On 24 February 2022, Russia launcheda military invasion ofUkraine in a steep escalation of theRusso-Ukrainian War. The campaign had been preceded by a Russian military buildup since early 2021[1] and numerous Russian demands for security measures and legal prohibitions against Ukraine joiningNATO.[2]
On 10 November 2021, the United States reported an unusual movement of Russian troops near Ukraine's borders.[3] On 7 December, US PresidentJoe Biden warned President of RussiaVladimir Putin of "strong economic and other measures" if Russia attacked Ukraine.[3] On 17 December 2021, Putin proposed a prohibition on Ukraine joining NATO, which Ukraine rejected.[3]
On 17 January 2022, Russian troops began arriving in Russia's allyBelarus, ostensibly "for military exercises".[3] On 24 January, NATO put troops on standby.[3] On 25 January, Russian military exercises involving 6,000 troops and 60 jets took place in Russia near Ukraine andCrimea.[3] On 10 February, Russia and Belarus began 10 days of military maneuvers.[3] Fighting escalated in separatist regions of eastern Ukraine on the 17th.[3] On 21 February, Vladimir Putin officially ordered Russian forces to enter the separatist republics in eastern Ukraine.[4] He also announced Russian recognition of the two pro-Russian breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine (theDonetsk People's Republic and theLuhansk People's Republic).[5][6]
In early June 2023, Ukraine launched a substantialcounteroffensive against Russian forcesoccupying its territory with a long-term goal of breaching the frontlines.[7][8][9] However, by the end of 2023, the offensive had ended in failure.
