas, which was considered by Ukraine and its allies to be an attempt to provoke the Ukrainian army or create a pretext for invasion. [270] The right of movement was impeded for the inhabitants of the conflict zone. As Russian forces begin an all-out assault on Ukraine after months of troop buildup and failed diplomatic efforts by the U.S. and its European allies to head off conflict, the situation for Kyiv . The following day, Yanukovych resurfaced in Russia and in a press conference declared that he remained the acting president of Ukraine, just as Russia was beginning its overt military campaign in Crimea. [21] By January 2022, the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO remained remote. [348] NATO says it is not at war with Russia; its official policy is that it does not seek confrontation, but rather its members support Ukraine in "its right to self-defense, as enshrined in the UN Charter". Valentina Matviyenko, a top United Russia politician, also praised "volunteers" fighting in "our fraternal nation". [252][253] The war caused the largest refugee and humanitarian crisis within Europe since the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s;[254][255] the UN described it as the fastest-growing such crisis since World War II. [271] Arbitrary detention was practiced by both sides in the first years of the conflict. [214][215][216] On 18 February, the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics ordered mandatory emergency evacuations of civilians from their respective capital cities,[217][218][219] although observers noted that full evacuations would take months. [81] By April 2014, Russian citizens had taken control of the separatist movement, supported by volunteers and materiel from Russia, including Chechen and Cossack fighters. [190], In the months preceding the invasion, Russian officials accused Ukraine of inciting tensions, Russophobia, and repressing Russian speakers. It spent the winter conducting failed offensive operations in the Donbas, and in the spring dug into positions for an anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive. [107], In response to the deteriorating situation, Russia abandoned its hybrid approach, and began a conventional invasion on 25 August 2014. [184][185], From March to April 2021, Russia commenced a major military build-up near the border, followed by a second build-up between October 2021 to February 2022 in Russia and Belarus. [101] These operational successes of Ukrainian forces threatened the existence of the DPR and LPR statelets, prompting Russian cross-border shelling targeted against Ukrainian troops on their own soil, from mid-July onwards. [287][288], Until 2014 Ukraine was the main transit route for Russian natural gas sold to Europe, which earned Ukraine about US$3 billion a year in transit fees, making it the country's most lucrative export service. Understand the conflict in Ukraine since it erupted in 2014 and track the latest developments around Russian and U.S. involvement on the Global Conflict Tracker from the Center for Preventive Action. [384], At the end of 2021, 75% of Ukrainians said they had a positive attitude toward ordinary Russians, while in May 2022, 82% of Ukrainians said they had a negative attitude toward ordinary Russians. At the onset of the conflict, Russia had roughly 12,000 military personnel in the Black Sea Fleet,[34] in several locations in the Crimean peninsula like Sevastopol, Kacha, Hvardiiske, Simferopol Raion, Sarych, and others. It marked a turning point in conflict; it was the first battle between the separatists and the Ukrainian government that involved large numbers of Russian "volunteers". A Rosja znów: Nie przekraczaliśmy granicy [NA ŻYWO]", "BBC:Ukraine crisis: 'Thousands of Russians' fighting in east, August 28", "U.S. says Russia has 'outright lied' about Ukraine", "Сили АТО активно наступають. 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The organisation recruited mostly army veterans, but also policemen, firefighters etc. [160][161], Cases of killed and wounded Russian soldiers were discussed in local Russian media. In September 2015 the United Nations Human Rights Office estimated that 8000 casualties had resulted from the conflict. [221] Many of the disinformation videos were amateurish, and evidence showed that the claimed attacks, explosions, and evacuations in Donbas were staged by Russia. [174] On 25 November 2018, three Ukrainian boats traveling from Odesa to Mariupol were seized by Russian warships; 24 Ukrainian sailors were detained. [124][125] The UN Security Council called an emergency meeting. Russia-Ukraine War, war between Russia and Ukraine that began in February 2014 with the covert invasion of the Ukrainian autonomous republic of Crimea by disguised Russian troops. [353] On 1 March, he warned, "Military intervention would be the beginning of war and the end of any relations between Ukraine and Russia. with military experience. Notable protests first occurred in March[381][382] and large protests occurred in September when "tens of thousands" protested the war in Ukraine with a peace march in downtown Moscow on Sunday, 21 September 2014, "under heavy police supervision". [244][245], Russian attacks were initially launched on a northern front from Belarus towards Kyiv, a north-eastern front towards Kharkiv, a southern front from Crimea, and a south-eastern front from Luhansk and Donetsk. When Putin announced the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, he claimed to commence a "special military operation", side-stepping a formal declaration of war. [383], In March 2022, a week after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 98% of Ukrainians – including 82% of ethnic Russians living in Ukraine – said they did not believe that any part of Ukraine was rightfully part of Russia, according to Lord Ashcroft's polls which did not include Crimea and the separatist-controlled part of Donbas. [131], In early September 2014, Russian state-owned television channels reported on the funerals of Russian soldiers who had died in Ukraine, but described them as "volunteers" fighting for the "Russian world". [22], In 2009, Yanukovych announced his intent to again run for president in the 2010 Ukrainian presidential election,[23] which he subsequently won. [220] The Russian government intensified its disinformation campaign, with Russian state media promoting fabricated videos (false flags) on a nearly hourly basis purporting to show Ukrainian forces attacking Russia. [233], On the night of 23 February,[234] Zelenskyy gave a speech in Russian in which he appealed to the citizens of Russia to prevent war. Beginning in 2021, Russia built up a large military presence near its border with Ukraine, including within neighbouring Belarus. [240][241] Minutes later, missiles and airstrikes hit across Ukraine, including Kyiv, shortly followed by a large ground invasion along multiple fronts. "Ukraine is under assault in a brazen and unprovoked invasion by Russia that has the potential to create the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II," Mr. Padilla and Ms. Lofgren . Cyberattacks also enabled Russian access to the mobile phones of Ukrainian officials and members of parliament, further disrupting communications.[69]. [268], According to an estimate published by The New York Times, as of February 2023, the "number of Russian troops killed and wounded in Ukraine is approaching 200,000. [336] Russia's opposition politician Alexei Navalny said the "monstrosity of lies" in the Russian state media "is unimaginable. [392], On 28 April 2022, US President Joe Biden asked Congress for an additional $33 billion to assist Ukraine, including $20 billion to provide weapons to Ukraine. Unfortunately, NATO believes it is at war with Russia". Ukrainian forces stated that Russian intelligence groups had been spotted in the area. He stated, "Losing this war on the territory that President Vladimir Putin personally named New Russia would threaten the Kremlin's power and, personally, the power of the president". [105], By August 2014, the Ukrainian "Anti-Terrorist Operation" shrank the territory under pro-Russian control, and approached the border. From 6 April, militants occupied government buildings in many cities and took control of border crossings to Russia, transport hubs, a broadcasting center, and other strategic infrastructure. 80% of those polled said the country should remain a unitary country. [68] Russian cyberattacks shut down websites associated with the Ukrainian government, news media, and social media. [326], In June 2014, several Russian state news outlets reported that Ukraine was using white phosphorus using 2004 footage of white phosphorus being used by the United States in Iraq. It contrasted with respondents in Kyiv-controlled Donbas, where a vast majority felt the separatist regions should be returned to Ukraine. The allegations have caused a diplomatic row among the U.S., South Africa and Russia and called into question South Africa's non-aligned position on the Ukraine conflict. Vladimir Yefimov, leader of one such organisation, explained how the process worked in the Ural area. [128], The speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament and Russian state television channels acknowledged that Russian soldiers entered Ukraine, but referred to them as "volunteers". [5] Former Soviet nuclear weapons in Ukraine were removed and dismantled. 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