It has now been a year since the world witnessed Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, the destruction of many cities, and forced millions of Ukrainians to become refugees.
Here is a timeline of the key moments that unfolded during the invasion:
- February 2022: In the early hours of Feb. 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine. Kyiv’s Western allies had been warning of looming Russian aggression for months. Still, Putin’s decision came as a shock to many in Ukraine and across the world. Speaking on Russian state television, he announced the launch of what he called a “special military operation” to “demilitarize” and “denazifiy” Ukraine. Moments later, the first explosions were heard across Ukraine. A series of missile attacks and the use of long-range artillery quickly spread across central and eastern Ukraine as Russian forces attacked the country from three sides.
- March: On March 2, Russia claimed its forces fully held Kherson, a city of about 300,000. Ukrainian authorities disputed the claims at the time. Putin claimed the war was “going according to plan” as his troops were laying siege to the key Ukrainian city of Mariupol on March 3. A maternity hospital in the southeastern city was hit by a Russian missile. The attack came despite Russia agreeing to a 12-hour pause in hostilities to allow refugees to evacuate. On March 16, The bombing of Mariupol’s Drama Theater was among the most brazen of Russia’s attacks on civilians. Ukrainian officials estimated 1,300 people were sheltering in the theater. Around 300 died that day, authorities said at the time, but subsequent reports suggested the death toll could be higher. Russia denied its forces were responsible.
- April: When Russian troops withdrew from Bucha in early April, they left behind a trail of destruction — and evidence of summary executions, brutality and indiscriminate shelling. Images showing dozens of bodies of civilians scattered around a single street in Bucha prompted calls for Russia to be investigated for war crimes. Moskva, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, sank on Apr. 14. The cause remains disputed. Ukraine said it hit the Moskva with anti-ship cruise missiles, sparking a fire that detonated stored ammunition. Russia blamed a fire of unknown origin. Whatever the reason, the loss of the guided-missile cruiser was a major military embarrassment for Russia and its biggest wartime loss of a naval ship in 40 years.
- May: The sprawling Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol became another symbol of Ukrainian resistance in the face of a much larger enemy. Defenders of the plant withstood weeks of relentless Russian bombardment before finally surrendering in May.
- September: A blistering Ukrainian counteroffensive in eastern Ukraine in September recaptured large swaths of territory and forced Russian troops to flee the Kharkiv region. Moscow tried to spin the hasty withdrawal as “regrouping.” But in a sign of just how badly things were going for Russia, the military was publicly criticized by a number of high-profile Kremlin loyalists including Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who supplied thousands of fighters to the offensive. Following a string of embarrassing defeats in Ukraine, Putin announced Russia’s first mobilization since World War II on Sept. 21. The controversial draft sparked protests — a rare sight in Russia — and an exodus of men of fighting age from the country.
- October: In another major blow to Moscow, the only bridge connecting Russia with the Crimean Peninsula was severely damaged by an explosion on Oct. 8. The Kerch Strait road-and-rail bridge is both strategically important and hugely symbolic. It was opened by Putin in 2018, four years after Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine. On Oct. 10, a new phase of the war began when Russia launched the first of several waves of missile strikes on Ukraine’s critical energy infrastructure. Using missiles, artillery shells and Iranian-made drones, Moscow began targeting Ukrainian power facilities, leaving large areas of the country without power and water.
- November: After eight months of brutal Russian occupation, the southern city of Kherson was liberated on Nov. 12, prompting scenes of celebration by residents. Russia’s hasty withdrawal from the west bank of the Dnipro River was another bleak moment for Moscow, since Kherson was the only Ukrainian regional capital that Russian forces had captured. Putin himself had formally declared Kherson to be Russian territory just weeks before his troops’ retreat.
- December: On Dec. 21, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Washington, DC to meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House and to address the US Congress. It was a historic and consequential visit, the first foreign trip Zelensky had made since Russia launched its invasion. Ahead of Zelensky’s arrival, the Biden administration announced it was sending nearly $2 billion in additional security assistance to Ukraine — including a sophisticated new Patriot air defense system.
- January 2023: After weeks of geopolitical squabbling, a major moment arrived on Jan. 25 when Germany announced it would provide Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv and allow other European countries to export the German-made battle tank. At the same time, Biden said the US would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.
- February: Biden made a highly symbolic surprise visit to Kyiv on Feb. 20, his first since Russia’s full-scale invasion. Standing alongside Zelensky, the US president recalled how the pair spoke by phone as Russian forces rolled in. “One year later, Kyiv stands. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands,” Biden declared. “The Americans stand with you and the world stands with you.” Zelensky said Biden’s visit brought Ukraine “closer to victory.”
