Ukraine war start date

When did the war start? Russia This full-scale invasion came eight years after Russia annexed and illegally occupied Crimea. The Kremlin sent its troops into the region on 27 February, 2014. Ukrainian soldiers take positions in downtown Kyiv in February last year (Photo: Emilio Morenatti/AP) As last year’s invasion got under way, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, described it as his “special military operation”, with air strikes pounding targets around Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv. Russian forces Battle for Kyiv Russian troops encircled Kyiv in the first few weeks of the war. Many observers expected However, Ukrainian forces were able to repel Russian attacks, with dozens of Kremlin saboteurs who had infiltrated Kyiv killed. President Zelenskyy urged civilians to take up arms against the Russian invaders and said the government would issue weapons to anyone wanting to fight. Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces members train to use an NLAW anti-tank weapon in Kyiv’s outskirts in March last year (Photo: Efrem Lukatsky/AP) Thousands of rifles as well as rocket propelled grenades and In March, Ukrainian forces retook the suburb of Makariv, which halted the Russian blockade of the city. British-supplied NLAW anti-tank missiles played a prominent role in halting Russians during counter-attacks and ambushes. Meanwhile, thousands of Azovstal siege Several hundred Ukrainian soldiers and civilians were holed up in Mariupol’s Soldiers from the Azov Battalion defied besiegin...