It has been three years since Russian troops invaded Ukraine, starting a war on February 24, 2002, which has now entered into its fourth year. The bloody conflict has since killed thousands, driven millions away from their homes, and reduced entire cities to rubbles. Meanwhile, though the ongoing military talks end up in stalemate, there seems to be no sign of an end to the deadly war.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday praised the three years of resistance against Russia and lauded the country for its heroism. He also thanked Ukrainians for their efforts and thanked those who defended the country. This came as Zelenskyy said that he was willing to step down in exchange for NATO membership.
As the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues, here are the key events that have happened so far in the past three years since the invasion:
Feb 24, 2022: A few days after recognising the breakaway territories of Donetsk and Luhansk, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The invasion began in the eastern Ukrainian territory of Donbas, with Russian forces heading towards Kyiv. However, they unexpectedly encountered fierce resistance from the Ukrainian forces. Zelenskyy declared martial law in the country and officially broke diplomatic ties with Russia. Putin’s actions were condemned across the world and within Russia.
March 16, 2022: Russian airstrike at a theatre in the strategic port city of Mariupol killed hundreds of people in one of the war’s deadliest attacks.
April, 2022: Hundreds of civilians werr found dead in mass graves and on the streets of Bucha following the withdrawl of Russian troops from Kyiv. Around 52 civilians were killed and over 100 others were found injured in a missile attack on a train station in Kramatorsk.
Russian Black Sea Fleet’s flagship, Moskva, was “seriously damaged” in an attack by Ukrainian missiles on April 13 and sank the day after.
May 2022: Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol’s massive Azovstal steel factory, which was the last Ukrainian stronghold, submitted to Russia after nearly three-month siege.
June 30, 2022: Russia reclaims Snake Island, off the Black Sea town of Odesa, which was taken in the first days of the invasion.
September 2022: Putin ordered the call-up of 3,00,000 reserve soldiers, forcing thousands of Russian men to emigrate to surrounding countries to avoid being drafted.
October 2022: Putin signed final papers to annex four regions of Ukraine – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
November 2022: Russia announed its withdrawl from Kherson following a counter offensive by Ukraine.
December 21, 2022: Zelenskyy made hs first trip abroad since the war began. He met US President Joe Biden and secured Patriot air-defence missile systems and other weapons.
January 2023: Ukrainian missile attack on Russia’s Makiivka city killed several people who were recruited into the Russian army at that time. A few days later, Russia attacked an apartment building in Dnipro city, killing at least 45 people.
February 2023: US President Biden visited Ukraine, showcasing support for Kyiv. He also announced $500 million in additional assistance to the country.
June 23, 2023: Yevgeny Prigozhin rebelled against Putin along with his troops, expressing frustration over the Kremlin leadership and lack of support in the war. Thousands of mercenaries with Wagner Group, a paramilitary organization sponsored by Putin, mobilized away from their fighting positions in Ukraine to march toward Moscow in an apparent coup attempt. However, they reached a settlement by July 24.
Prigozhin later died in a plane crash in Russia in August 2023.
July 2023: Ukrainian forces take repsonsibility for attack on Crimean bridge, a key access point for Moscow.
November 2023: Ukraine said it suffered a massive Russian artillery bombardment as data from Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko showed around 118 settlements were shelled across 10 regions.
January 2024: Ukraine claimed to have had flown its drone over Putin’s residence during attacks on St Petersburg.
February 2024: US and EU announced sanctions on as many as 600 people and entities connected to Russia over the invasion of Ukraine and deah of Russian oppoisition leader Alexei Navalny.
UK had also promised £245 million aid to restock Ukrainian ammunition supplies.
March 2024: Russia launches attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, featuring nearly 151 missiles and drones.
April 2024: Ukraine launched another drone attack in Western Russia, targeting four airbases. Around six military aircrafts were said to have been destroyed in the attacl.
May 2024: French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he would consider sending in his troops to join Ukraine “if Russia broke the front lines”. This came after Russian forces progressed further in eatern Ukraine.
June 2024: Russia reclaimed several villages which had been taken back by Ukraine during their counter-offensives. These included Novooleksandrivka, north-west of Ocheretyne, and Spirne, near the border with Luhansk Oblast.
November 2024: Donald Trump won the U.S. election in November for the second time. Zelenskyy congratulated Trump after his victory, while Russian ambassador to the U.N. said Russia was open to negotiations to end the war if peace talks were initiated by Trump.
Days later, Joe Biden allowed the US ally to start using American-supplied longer-range weapons to strike Russia. Ukrainian officials had long been requesting for this. Reacting to this, the Kremlin warned that the decision would add “fuel to the fire,” according to the AP.
January 2025: Ukraine began launching drone attacks on the oil refineries, oil depots, and industrial sites of Russia to cripple key infrstructure playing a role in Russia’s war efforts.
February 2025: Trump held talks with Russia on ending war in Ukraine, but without the presence of Kyiv. The US president expressed confidence that Russia wanted an end to the war and that he would meet Putin again this month to discuss the matter. Ukraine, however, said it would not accept any deal whichis imposed without its consent and some European politicians even accused Trump admisnitration of handing free concessions to Moscow by ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine.
