In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. This is list of key events in that conflict.
This timeline is a dynamic and fluid list, and as such may never satisfy criteria of completeness. Some events may only be fully understood and/or discovered in retrospect.
Background
On 24 February, Russia launched a comprehensive invasion of Ukraine, marking a major escalation of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. The campaign had been preceded by a prolonged Russian military buildup (since early 2021), as well as numerous Russian demands for security measures and legal prohibitions against Ukraine joining NATO.
Lead up
On 10 November 2021, the United States reports unusual movement of Russian troops near the borders of Ukraine. By 28 November, Ukraine reports a build up of 92,000 Russian troops. On 7 December, US president Joe Biden warns Putin of “strong economic and other measures” if Russia attacks Ukraine. On 17 December, Putin proposes limits on NATO’s activities in eastern Europe, such as a prohibition on Ukraine ever joining NATO, which are rejected. On 17 January 2022, Russian troops begin arriving in Russia’s ally Belarus for military exercises. On 19 January, the US gives Ukraine $200 million in security aid. On 24 January, NATO puts troops on standby. On 25 January, Russian exercises involving 6,000 troops and 60 jets take place in Russia near Ukraine, and Crimea. On 10 February, Russia and Belarus begin 10 days of military manoeuvres. On 17 February, fighting escalates in separatist regions of eastern Ukraine.
February 2022
22 February
Russian president Vladimir Putin announced that Russia recognizes the independence of two pro-Russian breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine. This leads to a first round of economic sanctions from NATO countries.
24 February
On or about 03:00 UTC (06:00 Moscow time, UTC+3) on 24 February, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced in a prerecorded television broadcast that he had ordered “a special military operation” in eastern Ukraine; minutes later, missile strikes occurred at dozens of cities across the country, including Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. The Ukrainian Border Service stated shortly thereafter that its border posts with Russia and Belarus were under attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared martial law at around 03:00 UTC (06:00 Moscow Time, UTC+3).
At 03:35 (UTC+2), Russian forces reportedly encircled the city of Konotop and put it under siege. Despite Russian attempts to capture Konotop, the city held out and Russian forces were repelled. Russian equipment was burning on the morning of 25 February. However, the Ukrainian army reported that they had lost control of Konotop later that day.
Around 16:00 (UTC+2), Russian helicopter-borne troops captured Antonov Airport. However, a later Ukrainian counteroffensive successfully recaptured the airport and destroyed the Russian landing force.
Around 17:00 UTC (20:00 Moscow Time, UTC+3), Russian forces had captured the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the abandoned city of Pripyat.
At 22:00 (01:00 Moscow Time, UTC+3), the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine announced that Russian forces had captured Snake Island in the Black Sea following naval and air bombardment.
17 civilians were confirmed killed, including 13 killed in Southern Ukraine, three in Mariupol and one in Kharkiv. At least 40 Ukrainian soldiers were reported dead during the strikes.
Russia reported that two civilian ships were bombed, resulting in the death of several people on board.
In his second address on the war, United States president Joe Biden announced the total freezing of the assets of several Russian banks in the U.S. (including Sberbank and VTB, the largest and second largest, respectively). He did not levy sanctions against Putin himself, however, nor call for Russia to be decoupled from the global SWIFT banking exchange. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announces 137 dead and 316 wounded.
25 February
Civilians in Kyiv gather in a basement to make Molotov cocktails, 25 February
By 01:24 (UTC+2), President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had ordered the full mobilization of the Ukrainian military for 90 days. He announced that all Ukrainian males aged 18 to 60 were banned from leaving the country.
At 03:27 (UTC+2), a captain and corporal from the Russian 11th Guards Air Assault Brigade and a reconnaissance platoon of the 74th Motorized Rifle Brigade surrendered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Chernihiv.
At 05:14 (UTC+2), a Russian rocket strike hit a Ukrainian border post in the village of Prymors’kyi Posad, Pryazovske Raion, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Ukrainian casualties were reported.
At 05:40 (UTC+2), Russian military equipment began moving through the Sumy Raion. There was also fighting just outside of Okhtyrka that began at 07:30 (UTC+3).
At 06:25 (UTC+2), a gas pipeline in Starobilsk was cut off due to shelling from the Russian army.
At 06:46 (UTC+2), Rivne International Airport in Rivne was struck by a Russian missile, causing minor damage.
At 06:47 (UTC+2), a Ukrainian army unit detonated a bridge in Ivankiv near Kyiv, stopping the advance of a Russian tank column. Additionally, groups of Russian soldiers were seen marching through the villages of Katyuzhanka and Dymer, also in Kyiv Oblast.
At 08:15 (UTC+2), the Russian army reached Kherson.
At 08:34 (UTC+2), the Ukrainian army repelled an attack by the Russian army in Chernihiv and seized Russian equipment and documents.
At 08:43 (UTC+2), the Russian army unblocked the North Crimean Canal, restoring water supply to Crimea, which had been lost in 2014 following the Russian annexation of Crimea.
At 09:01 (UTC+2), a column of Russian soldiers was defeated by the Ukrainian army in Starobilsk and retreated.
At 10:30 (UTC+2), Russian forces entered Melitopol. The city was shelled and street fighting ensued. Melitopol’s leadership surrendered later in the day and the city came under Russian control.
At 14:25 (UTC+2), the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that they had surrounded Chernihiv and was laying siege to the city. Britain’s Ministry of Defense claimed that Russian forces failed to capture Chernihiv and instead took another route to Kyiv. Ukrainian officials reported that the Russians were heading towards Sedniv and Semenivka.
Around Friday morning, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba reported that Russian forces had attacked a kindergarten and an orphanage in the Sumy region. In a statement on Twitter, he stated that, “Today’s Russian attacks on a kindergarten and an orphanage are war crimes and violations of the Rome Statute. Together with the General Prosecutor’s Office we are collecting this and other facts, which we will immediately send to the Hague.”
By mid-morning, Russian troops and armor reached the northern district of Kyiv, whereupon the Ukrainian government urged its citizens to make Molotov cocktails. Numerous “wake-up explosion sounds” were reported. The London Stock Exchange Group suspended the trading privileges of VTB Bank, and the dollar-pegged cryptocurrency Tether became popular amongst Ukrainians, currency trading having been suspended by the Central Bank of Ukraine upon Thursday’s declaration of martial law.
A Ukrainian bombardment was launched against the Millerovo air base in Russia, which resulted in fires. According to Ukrainian officials, two Russian Air Force planes were destroyed.
President Putin briefed his security council, asking Ukrainians soldiers to “take power into their own hands”, referencing neo-Nazis and drug addicts.
Later in the day, the NATO Response Force was activated for the first time as a defensive measure against the invasion.
26 February
At 00:00 UTC, heavy fighting was reported to the south of Kyiv, near the city of Vasylkiv. The Ukrainian General Staff claimed that a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter had shot down a Russian Il-76 transport plane carrying paratroopers near Vasylkiv. A second Russian Ilyushin Il-76 military transport plane was shot down near Bila Tserkva, 85 kilometers (50 miles) south of Kyiv, according to two American officials with direct knowledge of conditions on the ground in Ukraine. However, no evidence verifying either of the events was released.
Around 03:00, more than 48 explosions in 30 minutes were reported around Kyiv, as the Ukrainian military was reported to be fighting near the CHP-6 power station in the northern neighbourhood of Troieshchyna. The BBC reported the attack may be an attempt to cut off electricity to the city. Heavy fighting was reported near the Kyiv Zoo and the Shuliavka neighbourhood. Early on 26 February, the Ukrainian military said it had repelled a Russian attack on an army base located on Peremohy Avenue, a main road in Kyiv; it also claimed to have repelled a Russian assault on the city of Mykolaiv on the Black Sea.
27 February
Overnight, a gas pipeline outside Kharkiv was reported to have been blown up by a Russian attack, while an oil depot in the village of Kriachky near Vasylkiv ignited after being hit by missiles. Heavy fighting near the Vasylkiv air base prevented firefighters from tackling the blaze. The Presidential Office claimed that the Zhuliany Airport was also bombed. Russian-backed separatists in Luhansk province claimed an oil terminal in the town of Rovenky was hit by a Ukrainian missile. Later, President Putin directed the Russian Defence Minister and Chief of the General Staff to put Russia’s nuclear deterrent forces in a “special regime of combat duty.” Several Russian banks were removed from SWIFT, and Turkey proclaimed that a state of war exists in the Black Sea, allowing it to intercept ships of the Russian Navy. The European Union banned Russian aircraft from its airspace.
Ukrainian President Zelensky agreed to send delegations for ceasefire negotiations with Russia on the Belarusian border.
28 February
The Donetsk People’s Republic suspended general mobilization, saying that no additional troops were needed.
Mariupol was encircled by Russian forces and shelled constantly. The city of Sievierodonetsk, the acting administrative center of Luhansk Oblast, was also shelled, resulting in one casualty, several injured, and a broken gas pipeline.
The initial round of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia ended with no resolution.
March 2022
1 March
On the morning of 1 March, a Russian missile allegedly struck Independence Square in central Kharkiv, detonating in front of the Kharkiv Oblast administrative building. At least 10 people were killed.
In the early evening, the Kyiv TV Tower was hit by a missile, killing five people and knocking out some state broadcasting.
2 March
On the morning of 2 March, it was reported that Russian troops managed to seize a railway station and a river port. Slightly later, it was reported that Russian troops managed to capture Kherson.
Ukrainian advisor Oleksiy Arestovych stated that Ukrainian forces were going on the offensive for the first time during the war, and were advancing towards Horlivka. Reports later claimed that part of the city had been captured.