This article is about the phase of the war that began with the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. For the entire war that started in 2014, seeRusso-Ukrainian war. For the 2022 invasion itself, see2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Pre-invasion at border: 169,000–190,000[c][6][7][8] Pre-invasion total: 900,000 military[9] 554,000 paramilitary[9] In February 2023: 300,000+ active personnel in Ukraine[10] In June 2024: 700,000 active personnel in the area[11]
Pre-invasion total: 196,600 military[12] 102,000 paramilitary[12] July 2022 total: up to 700,000[13] September 2023 total: over 800,000[14]
US presidentClinton, Russian presidentYeltsin, and Ukrainian presidentKravchuk after signing theTrilateral Statement (1994). Russia and the US agreed to uphold Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity in return for Ukraine giving up its nuclear weapons.
TheNormandy Format meeting in December 2019 was the only meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.[57]
When the conflict began in 2014, Ukraine was officially aneutral country[58] and said it was not seeking NATO membership.[59][60] Because of Russia's occupation of Crimea and itsinvasion of the Donbas, Ukraine's parliament voted in 2014 to revoke the country's neutral status and seekmembership of NATO.[61][62]
TheMinsk agreements, signed in September 2014 and February 2015, aimed to resolve the conflict, but ceasefires and further negotiations failed.[63] TheWest's weak response toRussia's attack led Russia to believe the West would not react strongly to the 2022 invasion.[64][65][66] Several political scientists said this encouraged further Russian aggression.[67][68][69]
Economic aspects
Economic interests were also a motive for Russia's attack on Ukraine and itsannexation of the southeast. Control oflithium deposits in the Donbas and Ukraine's grain wealth would give Russia a "monopoly on the world market".[70] In 2022, Russian General Vladimir Ovchinsky confirmed that the "Russian special operation" aimed to seize Ukrainian lithium deposits.[24][71]
The US government estimates that Russia's economic losses from the war and Western sanctions will amount to around $1.3 trillion by 2025, and Russia's direct financial spending on the invasion is estimated at $250 billion (as of late 2024) – costs that Russia could not have foreseen. According to a study published in mid-2022 by Canadian think tank SecDev, Russia seized energy reserves, metals and minerals worth at least $12.4 trillion in the Donbas. The total value of raw material stocks in Ukraine is estimated at over $26 trillion.[24]
The Russian elite, especially Russian generals, had invested assets and property in Ukraine formoney laundering purposes before the invasion.[70]
Russian military build-up around Ukraine as of 3 December 2021
There was Russian military build-up near Ukraine's borders in March and April 2021,[72] and again in both Russia and Belarus from October 2021 onward.[73] Russia said it was only holdingmilitary exercises. Members of its government, including Putin, repeatedly denied having plans to invade Ukraine, issuing denials up until the day before the invasion.[74][75][76]
In July 2021, Putin published "On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians", in which he called Ukraine "historically Russian lands" and claimed there is "no historical basis" for the "idea of Ukrainian people as a nation separate from the Russians".[79][80] Putin was accused of promotingRussian imperialism,[81] historical revisionism and disinformation.[82][83]
TheDecember 2021 Russian ultimatum to NATO, included demands that NATO end activity in its Eastern European member states and ban Ukraine or anyformer Soviet state from ever joining the alliance.[18][84][85] Russia's government said NATO was a threat and warned of a military response if it followed an "aggressive line".[86] Some demands had already been ruled out by NATO. A US official said the US was willing to discuss the proposals, but there were some "the Russians know are unacceptable".[84] Eastern European states willingly joined NATO for security reasons, and the last time a country bordering Russia had joined was in 2004. Ukraine had not yet applied, and some members were wary of letting it join.[87] Barring Ukraine would go against NATO's "open door" policy, and against treaties agreed to by Russia.[88] NATO secretary generalJens Stoltenberg replied that "Russia has no say" on whether Ukraine joins, and "no right to establish asphere of influence to try to control their neighbours".[89] NATO underlined that it is adefensive alliance, andit had co-operated with Russia until the latter annexed Crimea.[88] It offered to improve communication with Russia, and negotiate limits on missile placements andmilitary exercises, as long as Russia withdrew troops from Ukraine's borders,[90] but Russia did not.
Western leaders vowed heavy sanctions should Putin invade rather than negotiate.[91] French presidentEmmanuel Macron[92] and German chancellorOlaf Scholz met Putin in February 2022 to dissuade him from an invasion. Putin told him that Ukraine should not be an independent state.[93] Scholz told Ukrainian president Zelenskyy to declare Ukraine aneutral country and renounce its aspirations to join NATO. Zelenskyy replied that Putin could not be trusted, as he had broken agreements.[94] Ukraine had been a neutral country in 2014 when Russia occupied Crimea andinvaded the Donbas.[58][95] Zelenskyy made a speech at theMunich Security Conference, calling for Western powers to end their "appeasement" towards Putin and give a clear time-frame for when Ukraine could join NATO.[96] AnalystsTaras Kuzio andVladimir Socor agree that "when Russia made its decision to invade Ukraine, that country was more remote than ever not only from NATO membership but from any track that might lead to membership".[85]
Luhansk power station after being shelled by Russian-backed forces in the Donbas, 22 February 2022
Shortly before the invasion, Russia's proxy forces stepped up attacks on Ukrainian forces and civilians in the Donbas.[97][98] Separatist leaders warned that Ukraine was about to launch an offensive, but they gave no evidence, andThe Guardian noted it would be "exceedingly risky" for Ukraine to assault the Donbas while Russian troops were massed on its borders.[98] Ukraine and Western leaders accused Russia of stagingfalse flag attacks and trying to provoke retaliation, to give Russia a pretext for invading.[97][98] On 17 February, Russian proxy forcesshelled a kindergarten in Ukrainian-held territory, then blamed it on Ukraine.[98] Zelenskyy said his military would not respond to the provocations.[97]
After the start of the invasion, Ukrainian and Western analysts tentatively assessed that Putin seemed to have assumed that the Russian Armed Forces would be capable of capturingKyiv within days. This assessment eventually led to the commonly reached conclusion that "taking Kyiv in three days" had been the original objective or expectation of the invasion.[103][104][105] The narrative of the planned "three day" capture of Kyiv was reinforced by statements byAleksandr Lukashenko[106][107] andMargarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the Russian state-controlled broadcasterRT.[108] On 2 March, theSecurity Service of Ukraine (SBU) repeated the claim following its release of a video showing a captured Russian soldier claiming that his unit was sent into Ukraine with food supplies for only three days.[109][110] Documents found inside Russian tanks mention how the "special military operation" would conclude in ten days.[111] Ukraine also captured "flagship" tanks – as used in parades – along with military parade uniforms, suggesting that Russia expected to stage a victory parade in Kyiv after a quick conquest.[112][113]
Three days after the invasion began,RIA Novosti, a Russian state news agency, mistakenly published an article entitled "Russia's Coming and the New World", prepared in advance in anticipation of a Russian victory; it announced that "Ukraine had returned to Russia".[114][115] Zelenskyy also admitted that he had received an ultimatum to be replaced withViktor Medvedchuk.[116][117]
Before 5 a.m. Kyiv time on 24 February, Putin, inanother speech, announced a "special military operation", which effectively declared war on Ukraine.[120][121] Putin said the operation was to "protect the people" of the Russian-controlled breakaway republics. Hebaselessly claimed that Russians in the Donbas had "been facing humiliation and genocide perpetrated by the Kyiv regime" for 8 years.[20] Putin said Russia was being threatened: hebaselessly claimed that Ukrainian officialswere neo-Nazis under Western control, that Ukraine was developing nuclear weapons, and a hostile NATO was building up its forces and infrastructure in Ukraine.[122][123] He said Russia sought the "demilitarisation and denazification" of Ukraine, and denied the legitimacy of the Ukrainian state.[123][124] Putin said he had no plans to occupy Ukraine.[122] The invasion began within minutes of Putin's speech.[120]
Ukrainian regions annexed by Russia since 2014 (Autonomous Republic of Crimea andSevastopol) and 2022 (others). The 2022 annexation created a strategic land bridge between Crimea and Russia.
The invasion began at dawn on 24 February.[120][125] It was the biggest attack on a European country and first full-scale war in Europe since World War II.[126] Russia launched a simultaneous ground and air attack.[127][128] Missiles struck targets throughout Ukraine,[129] and Russian troops invaded from the north, east, and south.[130] Russia did not officially declare war.[131] Immediately after the invasion began, Zelenskyy declaredmartial law in Ukraine in a video speech.[132] The same evening, he ordered ageneral mobilisation of all Ukrainian males aged 18–60,[133] prohibiting them from leaving the country.[134]
Remnants of adestroyed Russian column on 27 February inBucha
By 7 April, Russian troops deployed to the northern front pulled back from Kyiv, to resupply and redeploy to the Donbas to reinforce the renewed invasion of southeastern Ukraine. The northeastern front was similarly withdrawn for redeployment to southeastern Ukraine.[135][138] On 26 April, delegates from the US and 40 allied nationsmet at Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discussa coalition to provide economic support, military supplies and refitting to Ukraine.[139] Following Putin'sVictory Day speech on 9 May, US Director of National IntelligenceAvril Haines said no short term resolution should be expected.[140]
Ukraine's reliance on Western-supplied equipment constrained operational effectiveness, as supplying countries feared Ukraine would use Western-made matériel to strike targets in Russia.[141] Experts disagreed on the future of the conflict; some suggested Ukraine should trade territory for peace,[142] others believed Ukraine could maintain its resistance due to Russian losses.[143]
Animated map of the Russian invasion from 24 February to 7 April 2022
The invasion began on 24 February, launched out of Belarus to target Kyiv, and from the northeast against the city of Kharkiv. The southeastern front was conducted as two separate spearheads, from Crimea and the southeast against Luhansk and Donetsk.
Russian troops tried to seizeKyiv quickly with a spearhead on 24 February, from Belarus south along the west bank of theDnipro River, withSpetsnaz infiltrating into the city supported by airborne operations and a rapid mechanised advance from the north, but failed.[144][145] The apparent intent was to encircle the city from the west, supported by two separate axes of attack along the east bank of the Dnipro: the western atChernihiv, and from the east atSumy.[127][128] Russian forces advanced intoChernihiv Oblast on 24 February, besieging its administrative capital withinfour days of fighting.[146][147] Travelling along highways, Russian forces reachedBrovary, an eastern suburb of Kyiv, on 4 March.[128][127]
The US contacted Zelenskyy and offered to help him flee, lest the Russian Army attempt to kidnap or kill him; Zelenskyy responded that "The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride."[148] By early March, Russian advances along the west side of the Dnipro were limited by Ukrainian defences.[128][127] As of 5 March,a Russian convoy, reportedly 64 kilometres (40 mi) long, had made little progress toward Kyiv.[149] Advances from Chernihiv largely halted as asiege began there. Russian forces advanced on Kyiv from the northwest, capturingBucha,Hostomel andVorzel by 5 March.[150][151][152] By 11 March, the lengthy convoy had largely dispersed and taken cover.[153] On 16 March, Ukrainian forces began a counter-offensive.[154] Unable to achieve a quick victory in Kyiv, Russian forces switched toindiscriminate bombing andsiege warfare.[155][156]
On 25 March, a Ukrainian counter-offensive retook towns to the east and west of Kyiv.[157][158] Russian troops in the Bucha area retreated north. Ukrainian forces entered the city on 1 April, and recaptured the region around Kyiv, and uncovered evidence ofwar crimes inBucha.[159][160]The Pentagon confirmed on 6 April that the Russian army had leftChernihiv Oblast;[161] local authorities said Russian troops had left Sumy Oblast.[162] NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said the Russian "retraction, resupply, and redeployment" of troops from the Kyiv area should be interpreted as an expansion of Putin's plans for concentrating his forces on eastern Ukraine.[138]
By 18 March, Mariupol was encircled and fighting had reached the city centre, hampering efforts to evacuate civilians.[173] The Russians demanded surrender, and the Ukrainians refused.[174] On 27 March, Ukrainian deputy prime ministerOlha Stefanishyna said that "(m)ore than 85 percent of the whole town is destroyed."[175] Russia refused safe passage into Mariupol to 50 buses sent by the UN to evacuate civilians.[176][177]
In the east, Russian troopsattempted to capture Kharkiv,[178] and met strong Ukrainian resistance.Izium was captured by Russian forces on 1 April[179] after a monthlong battle.[180] On 25 March, the Russian defence ministry said it would seek to occupy major cities in eastern Ukraine.[181]
On 3 April, following the retreat of Russian forces from Kyiv, Russia expanded its attack on southern Ukraine, with bombardment and strikes against Odesa, Mykolaiv, and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.[182][183] By 7 April, the renewed massing of Russian troops and tanks around Izium,Sloviansk, andKramatorsk prompted Ukrainian officials to advise remaining residents near the eastern border to evacuate to western Ukraine.[184]
Animated map of the Russian invasion from 7 April to 5 September 2022
By 17 April, Russian progress on the southeastern front appeared impeded by Ukrainian forces in the large, heavily fortifiedAzovstal Iron and Steel Works and surrounding area in Mariupol.[185] On 19 April Russia launched an "eastern assault" across a 480-kilometre (300 mi) front extending from Kharkiv to Donetsk and Luhansk, with simultaneous missile attacks again directed at Kyiv and Lviv.[186] An anonymous US Defence official called the Russian offensive "minimal at best".[187]
By 30 May, disparities between Russian and Ukrainian artillery were apparent, with Ukrainian artillery vastly outgunned.[141] In response to Biden's indication that enhanced artillery would be provided to Ukraine, Putin said Russia would expand its invasion to include new cities, and ordered a missile strike against Kyiv on 6 June after not directly attacking it for weeks.[188] On 10 June, deputy head of theSBU Vadym Skibitsky stated that during the Sievierodonetsk campaign, the frontlines were where the future of the invasion would be decided:[189]
This is an artillery war now, and we are losing in terms of artillery. Everything now depends on what [the west] gives us. Ukraine has one artillery piece to 10 to 15 Russian artillery pieces. Our western partners have given us about 10% of what they have.
On 29 June, US intelligence director Avril Haines said US agencies agreed the invasion will continue "for an extended period of time ... In short, the picture remains pretty grim and Russia's attitude toward the West is hardening."[190] On 5 July,BBC reported that extensive destruction by the invasion would cause immense financial damage to Ukraine's economy, with Ukrainian prime ministerDenys Shmyhal telling a reconstruction conference that Ukraine needed $750B for a recovery plan and Russian oligarchs should contribute.[191]
The chief spokesman for theRussian Ministry of DefenceIgor Konashenkov revealed that Russian troops were divided between the Army Groups "Centre" commanded by Colonel GeneralAleksander Lapin and "South" commanded by Army GeneralSergey Surovikin.[192] On 20 July, Lavrov announced that Russia would respond to the increased military aid being received by Ukraine from abroad by expanding its special military operation toZaporizhzhia andKherson oblasts.[193]Russian Ground Forces started recruiting volunteer battalions to create a new3rd Army Corps within the Western Military District, with a planned strength of 16,000–60,000 personnel.[194] Its units were deployed to the front around the SeptemberKharkiv counteroffensive, in time to join the Russian retreat. The 3rd Army "melted away" according toForbes, having little impact on the battlefield along with other irregular forces.[195]
On 13 April, Russian forces intensified their attack on theAzovstal Iron and Steel Works.[196] Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukrainian soldiers had vowed to ignore the ultimatum to surrender and fight to the last.[185] On 20 April, Putin said the siege could be considered tactically complete, since the 500 Ukrainian troops entrenched in bunkers within the ironworks and estimated 1,000 civilians were sealed off from relief.[197]
After meetings with Putin and Zelenskyy, UN secretary-general Guterres on 28 April said he would attempt to organise an evacuation from Azovstal in accordance with assurances from Putin.[198] On 30 April, Russian troops allowed civilians to leave under UN protection.[199] By 3 May, after allowing 100 civilians to depart, Russian troops renewed their bombardment.[200] On 6 May,The Daily Telegraph reported that Russia had used thermobaric bombs against the remaining soldiers. Zelenskyy authorised the commander of the steel factory to surrender as necessary.[201] On 7 May, all civilians were evacuated.[202]
After the last civilians evacuated, 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers remained barricaded there, 700 were injured. They communicated a plea for a military corridor to evacuate, as they expected execution if they surrendered.[203] Reports of dissent on 8 May indicated that the commander of theUkrainian marines had made an unauthorised acquisition of tanks, munitions, and personnel, broke out from the position and fled. The remaining soldiers spoke of a weakened defence as a result, which allowed progress to advancing Russian attacks.[204]Ilia Somolienko, deputy commander of the remaining Ukrainian troops, said: "We are basically here dead men. Most of us know this and it's why we fight so fearlessly."[205]
On 16 May, the Ukrainian General staff announced that the Mariupol garrison had "fulfilled its combat mission" and final evacuations had begun. 264 service members were evacuated to Olenivka under Russian control, while 53 who were seriously injured were taken to a hospital inNovoazovsk, controlled by Russia.[206][207] Following the evacuation, Russian and DPR forces fully controlled Mariupol. Russia press secretary Dmitry Peskov said Putin had guaranteed that the fighters who surrendered would be treated "in accordance with international standards" while Zelenskyy said that "the work of bringing the boys home continues..."[208]
Military control around Donbas as of 11 September 2024: pink highlights areas held by the DNR, LNR, and Russia, yellow highlights areas held by the Ukrainian government.
A Russian missile attack onKramatorsk railway station on 8 April killed at least 61[209] and injuring 87 to 300.[210] On 11 April, Zelenskyy said Ukraine expected a new Russian offensive in the east.[211] American officials said Russia had withdrawn or been repulsed elsewhere, and was preparing a retraction, resupply, and redeployment to the southeastern Ukraine front.[212][213] Military satellites photographed Russian convoys of infantry and mechanised units deploying south from Kharkiv to Izium on 11 April, apparently part of the planned Russian redeployment.[214]
On 18 April, with Mariupol overtaken by Russian forces, the Ukrainian government announced that the second phase of the reinforced invasion of the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv oblasts had intensified with expanded invasion forces occupying the Donbas.[215] On 22 May, the BBC reported that after the fall of Mariupol, Russia had intensified offensives in Luhansk and Donetsk while concentrating missile attacks and intense artillery fire on Sievierodonetsk, the largest city under Ukrainian control in Luhansk Oblast.[216] On 23 May, Russian forces were reported enteringLyman, capturing the city by 26 May.[217][218] Ukrainian forces were reported leavingSviatohirsk.[219] By 24 May, Russian forces capturedSvitlodarsk.[220] On 30 May, Reuters reported that Russian troops had breached the outskirts of Sievierodonetsk.[221] By 2 June,The Washington Post reported that Sievierodonetsk was on the brink of capitulation with over 80% in the hands of Russian troops.[222] On 3 June, Ukrainian forces reportedly began a counter-attack in Sievierodonetsk. By 4 June, Ukrainian government sources claimed 20% or more of the city had been recaptured.[223]
Ukrainian authorities estimated that 800 Ukrainian civilians were besieged at theAzot chemical factory in Sievierodonetsk; Russian-backed separatists said it sheltered 300–400 soldiers.[224][225] With the Ukrainian defences of Sievierodonetsk faltering, Russian troops began intensifying their attack on the neighbouring city ofLysychansk.[226] On 20 June it was reported that Russian troops continued to tighten their grip on Sievierodonetsk by capturing surrounding villages.[227]
On 24 June,CNN reported that, amid scorched-earth tactics by advancing Russian troops, Ukraine's armed forces were ordered to evacuate Sievierodonetsk; several hundred civilians taking refuge in the Azot chemical plant were left behind, with some comparing their plight to those in Mariupol.[228] On 3 July, the Russian defence ministry claimed Lysychansk had been captured and occupied.[229] On 4 July,The Guardian reported that after the fall of the Luhansk oblast, Russian troops would continue their invasion into the adjacentDonetsk Oblast to attack the cities of Sloviansk andBakhmut.[230]
Russian forces continued to fire missiles and drop bombs onDnipro andZaporizhzhia.[186] Russian missiles destroyed theDnipro International Airport on 10 April.[231] On 2 May, the UN, reportedly with the cooperation of Russian troops, evacuated about 100 survivors from the siege of Mariupol.[232] On 28 June, Reuters reported that a Russian missile attack onKremenchuk, detonated in a mall, had killed at least 18. France's Macron called it a "war crime".[233]
The president of Ukrainian nuclear agencyEnergoatom called the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant "extremely tense", saying that it was being operated by Ukrainian staff but controlled by up to 500 Russian soldiers, with Russia shelling nearby areas and storing weapons at the plant.[234] Russia agreed on 19 August to allow IAEA inspectors access to the plant after a call from Macron to Putin. As of July 2023, access to the plant remained limited.[235]
Russia reported that 12 attacks with explosions from 50 artillery shells had been recorded by 18 August at the plant and the company town ofEnerhodar.[236]Tobias Ellwood, chair of the UK'sDefence Select Committee, and US congressmanAdam Kinzinger said that radiation leaks would be a breach of theNorth Atlantic Treaty, under which an attack on a member of NATO is an attack on them all.[237][238]
Russian annexations and occupation losses (6 September – 11 November 2022)
Animated map of the Russian invasion from 5 September 2022 to 11 November 2022
On 6 September 2022, Ukrainian forces launched a surprisecounteroffensive in the Kharkiv region, beginning nearBalakliia, led byGeneral Syrskyi.[239] An emboldened Kyiv launched a counteroffensive 12 September around Kharkiv successful enough to make Russia admit losing key positions and forThe New York Times to say that it dented the image of a "Mighty Putin". Kyiv sought more arms from the West to sustain the counteroffensive.[240] On 21 September 2022, Vladimir Putin announceda partial mobilisation and Minister of DefenceSergei Shoigu said 300,000 reservists would be called.[241] He also said that his country would use "all means" to "defend itself". Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskyy, said that the decision was predictable and that it was an attempt to justify "Russia's failures".[242] British Foreign Office Minister Gillian Keegan called the situation an "escalation",[243] while former Mongolian presidentTsakhiagiin Elbegdorj accused Russia of using Russian Mongols as "cannon fodder".[244]
Russian annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts
In late September 2022, Russian-installed officials in Ukraine organisedreferendums on the annexation of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic, as well as the Russian-appointed military administrations of Kherson Oblast and Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Denounced by Ukraine's government and allies assham elections, official results showed overwhelming majorities in favour of annexation.[245]
On 30 September 2022, Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts in an address to theRussian parliament.[246] Ukraine, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations all denounced the annexation as illegal.[247]
On 29 August, Zelenskyy announced the start of a full-scale counteroffensive in the southeast to retake Russian-occupied territory in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions.[248] By 4 September, Ukrainian forces had retaken the village ofVysokopillia.[249] Ukrainian attacks also continued along the southern frontline, though reports about territorial changes were largely unverifiable.[250]
In October, Ukrainian forces pushed further south towards the city of Kherson, taking control of 1,170 square kilometres (450 sq mi), with fighting extending toDudchany.[251][252] On 9 November, defence minister Shoigu ordered Russian forces to leave part of Kherson Oblast, including the city ofKherson, and move to the eastern bank of the Dnieper.[253] On 11 November, Ukrainian troops entered Kherson, as Russia completed its withdrawal. This meant that Russian forces no longer had a foothold on the west bank of the Dnieper.[254]
Retained by Ukraine Retaken by Ukraine Occupied by Russia Map of the Kharkiv front as of 26 October 2025
Ukrainian forces launched another surprise counteroffensive on 6 September in the Kharkiv Oblast nearBalakliia led by General Syrskyi.[239] By 7 September, Ukrainian forces had advanced 20 kilometres (12 mi) into Russian-occupied territory and claimed to have recaptured approximately 400 square kilometres (150 sq mi). Russian commentators said this was likely due to the relocation of Russian forces to Kherson.[255] On 8 September, Ukrainian forces captured Balakliia and advanced to within 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) ofKupiansk.[256] Military analysts said Ukrainian forces appeared to be moving towards Kupiansk, a major railway hub, with the aim of cutting off the Russian forces at Izium from the north.[257]
On 9 September, theRussian occupation administration of Kharkiv Oblast announced it would "evacuate" the civilian populations of Izium, Kupiansk andVelykyi Burluk. TheInstitute for the Study of War (ISW) said it believed Kupiansk would likely fall in the next 72 hours,[258] while Russian reserve units were sent to the area by both road and helicopter.[259] On the morning of 10 September, photos emerged claiming to depict Ukrainian troops raising the Ukrainian flag in the centre of Kupiansk,[260] and the ISW said Ukrainian forces had captured approximately 2,500 square kilometres (970 sq mi).[261] Reuters reported that Russian positions in northeast Ukraine had "collapsed" in the face of the Ukrainian assault, with Russian forces forced to withdraw from their base at Izium after being cut off by the capture of Kupiansk.[262]
By 15 September, an assessment by theUK Ministry of Defence confirmed that Russia had either lost or withdrawn from almost all of their positions west of theOskil river, abandoning high-value military assets.[263] The offensive continued pushing east and by 1 October, Ukrainian forceshad liberated Lyman.[264]
Winter stalemate, attrition campaign and first military surge (12 November 2022 – 7 June 2023)
After the end of the twin Ukrainian counteroffensives, the fighting semi-deadlocked during the winter,[265] with heavy casualties but reduced motion of the frontline.[266] Russia launched a self-proclaimed winter offensive in eastern Ukraine, but the campaign stalled with limited gains.[265][267] Analysts blamed the failure on Russia's lack of "trained men" and supply problems with artillery ammunition, among other problems.[265][267] Near the end of May,Mark Galeotti assessed that "after Russia's abortive and ill-conceived winter offensive, which squandered its opportunity to consolidate its forces, Ukraine is in a relatively strong position."[268]
On 7 February,The New York Times reported that Russians had newly mobilised nearly 200,000 soldiers to participate in the offensive in the Donbas.[269] The Russian private military company Wagner Group took on greater prominence in the war,[270] leading "grinding advances" inBakhmut with tens of thousands of recruits fromprison battalions taking part in "near suicidal" assaults on Ukrainian positions.[267]
In late January 2023, fighting intensified in southern Zaporizhzhia Oblast, with both sides suffering heavy casualties.[271] In nearby southern parts of Donetsk Oblast, anintense, three-week Russian assault near the coal-mining town ofVuhledar was called the largest tank battle of the war to date, and ended in disaster for Russian forces, who lost "at least 130 tanks and armored personnel carriers" according to Ukrainian commanders. TheBritish Ministry of Defence stated that "a whole Russian brigade was effectively annihilated."[272][273]
In late 2022, as Russian casualties exceeded 50,000, the Russian army introducedbarrier troops. The UK defence ministry stated that these are units that threaten to shoot their own retreating soldiers to compel offensives. In March 2023, Russian soldiers filmed a video addressed to Putin where they stated that after suffering casualties, they attempted to return to their headquarters but their superiors denied them evacuation and barrier troops were placed behind them threatening to "destroy them".[274] In particular,Storm-Z units have been reported to be "kept in line" by barrier troops.[275]
View of western Bakhmut during the battle, 5 April 2023
Following defeat in Kherson and Kharkiv, Russian and Wagner forces focused on taking Bakhmut and breaking the half-year-long stalemate there since the start of the war. Russian forces sought to encircle the city, attacking from the north viaSoledar. After taking heavy casualties, Russian and Wagner forcestook control of Soledar on 16 January 2023.[276][277] By early February 2023, Bakhmut was facing attacks from north, south and east, with the sole Ukrainian supply lines coming fromChasiv Yar to the west.[278]
On 4 March, Bakhmut's deputy mayor told news services that there was street fighting in the city.[279] On 20 May 2023, the Wagner Group claimed full control over Bakhmut, and a victory in the battle was officially declared by Russia the next day,[280] following which Wagner forces retreated from the city in place of regular Russian units.[281]
2023 Ukrainian counteroffensives (8 June 2023 – 1 December 2023)
In June 2023, Ukrainian forces launched counteroffensives on multiple fronts.[282][283] Efforts faced stiff Russian resistance.[284] By 12 June, Ukraine reported advances and liberated settlements.[285] On 24 June, theWagner Group rebellion briefly unfolded before a peace deal.[286] In late June, Ukraine reclaimed territory in Donbas and made gains in Kherson Oblast.[287]Russia heavily mined areas, making Ukraine the most mined country in the world.[288] Following Russia leaving the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Ukraine targeted Russian ships.[289] In September 2023, Russian strikes hit Ukrainian energy facilities.[290] The US announced sending long-range ATACMS missiles[291] and Ukraine struck the Sevastopol naval base.[292][293]
In October–December 2023, Ukrainian forces crossed theDnipro river despite heavy losses. On 1 December 2023, Zelenskyy stated that the Ukrainian counter-offensive was unsuccessful.[294] Zelenskyy stated it would be easier to regain Crimea than the Donbas, because the latter is heavily militarised with much pro-Russian sentiment.[295] In December 2023, media outlets described the Ukrainian counteroffensive as having failed to regain significant territory or meet any of its objectives.[294][296][297]
In October 2023, it was reported that there were growing mutinies among Russian troops due to the extensive losses in Russian offensives aroundAvdiivka, with a lack of artillery, food, water and poor command also being reported.[298] By November, British intelligence said that recent weeks had "likely seen some of the highest Russian casualty rates of the war so far."[299]
On 17 February 2024,Russia captured Avdiivka, a longtime stronghold for Ukraine that had been described as a "gateway" to nearbyDonetsk.[300][301][302] Described byForbes journalist David Axe as a pyrrhic Russian victory, the Russian 2nd and 41st Combined Arms Armies ended up with 16,000 men killed, tens of thousands wounded and around 700 vehicles lost.[303]
Ukraine's shortage of ammunition caused by political deadlock in the US Congress and a lack of production capacity in Europe contributed to the Ukrainian withdrawal from Avdiivka, and was "being felt across the front" according toTime. The shortage resulted in Ukraine having to ration its units to fire only 2,000 rounds per day, compared to an estimated 10,000 rounds fired daily by Russia.[304]
Russian offensives and Ukrainian incursion (April 2024 – present)
On 10 May 2024, Russia began arenewed offensive inKharkiv Oblast. Russia captured a dozen villages; Ukraine had evacuated more than 11,000 people from the region since the start of the offensive by 25 May. Ukraine said on 17 May that its forces had slowed the Russian advance, and by 25 May Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian forces had secured "combat control" of areas where Russian troops entered the northeastern Kharkiv Oblast. Russian officials said that they were "advancing in every direction" and that the goal was to create a "buffer zone" for embattled border regions.[305][306] The White House said on 7 June that the offensive had stalled and was unlikely to advance further.[307]
Following the battle of Avdiivka, Russian forces advanced northwest of it to form a salient,capturing Ocheretyne in late April[308][309] and further expanding the salient in the succeeding months.[310] Russian forces also launched anoffensive towards Chasiv Yar in early April,[311] and by early July had captured its easternmost district.[312][313] Anotheroffensive in the direction ofToretsk was launched on 18 June,[314] with the goal of capturing the city,[315] and according to Ukrainian military observer and spokesperson Nazar Voloshyn, flanking Chasiv Yar from the south.[316] Russian forces advanced to expand the salient northwest of Avdiivka in July, and on 19 July, made a breakthrough allowing them toadvance towards the operationally significant city ofPokrovsk.[317][318]
On 6 August 2024, Ukraine launched their first direct offensive into Russian territory, the largest of any pro-Ukrainian incursion since the invasion's inception, into the borderingKursk Oblast.[319] The main axis of the initial advance centred in the direction ofSudzha, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the border,[320] which was reported by President Zelenskyy to have been captured on 15 August.[321] Ukraine, taking advantage of the lack of experienced units and defences along the border with Kursk Oblast, was able to quickly seize territory in the opening days of the incursion.[322] The incursion caused Russia to divert thousands of troops from occupied Ukrainian territory to counter the threat,[323][324] though not from Donetsk Oblast.[324]
Despite repeated deadlines set by Putin to push out Ukrainian troops, Russian forces had not done so by the end of January 2025, with advances in Donetsk Oblast being prioritised over the Kursk salient. However, by February 2025, Russian forces in Donetsk Oblast were described by the ISW as not being fully protected from the theatre-wide impacts of the incursion, with troops, armoured vehicles, artillery, and air defence systems being pulled away from Ukrainian sectors to reinforce the Russian forces in Kursk.[325][326]
Russian troops continued advancing in eastern Ukraine at a faster pace than prior to the Kursk offensive,[327] including towards the strategically important city ofPokrovsk, where their forces had instead been increased.[328][329][330]
In late August 2024, Russian forces seizedNovohrodivka, southeast of Pokrovsk, bringing them within 8 kilometres of the city,[327] whilecapturing Krasnohorivka[331] andUkrainsk[332] in early September.[332] In late September, a Russian assault on the long-held city ofVuhledar began;[333] after it fell on 1 October, the city with a pre-war population of about 14,000 was described as a "sprawling ruin".[334][335]
On 30 October, Ukrainian Major GeneralDmytro Marchenko was reported to have said "our front has crumbled" due to a dwindling ammunition supply, problems with military recruitment, and poor leadership. He saidZelensky's victory plan was too heavily focused on Western support. Briefings from Western officials had also become more pessimistic about Ukraine's military situation.[336][337] According to the Prosecutor General's Office, more than 100,000 criminal cases fordesertion were initiated by the end of November 2024.[338] Russian forces then captured the city ofKurakhove in late December 2024, and the nearbyKurakhove Power Station in January 2025.[339][340]
In early 2025, Russian forces advanced in eastern Ukraine,[341][342] with Russia claiming to have capturedVelyka Novosilka in January.[343][344] Russia continuedattacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.[345] In February 2025, Ukraine's government approved a one-year contract for volunteers aged 18–24 not subject tomobilisation.[346] By April 2025, Russian advances had slowed, according to Seth Jones from theCenter for Strategic and International Studies.[347] Russian attacks on civilians also intensified, with the month of June seeing the highest civilian casualty count in Ukraine since the start of the invasion, with 232 killed and 1,343 injured.[348] Russia killed at least 21 civilians including children in the second largest strike of the war overnight on 27 and 28 August, damaging European diplomatic facilities along with civilian infrastructure.[349]
Putin declared in March 2025 that "there are reasons to believe we can finish off Ukrainian forces", as a Russian summer offensive was expected. Russia planned to expand into Sumy and Kharkiv, however, the actual offensive was generally considered a failure with modest gains at the cost of heavy casualties. By September 2025, Russian forces had still not achieved any frontline breakthroughs, with key strategic objectives like Pokrovsk still held by Ukraine.[350][351]
The supreme commanders-in-chief are the heads of state: President Putin of Russia and President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. Putin has reportedly meddled in operational decisions, bypassing senior commanders and giving orders directly to brigade commanders.[352]
US generalMark Milley wrote in May 2022 that Ukraine's top military commander in the war,commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, GeneralValerii Zaluzhnyi, "has emerged as the military mind his country needed. His leadership enabled the Ukrainian armed forces to adapt quickly with battlefield initiative against the Russians."[353] Russia began the invasion with no overall commander. The commanders of the four military districts were each responsible for their own offensives.[354]
After initial setbacks, the commander of the Russian Southern Military District,Aleksandr Dvornikov, was placed in overall command on 8 April 2022,[355] while still responsible for his own campaign. Russian forces benefited from the centralisation of command under Dvornikov,[356] but continued failures to meet expectations in Moscow led to multiple changes in overall command:[354]
commander of the Eastern Military DistrictGennady Zhidko (Eastern Military District, 26 – 8 MayOctober 2022)
commander of the southern grouping of forcesSergei Surovikin (early October 2022 – 11January 2023)
commander-in-chief of the Russian Armed ForcesValerii Gerasimov (from 11January 2023)
Russia has suffered a remarkably large number of casualties in the ranks of its officers, includinga number of generals.[357]
Aerial warfare began the first day of the invasion. Dozens of missile attacks were recorded across both eastern and western Ukraine,[127][128] as far west as Lviv.[359]
By September 2022, Ukrainian air forces had shot down about 55 Russian warplanes.[360] In mid-October, Russian forces launchedmissile strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure, intended to knock out energy facilities.[361] By late November, hundreds of civilians had been killed or wounded,[362] androlling blackouts had left millions without power.[363]
In December 2022, drones launched from Ukraine allegedly carried out several attacks onDyagilevo andEngels air bases inwestern Russia, killing 10 and heavily damaging twoTu-95 aircraft.[364]
On 1 June 2025, Ukraine carried out "Operation Spider's Web", targeting several air bases deep inside Russian territory using smuggled drones. The operation was seen as successful,[365] with Ukraine saying it had damaged or destroyed 41 high-value aircraft, including strategic bombers used to coordinate and launch attacks on Ukrainian cities.[366] US officials assessed a lower number, saying that Ukraine had hit 20 planes, destroying 10.[367] The operation is estimated to have caused billions of dollars in damage to Russian aircraft.[368][369][370][371]
On 31 July 2022, Russian Navy Day commemorations were cancelled after a drone attack reportedly wounded several people at the RussianBlack Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol.[372] On 9 August 2022,large explosions were reported atSaky Air Base in western Crimea. Satellite imagery showed at least eight aircraft damaged or destroyed. Initial speculation attributed the explosions to long-range missiles, sabotage by special forces or an accident;[373] Ukrainian generalValerii Zaluzhnyi claimed responsibility on 7 September.[374]
Since 2022, Russia has carried out strikes on Ukrainian electrical and water systems.[380] On 6 October 2022 the Ukrainian military reported that 86Shahed 136 kamikaze drones had been launched by Russian forces, and between 30 September and 6 October Ukrainian forces had destroyed 24 out of 46 launched.[381] On 8 October, it was announced thatGeneral of the ArmySergey Surovikin would be commanding all Russian forces on the strength of his novel air assault technique.[382] On 16 October,The Washington Post reported that Iran was planning to supply Russia with drones and missiles.[383] On 18 October the US State Department accused Iran of violatingResolution 2231 by sellingShahed 131 andShahed 136 drones to Russia,[384] agreeing with France and the UK. Iran denied sending arms for the Ukraine war.[385] On 22 October France, Britain and Germany called for a UN investigation.[386] On 1 November, CNN reported that Iran was preparing to send ballistic missiles and other weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine.[387]
On 15 November, Russia fired 85 missiles at theUkrainian power grid, causingpower outages in Kyiv and neighbouring regions.[388] In March 2023,The New York Times reported that Russia had used new hypersonic missiles in a massive missile attack on Ukraine. Such missiles are more effective in evading conventional Ukrainian anti-missile defences.[389]
The UK Defence Ministry said strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure are part of Russia's 'Strategic Operation for the Destruction of Critically Important Targets' (SODCIT) military doctrine, intended to demoralise the population and force the Ukrainian leadership to capitulate.[390] According to theRoyal United Services Institute:[391]
Russian strikes had cumulatively destroyed 9gigawatts (GW) of Ukraine's domestic power generation by mid-June 2024. Peak consumption during the winter of 2023 was 18 GW, which means that half of Ukraine's production capacity has been destroyed.
On 28 February 2022, Turkey invoked the 1936Montreux Convention and sealed off theBosphorus andDardanelles straits to Russian warships that were not registered toBlack Sea home bases and returning to their ports of origin. It specifically denied passage to four Russian naval vessels.[398] On 24 February, theState Border Guard Service of Ukraine announced that Russian Navy ships had begun anattack on Snake Island.[399] The guided missile cruiser and flagship of theBlack Sea Fleet,Moskva and patrol boatVasily Bykov bombarded the island.[400] The Russian warship instructed the Ukrainians on the island to surrender. Their response was "Russian warship, go fuck yourself!"[401] After the bombardment, Russian soldiers landed and took control ofSnake Island.[402] Russia said on 26 February that US drones had supplied intelligence to the Ukrainian navy to help it target Russian warships in the Black Sea. The US denied this.[403]
By 3 March, Ukrainian forces in Mykolaivscuttled the frigateHetman Sahaidachny, the flagship of the Ukrainian navy, to prevent its capture.[404] On 24 March, Ukrainian officials said that a Russianlanding ship docked in Berdiansk was destroyed by a Ukrainian rocket attack.[169][405] In March 2022, the UNInternational Maritime Organization (IMO) sought to create a safe sea corridor for commercial vessels to leave Ukrainian ports.[406] On 27 March, Russia established a sea corridor 80 miles (130 km) long and 3 miles (4.8 km) wide through itsMaritime Exclusion Zone, for the transit of merchant vessels from the edge of Ukrainian territorial waters southeast of Odesa.[407][408]
TheMoskva was, according to Ukrainian sources and a US senior official,[409] hit on 13 April by two UkrainianNeptune anti-ship cruise missiles. The Russian Defence Ministry said the warship had suffered serious damage from a munition explosion caused by a fire, and that its crew had been evacuated.[410] Pentagon spokesman John Kirby reported on 14 April that satellite images showed that the Russian warship had suffered a sizeable explosion onboard but was heading to the east for expected repairs inSevastopol.[411] Later the same day, the Russian Ministry of Defence stated that theMoskva had sunk.[412] On 15 April, Reuters reported that Russia launched an apparent retaliatory missile strike against the missile factoryLuch Design Bureau in Kyiv where the Neptune missiles used in theMoskva attack were manufactured.[413] On 5 May, a US official confirmed that the US gave "a range of intelligence" to assist in the sinking.[414]
On 1 June, Russian Foreign MinisterSergey Lavrov asserted that Ukraine's policy of mining its own harbours to impede Russian maritime aggression had contributed to the food export crisis, saying: "If Kyiv solves the problem of demining ports, the Russian Navy will ensure the unimpeded passage of ships with grain to the Mediterranean Sea."[415] On 23 July, CNBC reported a Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian port of Odesa, swiftly condemned by world leaders amid a recentUN- and Turkish-brokered deal to secure a sea corridor for exports of foodstuffs.[416]
On 26 December 2023, Ukraine's air force attacked theRussian landing shipNovocherkassk docked inFeodosia. Ukraine said it was destroyed. Russian authorities confirmed the attack, but not the loss, and said two attacking aircraft were destroyed. Independent analysts said the ship's loss could hamper future Russian attacks on Ukraine's coast.[417][418][419] On 31 January 2024, Ukrainian sea drones struck the RussianTarantul-class corvette Ivanovets in the Black Sea, causing the ship to sink.[420][421] On 14 February, the same type of Ukrainian sea drones struck and sank theRussian landing shipTsezar Kunikov.[422][423]
Ukrainian civilians resisted the Russian invasion by volunteering for territorial defence units, makingMolotov cocktails, donating food, building barriers likeCzech hedgehogs,[424] and helping to transport refugees.[425] Responding to a call fromUkravtodor, Ukraine's transportation agency, civilians dismantled or altered road signs,[426] constructed makeshift barriers, and blocked roadways.[427] Social media reports showed spontaneous street protests against Russian forces in occupied settlements, often evolving into verbal altercations and physical standoffs with Russian troops.[428] By April, Ukrainian civilians began to organise as guerrillas, mostly in the wooded north and east of the country. The Ukrainian military announced plans for a large-scale guerrilla campaign to complement its conventional defence.[429]
People physically blocked Russian military vehicles, sometimes forcing them to retreat.[428][430] The Russian soldiers' response to unarmed civilian resistance varied from reluctance to engage the protesters,[428] to firing directly into crowds.[431] There have been mass detentions of Ukrainian protesters, and Ukrainian media has reported forced disappearances, mock executions, hostage-taking,extrajudicial killings, and sexual violence perpetrated by the Russian military.[432] To facilitate Ukrainian attacks, civilians reported Russian military positions via aTelegram chatbot andDiia, a Ukrainian government app. In response, Russian forces began destroying mobile phone network equipment, searching door-to-door for smartphones and computers, and in at least one case killed a civilian who had pictures of Russian tanks.[433]As of 21 May 2022, Zelenskyy indicated that Ukraine had 700,000 service members on active duty fighting the Russian invasion.[434] Ukraine withdrew soldiers and military equipment back to Ukraine over the course of 2022 that had been deployed toUnited Nations peacekeeping missions.[435]
Energy infrastructure
Energy infrastructure inOdesa, Ukraine, after a Russian drone attack in August 2025
Throughout the war Russia and Ukraine have attacked each other's energy infrastructure. Ukrainian power generation and heating facilities and Russia's pipelines and refineries were hit.[436][437]
Pipelines carrying natural gas and oil from Russia to Central Europe continued to operate during the war in a reduced manner. They have been attacked several times; in May 2025 both sides accused each other of attacking gas infrastructure in Russia's Kursk Oblast. In August 2025 Ukraine repeatedly attacked pumping stations of Russia'sDruzhba pipeline, interrupting oil supply to Hungary and Slovakia,[437][442] while the same month a Russian attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure left more than 100,000 households without electricity.[443]
By 28 August 2025 Ukraine's campaign to strike at Russia's petroleum industry had hit ten oil refineries and was estimated byReuters to have disrupted Russia's refinery capacity by at least 17% or 1.1 million barrels a day.[444] The effect was a fuel crisis in Crimea and both southern and far eastern regions with price surges and dry gas stations.[445] In September 2025 theInternational Energy Agency stated that Russia's revenues fromoil product exports had in August declined to five-year lows, contributing to Russia's economic slowdown.[446] Acknowledging Russia's strainedenergy system presidentVladimir Putin pointed to Russia'scoal reserves to offset its gas shortage, insufficient infrastructure and under-developed grid economy.[447]
Following its 14 September 2025 attack on Russia's second largest refineryKinef theGeneral Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces claimed to be "working 'systematically' to weaken Russia's military and economic capabilities with a particular focus on fuel, weapons, and ammunition production".[448]
Countries that have delivered military aid to Ukraine
Heavy weaponry
Light weaponry
Non-lethal materiel
Non-materiel
Ukraine
Many countries have supplied military aid to Ukraine including weaponry, equipment, training, and logistical support. Several imposed limited sanctions on Russia in the prelude to the invasion and applied new sanctions when the invasion began, intending to cripple the Russian economy;[449][450] sanctions targeted individuals, banks, businesses, monetary exchanges, exports, and imports.[449]
Military assistance has mostly been co-ordinated through theUkraine Defence Contact Group, whose more than fifty countries include all 32member states ofNATO.[451] From January 2022 to January 2024, $380 billion in aid to Ukraine was tracked by theKiel Institute.[452] European countries have provided the most aid in total (military, financial and humanitarian).[453] Estonia and Denmark have provided the most military aid as a share of GDP.[454] The European Union co-ordinated the supply of military aid for the first time.[455] TheUS has provided the most military assistance to Ukraine,[453] and has set aside $175 billion to help the country.[454] Most of the US military aid has been old American weaponry and equipment fromreserve stockpiles, while most of the US funding earmarked for Ukraine stays in the US economy and supports US industries, subsidising the manufacture of weapons and military equipment.[454][456] Bulgaria supplied Ukraine with over one third of the ammunition needed in the early phase of the invasion and a plurality of needed fuel.[457] Most of Ukraine's supporters ruled out sending troops to the country in the early months of the invasion.[458]
AlthoughIndia has maintained a neutral stance on the invasion,[459] reports indicate that artillery shells made by Indian manufacturers were sold to European countries and then diverted to Ukraine. Indian officials have not intervened despite objections from Russia.[460]
The Russian government has threatened retaliation against countries supplying military aid to Ukraine, and said it meant NATO was waging a proxy war against Russia.[461] According to theAtlantic Council's Peter Dickinson, Russia's government has not followed through on its threats, despite most of its "red lines" being crossed.[462] President Putin said that if military aid stopped, Ukraine would not survive for long.[463]
In May 2025, Ralph Goff, a former chief of operations at theCIA, said that the Biden administration gave Ukraine just enough weapons to bleed, but not to win, adding that "[They] allowed themselves to be bamboozled by Vladimir Putin and his nuclear-sabre rattling."[464][465]
Belarus has allowed Russia to use its territory to stage part of the invasion, and to launch missiles into Ukraine.[466] Belarus airspace was used by Russia, including forradar early warning and control missions, until 2023, when a RussianBeriev A-50 surveillance plane wasdamaged by drones.[467] Belarus is considered aco-belligerent.[468][469].[470] Political scientist Matthew Frear considers Belarus a co-combatant, with "Lukashenko repeatedly stated his support for Putin's military actions",[471] while the 2023 issueArmed Conflict Survey classified it as not a directco-combatant.[472] Belarus provided Russia with weapons and ammunition, and later, according to the 2024 issue ofArmed Conflict Survey, Russia deployed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.[473]
In June 2023, US military intelligence suggested Iran was providing bothShahed combat drones and production materials to develop adrone manufactory to Russia.[474] In February 2024, aReuters report indicated that Iran sent ballistic missiles to the Russian military.[475] According to the US and Ukraine, Iranian troops have been stationed in Crimea to assist Russia in launching drone attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.[476][477] Iran has denied sending arms to Russia for use against Ukraine.[385]
North Korea has supplied Russia with ballistic missiles and launchers.[478][479] In October 2024, Ukraine andSouth Korea claimed North Korean engineers had been deployed to the battlefield to help with the launch of these missiles, and suffered casualties.[480][481][482]
Later the same month, a White House spokesperson said the US was "concerned" about reports North Korean soldiers were fighting for Russia.[483][484][485] Zelensky announced that Ukrainian intelligence believed there were 10,000 North Korean troops preparing to join Russian forces.[486] The North Korean government stated that none of their soldiers were fighting for Russia.[487][488][489]
The US later said it had seen evidence that North Korea had sent 3,000 soldiers to Russia for possible deployment to Ukraine, determining that the soldiers had been transported by ship in October and were training at three military bases in eastern Russia. The US added that the alleged North Korean deployment could be further evidence that the Russian military was having problems with manpower.[490] On 28 October, NATO chiefMark Rutte confirmed earlier Ukrainian intelligence that North Korean troops had been deployed toKursk Oblast to support Russia against theKursk offensive, and the Pentagon reported that around 10,000 North Korean soldiers been sent in total.[491][492][493]
On 7 November, Ukraine's defence minister reported that North Korean troops had engaged in battle on 5 November.[494] On 13 November, the US State Department and South Korea confirmed that North Korean troops had engaged in combat against Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast.[495][496][497][498] On 24 November, the Ukrainian chief of general staff confirmed that North Korean troops had been engaged in battle.[499] On 2 December the Pentagon stated that it had no evidence of North Korean troops engaged in combat, but noted that North Korean soldiers had been integrated into Russian units.[500] The Ukrainian intelligence directorate confirmed that North Korean troops have been integrated into Russian units held in reserve, but said North Korean troops were unlikely to be engaged in combat and were still engaged in training.[501] On 16 December, the US confirmed that North Korean troops had been killed in combat in Russia's Kursk oblast.[502] By 18 December, the number of killed and wounded North Korean soldiers had reportedly reached a couple of hundred,[503] while South Korea reported 100 North Koreans dead and 1000 injured.[504]US Army JAG officers Steve Szymanski and Joshua Keruski stated that North Korea had become a party to an international armed conflict with Ukraine as of the 5 November engagement.[505]
Zelenskyy showcased footage which he said showed Russian troops burning the faces of killed North Korean soldiers to conceal their presence on the battlefield.[506][507][508][509]
In January 2025, two North Korean servicemen were taken prisoner while fighting in Kursk Oblast. Intelligence debriefings indicate that North Korean soldiers have been issued false military papers stating that they are Russians fromTuva.[510] In March 2025, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said that North Korea had sent an additional 3,000 soldiers early in the year, along with military equipment including short-range ballistic missiles. According to South Korea, roughly 11,000 North Korean soldiers had been sent to Russia, 4,000 of which were killed or wounded.[511] The same month, Russia acknowledged the presence of North Korean soldiers helping its forces in Kursk for the first time, withValery Gerasimov expressing gratitude to North Korean troops for assisting in "liberating border areas of the Kursk Region".[512]
In June 2025, former Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu announced that 1,000 North Korean military workers would be deployed to Kursk for demining, and another 5,000 for reconstruction.[513] The BBC reported that, in 2024, more than 10,000 North Korean workers were sent to work in "slave-like conditions" in Russian construction and other sectors, "in violation of the UN sanctions banning the use of North Korean labour." A South Korean intelligence official told the BBC that as many as 50,000 workers were to be deployed in 2025.[514]
Putin and Chinese presidentXi Jinping at the16th BRICS summit inKazan, Russia. Most of theGlobal South countries took a neutral position towards the war and maintained good relations with Russia.[515]
Politico reported in March 2023 that Chinese state-owned weapons manufacturerNorinco shipped assault rifles, drone parts, and body armour to Russia between June and December 2022, with some shipments via third countries includingTurkey and theUnited Arab Emirates.[516] According to the US, Chinese ammunition has been used on battlefields in Ukraine.[517] In May 2023, the European Union identified that Chinese and UAE firms were supplying weapon components to Russia.[518] In April 2024, China was reported to have provided Russia withgeospatial intelligence, machine tools for tanks, and propellants for missiles.[519] In September 2024, Reuters reported documents indicating Russia had established a weapons programme in China to develop and produce long-range attack drones, with assistance from local specialists, for use in the invasion.[520] In July 2025, Ukraine'sMain Directorate of Intelligence reported thatLaos had sent a 50-person demining crew to Kursk, though Laos denied the claim.[521]
Russia imports sensitive electronics, machinery, auto parts, and defence equipment from India.[522] Trade like oil sales has surged since 2022, boosting revenue for Russian state-owned companies. To bypass sanctions and manage its currency surplus, Russia pays in rupees, supporting both civilian and military needs.[523][524] Reuters reported in July 2025 that according to Indian customs data, an Indian company shipped military-use explosive compounds valued at $1.4 million to Russia in December 2024.[525]
Russia has continued to make billions from fossil fuel exports to the West. Ukraine's Western allies have paid Russia more for its hydrocarbons than they have given Ukraine in aid. In 2025Slovakia andHungary rejected an EU plan to phase out deliveries of Russian gas via Turkey by 2028. "Laundromat refineries" in Turkey and India process Russian crude and sell the refined fuel to sanctioning countries.[526][527][528] Russia has also developed partnerships withIndia andUAE that actively support its efforts to evade sanctions.[529][530][531][532]
In 2022 approximately 400,000 US-made semiconductors worth $53.6 million were shipped to Russia viaMaldives, accounting for almost 20% of Maldives's exports. Maldives has no native semiconductor manufacturers; all of its exports are by Russian shell companies, most headquartered in Hong Kong.[533][534] From 2015 to 2021, average annual trade between Russia and Turkey in 45 military-linked materials was $28 million; from January to October 2023 it was $158 million.[535]
From January 2022 to mid-2025, the United States imported $24.51 billion of Russian goods, mainly fertilisers,enriched uranium andplutonium, andpalladium.[536]
Photos of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the Russo-Ukrainian WarRussian casualties next to aZ marked armoured vehicleCasualties after two shells hit a two-story building of a kindergarten inOkhtyrka, causing about 50 people to be hospitalised
Russian and Ukrainian sources have been said to inflate opposing casualty numbers and downplay their own losses for morale.[537] Leaked US documents say "under-reporting of casualties within the [Russian] system highlights the military's 'continuing reluctance' to convey bad news up the chain of command."[538] Russian news outlets have largely stopped reporting the Russian death toll.[539] Russia and Ukraine have admitted suffering "significant"[540] and "considerable" losses, respectively.[541][542]
The numbers of civilian and military deaths have beenimpossible to determine precisely.[543]Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that neither it nor independent conflict monitors could verify Russian and Ukrainian claims of enemy losses and suspected they were inflated.[544] In October 2022, the independent Russian media projectiStories, citing sources close to the Kremlin, reported that more than 90,000 Russian soldiers had been killed, seriously wounded, or gone missing.[545]
While combat deaths can be inferred from a variety of sources, includingsatellite imagery of military action, measuring civilian deaths is more difficult. In June 2022, theUkrainian Minister of Defence told CNN that tens of thousands of Ukrainians had died, and he hoped the death toll was below 100,000.[546] By July 2024, about 20,000 Ukrainians had lost limbs.[547] In Mariupol, Ukrainian officials believe at least 25,000 have been killed,[548][549] and bodies were still being discovered in September 2022.[550] The mayor said over 10,000 and possibly as many as 20,000 civilians died in thesiege of Mariupol and Russian forces had brought mobile cremation equipment when they entered the city.[551][552][553] An investigation byAP from the end of 2022 estimated up to 75,000 killed civilians in the Mariupol area alone.[554][555]AFP says "a key gap in casualty counts is the lack of information from Russian-occupied places like the port city of Mariupol, where tens of thousands of civilians are believed to have died".[556] There were at least 8,000 excess deaths in Mariupol between March 2022 and February 2023.[557] TheOffice of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) believed the true civilian casualty numbers were significantly higher than it has been able to confirm.[558]
In the Russian military, ethnic minorities have suffered disproportionately high casualties. In October 2022, the Russian regions with the highest death tolls wereDagestan,Tuva andBuryatia, all minority regions. In February 2024, six out of ten Russian regions with the highest mortality rates in Ukraine were located in Siberia and the far east, and ethnic minorities' continuing outsized casualty rates prompted analysts to warn that the situation will lead to long-term destructive impacts on these communities.[559][560][561][562][563] About 1,200 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded in Ukraine every day in May–June 2024,[564] which climbed to 1,500 by November 2024, when 45,690 casualties were estimated.[565]Newsweek estimated that on the bloodiest day in November 2024 the ratio of killed Russian men (1,950) exceeded the average daily male birth rate in Russia (1,836).[566] Latvia-based news outletMeduza estimated that up to 140,000 Russian soldiers had died by July 2024.[567]
The Russian invasion became the deadliest European war in the last 80 years.[568] Ukrainian averagemortality rate was 8.7/1000 people in 2020,[569] and jumped to 18.6 in 2024, whereas Russia's mortality rate was 14/1000, ranking them as #1 and #9, of countries with the highest mortality rates.[570] In August 2024,Haaretz estimated 172,000 people had died in the Russian invasion.[571] In February 2025,Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft estimated 250,000 dead.[572] In September 2024, theWall Street Journal reported that there were now one million Ukrainians and Russians who were killed or wounded.[573]
According to theOHCHR, by December 2023, about 78% of confirmed civilian casualties had been killed in Ukrainian-controlled territory.[608] Over 12,300 civilians have been killed since the start of the invasion.[609] Russia has deliberately targeted Ukrainian civilians with drones, such as in the Kherson terror campaign dubbed thehuman safari.[610][611][612] In May 2025, the UN concluded that the recurrent Russian attacks on civilians in Kherson, which had killed nearly 150 people and injured hundreds more according to officials, amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.[613]
Russian forces have reportedly used bannedchemical weapons, usuallytear gas grenades.[616][617] In April 2024, aDaily Telegraph investigation concluded that "Russian troops are carrying out a systematic campaign of illegal chemical attacks against Ukrainian soldiers".[618]
An August 2022 report by the Humanitarian Research Lab of theYale School of Public Health identified 21filtration camps for Ukrainian "civilians, POWs [prisoners of war], and other personnel" in the vicinity of Donetsk oblast. Imaging of one camp,Olenivka prison, found two sites of disturbed earth consistent with "potential graves".[619] Kaveh Khoshnood, a professor at the Yale School of Public Health, said: "Incommunicado detention of civilians is more than a violation of international humanitarian law—it represents a threat to the public health of those currently in the custody of Russia and its proxies." Conditions described by freed prisoners include exposure, insufficient access to sanitation, food and water, cramped conditions, electrical shocks and assault.[619]
AnOHCHR report released in November 2022 documented abuses on both sides, based on interviews with prisoners.[620] In March 2023, UN human rights commissionerVolker Türk reported that more than 90% of the Ukrainian POWs interviewed by his office said they had been tortured or ill-treated, including "welcoming beatings" on their arrival in penitentiary facilities, which Russia despite several requests did not give UN staff access to.[621]
In April 2023, several videos circulated on different websites purportedly showing Russian soldiers beheading Ukrainian soldiers.[622]
In March 2024, the UN issued a report saying Russia may have executed more than 30 recently captured Ukrainian POWs over the winter. The UN Human Rights Office verified three incidents in which Russian servicemen executed seven Ukrainian servicemen. According to the same report, 39 of 60 released Ukrainian POWs "disclosed that they had been subjected to sexual violence during their internment, including attempted rape, threats of rape and castration, beatings or the administration of electric shocks to genitals, and repeated forced nudity, including during interrogations".[623]
In October 2024, theEEAS released a statement describing the increasing frequency of Russian executions of Ukrainian prisoners, with at least 177 prisoners dying in Russian captivity since the beginning of the war. The statement included the OHCHR's confirmation of systematic use of different methods of torture used by Russians against Ukrainian prisoners.[624]
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have been accused of executions and other abuses of Russian POWs, but the number of allegations has been significantly lower.[625]: para. 105 [626][627][628]
In June 2024, an investigation by theFinancial Times identified four Ukrainian children on a Russian government-linked adoption website who had been abducted from state care homes. The children's Ukrainian background was not mentioned. One child was shown with a new Russian name and an age that differed from their Ukrainian documents, while another was shown using a Russian version of their Ukrainian name. 17 other matches identified by theFinancial Times on the adoption website were confirmed as Ukrainian children in aNew York Times investigation. Ukrainian authorities estimate that nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly taken from occupied territories to Russia since the full-scale invasion began. Wayne Jordash, president of humanitarian law firm Global Rights Compliance, described forcibly transferring or deporting children as war crimes, adding that when done as part of a widespread or systematic attack on a civilian population, Russia is also committing crimes against humanity.[629][630]
A March 2025 report published by the ISW suggests that the mass transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia had been an established component of Russia's war plans in Ukraine prior to the invasion. It references Russian governmental documents that predate the invasion by days which outlined plans to move Ukrainian orphans in occupied Ukraine to Russia described internally as 'humanitarian evacuations'. Since the invasion, tens to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children have been deported to Russia, where they have been housed in camps, placed with adoptive families, and provided with new Russian identities including new or altered names, falsified birth certificates, and other state documentation. The report claims that Russia intends to convert the abductees into 'the next generation of Russians' whilst 'depriving [Ukraine] of its multi-generation potential'. Referencing Article 2 of theGenocide Convention, the author concludes the opening section by noting that 'International law explicitly forbids the forcible transfer of children from one group to another group for the purpose of destroying, in whole or in part, a national or ethnic group, and considers these violations as constituent acts of genocide.'[631]
In August 2025,Mykola Kuleba, the head of a UkrainianNGO, said that Russian occupation authorities in Ukraine had created an online "catalog" of Ukrainian children up for adoption sorted by physical traits such as hair and eye colour, denouncing the practice aschild trafficking.[632][633][634][635]
Putin and Mongolian presidentUkhnaagiin Khürelsükh standing in front of the statue ofGenghis Khan in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 3 September 2024.Mongolia was the firstICC member state to openly defy the court's arrest warrant for Putin
TheInternational Criminal Court (ICC) openedan investigation into possiblecrimes against humanity,genocide and war crimes committed in Ukraine.[636] On 17 March 2023, the ICC issued a warrant for Putin's arrest, charging him with individual criminal responsibility in theabduction of children forcibly deported to Russia.[637] It was the first time that the ICC had issued an arrest warrant for the head of state of apermanent member of theUnited Nations Security Council[637] (the world's five principal nuclear powers).[638] Moscow has denied any involvement in war crimes, a response Vittorio Bufacchi ofUniversity College Cork says "has bordered on the farcical",[639] and its contention that the images coming out of Bucha were fabricated "a disingenuous response born by delusional hubris, post-truth on overdrive, (that) does not merit to be taken seriously." Even the usually fracturedUnited States Senate came together to call Putin a war criminal.[640]
One of several efforts to document Russian war crimes concerns its repeated bombardment of markets and bread lines, destruction of basic infrastructure and attacks on exports and supply convoys, in a country where deliberate starvation of Ukrainians by Soviets (theHolodomor) still looms large in public memory.[641] Forcible deportation of populations, such as took place in Mariupol, is another area of focus:[642]
forced deportations and transfers are defined both as war crimes under theFourth Geneva Convention andProtocol II and Article 8 of the Rome Statute—and as crimes against humanity—under Article 7 of theRome Statute. As both war crimes andcrimes against humanity, they have several mechanisms for individual accountability, the International Criminal Court and also, at the individual state level,universal jurisdiction andMagnitsky sanctions legislation.
The invasion contributed to the2022 food crises.[645] As of February 2025, 3.7 million Ukrainians were internally displaced and 6.9 million were refugees.[646]
Russian attacks on civilians, causing mass civilian casualties and displacement, have been characterised asgenocide anddemocide.[27][28][29][30] In September 2023, a UN-mandated investigative body reported that Russian occupiers had tortured Ukrainians to death, and forced families to listen as they raped women.[647] The commission previously found that violations committed by Russian forces in Ukraine may constitutecrimes against humanity.[648]
Ukrainian refugees inKraków protesting against the war, 6 March 2022
The war has caused the largest refugee andhumanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II.[654] In the first week of the invasion, the UN reported over a million refugees had fled Ukraine; this reached over eight million by February 2023.[655][656] In May 2022, following an influx of military equipment into Ukraine, a significant number of refugees sought to return to regions relatively isolated from the front in southeastern Ukraine.[657] By 3 May, another 8 million people were displaced inside Ukraine.[658]
Most refugees were women, children, elderly, or disabled.[659] Most male Ukrainian nationals aged 18 to 60 were denied exit from Ukraine as part ofmandatory conscription,[660] unless they were responsible for the financial support of three or more children, single fathers, or were the parent/guardian of children with disabilities.[661] Many Ukrainian men, including teenagers, opted to remain in Ukraine voluntarily to join the resistance.[662]
According to the UN High Commission for Refugees as of May 2022, there were 3,315,711 refugees in Poland, 901,696 in Romania, 594,664 in Hungary, 461,742 in Moldova, 415,402 in Slovakia, and 27,308 in Belarus, while Russia reported it had received over 800,104 refugees.[655] By July 2022, over 390,000 Ukrainian refugees had arrived in the Czech Republic, where the average refugee was a woman accompanied by a child.[663] Turkey registered more than 58,000 Ukrainian refugees as of March 2022.[664] The EU invoked theTemporary Protection Directive for the first time, granting Ukrainian refugees the right to live and work in the EU for up to three years.[665] Britain has accepted 146,379 refugees, as well as extending the ability to remain in the UK for three years.[666]
According to theOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Russia has engaged in "massive deportation" of over 1.3 million Ukrainian civilians, potentially constituting crimes against humanity.[667] The OSCE and Ukraine have accused Russia offorcibly moving civilians to filtration camps in Russian-held territory, and then into Russia. Ukrainian sources have compared this policy toSoviet-era population transfers and Russian actions in theChechen War of Independence.[668] For instance, as of April 2022, Russia claimed to have evacuated about 121,000 Mariupol residents to Russia.[668][669]RIA Novosti and Ukrainian officials said that thousands were dispatched to centres in cities in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukraine,[670] from which people were sent to economically depressed regions of Russia.[671][672][j]
BothRussia andUkraine faced the prospect of significantpopulation decline even before the war. It is the first time that two countries with an average age above 40 have gone to war against each other.[674] Russia had a fighting-age (18-to-40-year-old) male population more than four times higher than Ukraine's and slightly higher birth rates, while the willingness to fight was more pronounced in Ukraine.[675]
regardless of how long the war lasts and whether or not there is further military escalation, Ukraine is unlikely to recover demographically from the consequences of the war. Even in 2040 it will have only about 35 million inhabitants, around 20% fewer than before the war (2021: 42.8 million) and the decline in the working-age population is likely to be the most severe and far-reaching.
Flight from war affected especially the southern and eastern regions and especially educated women of child-bearing age and their children. With an estimate of more than 20% of refugees not returning, study author Maryna Tverdostup concluded that long-term shrinking will significantly impair reconstruction.[677]
The war in Ukraine and the associated emigration, lowerbirth rates and war-related casualties further deepened thedemographic crisis of Russia.[678] The UN is projecting that the decline that started in 2021 will continue, and if current demographic conditions persist, Russia's population would be 120 million in fifty years, a decline of about 17%.[679][680] Since February 2022, hundreds of thousands ofRussians have emigrated; estimates range from 370,000 to over 820,000. Combined with mobilisation, this possibly removed roughly half a million to one million working-age males from Russia's population.[681] Studies report that this will have a demographic effect, especially in Russia, that lasts much longer than the conflict.[682]
They come from different walks of life. Some are journalists like us, but there are also IT experts, designers, artists, academics, lawyers, doctors, PR specialists, and linguists. Most are under 50. Many share western liberal values and hope Russia will be a democratic country one day. Some are LGBTQ+. Sociologists studying the current Russian emigration say there is evidence that those leaving are younger, better educated and wealthier than those staying. More often they are from bigger cities.
According to Johannes Wachs, "The exodus of skilled human capital, sometimes calledbrain drain, out of Russia may have a significant effect on the course of the war and the Russian economy in the long run."[684] According to a survey, around 15 percent of those who left returned to Russia, either permanently or to settle their affairs.[685] In November 2023, at theWorld Russian People's Council, Putin urged Russian women to have eight or more children.[686]
In July 2024,Chief of the General Staff of the British ArmyRoland Walker said that with the current way of fighting, it would take Russia five years to control the four oblasts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia that Russia claims as its own, and it would cost Russia from 1.5 to 1.8 million casualties.[687]
An explosion due to the shelling of a tank of nitric acid during thebattle of Sievierodonetsk, 31 May 2022
Based on a preliminary assessment, the war has inflicted $51 billion in environmental damage in Ukraine; according to a report by theYale School of the Environment, 623,000 tonnes (1.4 billion pounds) of petrochemicals have burned as a result of shelling, while nearly 1,500 tonnes (3.2 million pounds) of pollutants have leaked into bodies of water. Hazardous chemicals have contaminated around 28 hectares (70 acres) of soil, and likely made agricultural activities temporarily impossible.[688] Around 30% of Ukraine's land is littered with explosives and more than 2.4 million hectares (5.9 million acres) of forest have been damaged.[689]
According to peace organisation PAX, Russia's "deliberate targeting of industrial and energy infrastructure" has caused "severe" pollution, and the use of explosive weapons has left "millions of tonnes" of contaminated debris in cities and towns.[690] In early June 2023, theKakhovka Dam, under Russian occupation,was damaged, causing flooding and triggering warnings of an "ecological disaster".[691]
The Ukrainian government, international observers and journalists have described the damage asecocide.[692] The Ukrainian government is investigating more crimes against the environment and ecocide (a crime in Ukraine).[693] Zelenskyy has met with prominent European figures (Heidi Hautala,Margot Wallstrom,Mary Robinson andGreta Thunberg) to discuss the environmental damage and how to prosecute it.[694]
According to an investigation by NGL Media published in April 2024, Russia has completely destroyed over 60,000 hectares (150,000 acres) of Ukrainian forests. The investigation stated that long-term ecological consequences may include lowering of the groundwater level, reduction of biodiversity, worsening of air quality, fire outbreaks, and rivers and ponds drying up.[695]
... the geopolitical situation, with many nations at loggerheads over thewar in Ukraine, and still frosty relations between theUS andChina, would make for a difficult summit. [...] The most important challenge [to limiting temperature rises to 1.5 °C (2.7 °F) above pre-industrial levels] is the lack ofinternational cooperation.
IAEA inspectors recording damage at Zaporizhzhia NPP
Putin implied that Russia may use nuclear weapons if certain"red lines" were crossed. By 2024, most of theRussian government's "red lines" had been crossed without nuclear weapons being used in response.[704]
Four days into the invasion, Putin put Russia's nuclear forces on high alert, raising fears that Russia could usetactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine.[705] In response to what he called "completely irresponsible actions", Zelenskyy suggested that there should be "global control" of Russia's nuclear assets.[706] In March 2023, Putin announced plans to install Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.[707]
Ukraine began issuingwar bonds on 1 March 2022, and the following day the Ukrainian government announced that they had raised 6.14 billion hryvnias.[715] In May 2022 the European Commission banned grain sales in Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, with the only exception being if they were transiting through those countries; the ban was lifted in September 2023.[716]
The war has caused a majorhumanitarian crisis in Ukraine: theUnited Nations Development Programme calculated in March 2022 that a prolonged conflict would cause 30% of the Ukrainian population to fall below the poverty line, while a further 62% would be at risk of also falling into poverty within a year.[717]
Russia
TheRussian Ministry of Economic Development said that for 2022 the GDP contracted by 2.1%[718] and for 2023 Russia's government said the GDP grew by 3.6%.[719] On 27 April 2024, it was reported that Russia was planning tax increases to help finance the war.[720] In January 2025, it was reported that, since early 2022, Russia had used a two-prong strategy to finance the war. In addition to the official Russian governmentdefence budget—direct financial expenditure for waging the war in Ukraine was estimated at US$250 billion through June 2024 for military spending through normal channels,[24] with the military budget rising to over 20% of annual GDP—an additional off-budget financing mechanism was employed with over US$200 billion of debt funding obtained from preferential bank loans made to defence contractors and war-related businesses, loans that had been compelled by the Russian government.[25][26]
A report published in April 2025 by the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE) noted that official Russian statistics are unreliable and opaque, and "serves to bolster the domestic narrative of economic resilience and questions the effectiveness of sanctions while masking underlying fragilities".[721] The report, which was presented to the finance ministers of the EU at a meeting of theEconomic and Financial Affairs Council on 13 May 2025, also argued that Russian fiscal stimulus has kept the economy afloat so far, but that it is on an unsustainable trajectory.[721][722] "Even under optimistic growth scenarios, Russia's economic scale remains insufficient to match its Western adversaries' capacity in a sustained geopolitical rivalry", the report concluded.[721] In August 2025,VEB, one of the largest Russian state banks, assessed that the Russian economy had started slipping into recession.[723]
A price cap was placed on Russian oil by theGroup of 7 (G7) at $60 on 5 December 2022.[724] The US banned all imports of Russian oil on 8 March 2022.[725] The European Union placed an embargo on oil products from Russia on 5 February 2023.[724] Other countries that embargoed Russian oil includedFive Eyes partners Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.[726] Russia issued a ban on foreign diesel sales starting on 21 September 2023, lifting it on 6 October.[727]
Peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine took place on28 February,3 March, and7 March 2022, on theBelarus–Ukraine border, with further talks held on 10 March in Turkey and a fourth round of negotiations beginning 14 March.[728] The talks ended without agreement.
Putin made recognition of Russian sovereignty over theannexed territories (pictured) a condition for peace talks with Ukraine.[729]
In 2024, Ukraine's main peace terms were that Russia withdraw its troops, that Ukrainian prisoners be released, Russian leaders be prosecuted forwar crimes, and Ukraine be given security guarantees to prevent further aggression. Russia's main terms were that Russia must keepall the land it occupied, that it be given all of theprovinces that it claims but does not fully control, that Ukraine end plans to join NATO, and sanctions against Russia be lifted.[730] According to Western sources, allowing Russia to keep the land it seized would "reward the aggressor while punishing the victim" and set a dangerous precedent.[731] They predicted this would allow Russia to re-arm and encourage it "to continue itsimperialist campaign of expansionism" against Ukraine and other neighbors, and embolden other expansionist regimes.[731][732][733][734]
AfterDonald Trump became US president in 2025, there was a major shift in US policy. The Trump administration began negotiations with Russia and separately with Ukraine. In February 2025, the US under the Trump administration twice sided with Russia in UN resolutions, first opposing a European-drafted resolution condemning Russia's actions and supporting the territorial integrity of Ukraine, and then drafting and voting for a UN Security Council resolution calling for the end of the conflict, but containing no criticism of Russia.[735]
The invasion received widespread international condemnation fromgovernments and intergovernmental organisations.[736] On 2 March 2022 and 23 February 2023, 141member states of theUN General Assembly voted for a resolution that Russia should immediately withdraw. Seven, including Russia, voted against the measure.[737] Political reactions to the invasion includednew sanctions imposed on Russia, which triggeredwidespread economic effects on the Russian and world economies.[738] As of July 2025, the EU had adopted 18 packages of sanctions against Russia and Belarus, totalling over 2,500 listed entities and persons.[739] Sanctions forced Russia to reorient its oil exports, rely more onLNG (which was not subject to EU sanctions), and shift its coal exports from Europe to Asia.[740] Most European countries cancelled nuclear cooperation with Russia.[741]
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit in 2023, 31 percent of the world's population live in countries that are leaning towards or supportive of Russia, 30.7 percent live in neutral countries, and 36.2 percent live in countries that are against Russia in some way.[752]
A number of supranational and national parliaments passed resolutions declaring Russia to be astate sponsor of terrorism.[753] By October 2022, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia had declared Russia aterrorist state.[754] On 1 August 2023,Iceland became the first European country to close its embassy in Russia as a result of the invasion.[755]
The invasion prompted Ukraine,[756]Finland andSweden to officially apply for NATO membership.[757] Finland became a member of NATO on 4 April 2023,[758] followed by Sweden on 7 March 2024.[759]
^abThe Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic were Russian puppet states, having declared their independence from Ukraine in May 2014. Several months into the invasion, Russia declared thatit had formally annexed both entities asrepublics of Russia in September 2022.
^Including military, paramilitary, and 34,000 separatist militias.
^At least 176 foreign civilians from 25 countries are confirmed to have been killed within Ukraine.See table here for a detailed breakdown of deaths by nationalities.
^See here for a detailed breakdown of civilian deaths by oblast, according to Ukrainian authorities.
^Some civilians have been reported to have died in captivity in Russia,[579] like journalistVictoria Roshchyna.[580]
^The DPR stated 1,799 of its civilians were killed and 6,902 wounded in its territories between 1 January 2022 and 22 December 2024,[583] of which 8 died and 23 were wounded between 1 January and 25 February 2022,[584] leaving a total of 1,791 killed and 6,879 wounded in the period of the Russian invasion.
^63,000 missing as of 17 February 2025.[592] 90 percent of which were thought to be soldiers,[593] which would be around 56,700.
^In addition, Ukraine claimed sixNorth Korean soldiers were killed in a missile strike in early October 2024, while fighting alongside Russian forces.South Korea's Defense Minister said of this report it was "highly likely" true.[598] However, Russia denied the reports.[599]
^Most likely, new cities meant new industrial cities in Siberia, the construction plans of which were announced by Shoigu in the fall of 2021.[673]
^Plokhy, Serhii (9 May 2023).The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History.W. W. Norton & Company.ISBN978-1-324-05120-6.... In an article published on the eve of the referendum, the historian Andrei Zubov, a professor at the elite Moscow Institute of International Relations, compared the planned annexation of the peninsula to Hitler's Anschluss of Austria in 1938. He drew parallels between Hitler's vision of Greater Germany and Russia's reunification rhetoric, pointed out that both acts were justified to the public by the need to protect allegedly persecuted minorities, German (in Czechoslovakia) in the first case and Russian in the second, and mentioned the staged referendum as a sham to provide legal cover for the forcible annexation. ...
^Farley, Robert; Kiely, Eugene (24 February 2022)."Russian Rhetoric Ahead of Attack 66 Ukraine: Deny, Deflect, Mislead".FactCheck.org.Annenberg Public Policy Center.Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved26 February 2022.Nov. 28 – ... 'Russia has never hatched, is not hatching and will never hatch any plans to attack anyone,' Peskov said. ... 19 Jan – ... Ryabkov ... 'We do not want and will not take any action of aggressive character. We will not attack, strike, invade, quote unquote, whatever Ukraine.'
^Fořtová, Klára (8 March 2022)."Velvyslanec Ukrajiny v Česku denně promlouvá, ruský mlčí a je 'neviditelný'" [Ukraine's ambassador to the Czech Republic speaks daily, the Russian is silent and 'invisible'].Mladá fronta DNES (in Czech).Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved10 March 2022.Zmejevský... 'Důrazně jsme odmítli jako nepodložená obvinění Ruska z přípravy, agrese vůči Ukrajině a fámy o vstupu ruských jednotek na ukrajinské území,' stojí v něm. [Zmeevsky... 'We emphatically dismissed Russia's allegations of preparation, aggression against Ukraine and rumors of Russian troops entering Ukrainian territory,' he said.]
^Snyder, Timothy D. (18 January 2022)."How to think about war in Ukraine".Thinking about... (newsletter).Substack.Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved25 January 2022.Historically speaking, the idea that a dictator in another country decides who is a nation and who is not is known as imperialism.
Dickinson, Peter; Haring, Melinda; Lubkivsky, Danylo; Motyl, Alexander; Whitmore, Brian; Goncharenko, Oleksiy; Fedchenko, Yevhen; Bonner, Brian; Kuzio, Taras (15 July 2021)."Putin's new Ukraine essay reveals imperial ambitions".Atlantic Council.Archived from the original on 15 July 2021. Retrieved25 September 2023.Vladimir Putin's inaccurate and distorted claims are neither new nor surprising. They are just the latest example of gaslighting by the Kremlin leader.
Wilson, Andrew (23 December 2021)."Russia and Ukraine: 'One People' as Putin Claims?".Royal United Services Institute.Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved25 January 2022.Putin's key trope is that Ukrainians and Russians are 'one people', and he calls them both 'Russian'. He starts with a myth of common origin: 'Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians are all descendants of Ancient Rus', which was the largest state in Europe' from the 9th to 13th centuries AD.
^Gabuev, Alexander (23 September 2022)."Putin has once again overplayed his hand in Ukraine".Financial Times.Archived from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved21 December 2022.Putin's original plan — to take Kyiv in three days — was thwarted by the fierce resistance of the Ukrainians and by western support for Kyiv. Now we are seeing plan B, formed in response to developments on the ground.Alt URL
^Copp, Tara (2 March 2022)."'The Convoy Is Stalled': Logistics Failures Slow Russian Advance, Pentagon Says".Defense One.Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved21 December 2022.On Wednesday, Ukraine's security service posted a video of a captured Russian soldier who says he and his unit were sent across the border with only three days' food. 'Putin expected to capture Ukraine in three days,' Ukraine's security service wrote above the video, which could not be independently verified. 'By the order of the top Russian leadership, the phones and documents were taken from the fire brigades, removed food and water for three days and sent to war with Ukraine,' the agency said, according to the English translation of the post.
^ЗСУ: Росіяни взяли з собою в Україну парадну військову форму.Українська правда (in Ukrainian). Retrieved29 January 2025.Вони їхали до нас вбивати наших дітей, трощити наші домівки, щоб потім пройти урочистим парадом Хрещатиком. Навіть везли з собою парадну форму з начепленими медалями.
^Akopov, Petr (26 February 2022).Наступление России и нового мира [The arrival/attack of Russia and the new world].RIA Novosti (in Russian). Archived fromthe original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved7 March 2022.
^abHird, Karolina; Barros, George; Philipson, Layne; Kagan, Frederick W. (6 September 2022).Russian offensive campaign assessment, September 6(PDF) (Report). Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved10 September 2022.
^Hird, Karolina; Mappes, Grace; Barros, George; Philipson, Layne; Clark, Mason (7 September 2022)."Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 7". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved10 September 2022 – via understandingwar.org.
^Bailey, Riley; Evans, Angelica; Wolkov, Nicole; Harward, Christina; Barros, George; Gasparyan, Davit (19 July 2024)."Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 19, 2024".Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved19 July 2024.
^Coffey, Luke; Kim, Glen; Holland, Brian; Little, Greg; Moore, Tom; Clifford, Paul; Moyer, Brad; Lehman, Rob (21 January 2025)."Renewed Ukrainian Offensive in Kursk".Hudson Institute. Retrieved27 February 2025.
^Hird, Karolina; Evans, Angelica; Wolkov, Nicole; Mappes, Grace; Zehrung, Haley (10 September 2024)."Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 10, 2024".Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved10 September 2024.Geolocated footage posted on September 9 indicates that Russian forces seized Krasnohorivka [...] The Russian MoD also claimed that Russian forces seized Krasnohorivka, consistent with the available geolocated evidence.
^Lister, Tim; Pennington, Josh (24 February 2022)."February 24, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news".CNN. Entry: Audio emerges appearing to be of Ukrainian fighters defending island from Russian warship.Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved25 February 2022.
^The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) (6 December 2023).Armed Conflict Survey 2023. Taylor & Francis.ISBN978-1-040-01544-5.... Belarus remains a co-belligerent but not a co-combatant, providing extensive assistance to Russia – including the use of its territory to base Russian forces and launch attacks – without directly intervening with its own military assets ...
^"North Korea UN representative denies Pyongyang sent troops to Russia".CNA. 22 October 2024. Archived fromthe original on 13 November 2024. Retrieved2 November 2024.North Korea has not sent troops to Russia to help Moscow fight Ukraine, one of its United Nations representatives said on Monday (Oct 22), dismissing Seoul's claims as 'groundless rumour'.
^""Our City Was Gone": Russia's Devastation of Mariupol, Ukraine".Human Rights Watch. 8 February 2024. p. 147}. Retrieved15 August 2025.Based on an assessment of satellite imagery and photo and video analysis, we estimate that at least 10,284 people were buried in four of the city's cemeteries and in Manhush cemetery between March 2022 and February 2023. We also estimate that around 2,250 people would have died of causes unrelated to war in Mariupol during that period, meaning the city saw at least an estimated 8,034 deaths above a peacetime rate. We are not able to determine how many of those buried in the city were civilians or military personnel, or how many were killed as a result of unlawful attacks.
^Kulu, Hill; Christison, Sarah; Liu, Chia; Mikolai, Júlia (30 March 2023). "The war, refugees, and the future of Ukraine's population".Population, Space and Place.29 (4) e2656.doi:10.1002/psp.2656.hdl:10023/27301.S2CID257876682.
Roshchina, Olena (28 February 2022).Переговори делегацій України та Росії почалися [Negotiations between the delegations of Ukraine and Russia began].Українська правда [Ukrainska Pravda] (in Ukrainian).Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved7 March 2022.Деталі: Переговори відбуваються на Гомельщині на березі річки Прип'ять. Із міркувань безпеки точне місце організатори переговорів не називають. [Details: Negotiations are taking place in the Gomel region on the banks of the Pripyat River. For security reasons, the organisers of the talks did not name the exact location.]
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