On 24 February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" and ordered Russian forces to attack Ukraine from the north (Belarus), east, and south (Crimea). The assault followed a months-long military build-up and Russia's 21 February recognition of the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk "People's Republics" as independent states. Initial Russian objectives reportedly included seizing Kyiv and replacing the Ukrainian government led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but the advance on the capital was repulsed and Russian forces withdrew from northern Ukraine by early April 2022.
The invasion triggered the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II, with the UNHCR recording millions of Ukrainians fleeing abroad. Documented incidents in occupied areas — including events in Bucha, Mariupol, and Izium — prompted war crimes investigations by the International Criminal Court. On 17 March 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin in connection with the alleged unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine.
International response was sweeping. On 2 March 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution ES-11/1 demanding Russia's withdrawal, with 141 states in favor. The Council of Europe expelled Russia on 16 March 2022. The United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Australia, and others imposed unprecedented sanctions, froze Russian central bank reserves, and supplied Ukraine with weapons, intelligence, and financial aid. Sweden and Finland abandoned long-standing non-alignment and applied to join NATO; Finland acceded in April 2023 and Sweden in March 2024.
In September 2022, Russia announced the purported annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts following sham referendums, none of which has received broad international recognition. The conflict has reshaped European security architecture, energy markets, global grain flows (see the Black Sea Grain Initiative), and debates over collective defense, neutrality, and the post-1945 prohibition on the use of force codified in Article 2(4) of the UN Charter.
Example
In March 2022, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution ES-11/1 by 141 votes to 5, demanding that Russia immediately withdraw its forces from Ukraine.
Frequently asked questions
Under international law it constitutes an act of aggression and an armed conflict, though Russia officially designates it a 'special military operation'. The UN General Assembly and most states describe it as a war of aggression violating Article 2(4) of the UN Charter.
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