The 2022 Full-Scale Invasion
From buildup to Bucha: the decision to invade, the failed blitz on Kyiv, and the war's early turning points.
The Buildup and Decision to Invade
Beginning in late 2021, Russia amassed approximately 190,000 troops along Ukraine's borders. US intelligence publicly predicted the invasion — an unusual move intended to deter Russia and deny it the element of surprise. Putin insisted the troops were conducting exercises.
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion from multiple directions: south from Crimea, east from the Donbas, and north toward Kyiv through Belarus. Putin framed it as a 'special military operation' aimed at the 'denazification and demilitarization' of Ukraine — language widely condemned as propaganda, given that Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is Jewish and was democratically elected.
The initial Russian plan appeared to be a rapid decapitation strike on Kyiv — a column of vehicles stretching over 60km advanced toward the capital. It failed catastrophically. Ukrainian resistance, logistical failures, and what Western intelligence assessed as poor Russian planning forced a full withdrawal from northern Ukraine by early April.