On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a large-scale military invasion of Ukraine. World leaders called this invasion the largest conventional military attack in Europe since World War II.
Following Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity in 2014, Russia had annexed Crimea, while Russian-backed separatist forces had seized part of the Donbas in south-eastern Ukraine, leading to an eight-year war in the region. From early 2021, a Russian military buildup took place along the Russia–Ukraine border. The US and others accused Russia of planning an invasion of Ukraine, although Russian officials repeatedly issued denials. Prior to invasion, attempting to provide casus belli, Putin accused Ukraine of committing genocide against Russian speakers; which was widely described as baseless.
On 21 February 2022, Putin recognised the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic, two self-proclaimed states controlled by Russia. The following day, Russia’s Federation Council unanimously authorised use of military force, and Russian troops entered both territories. On 24 February, close to 05:00 EET (UTC+2), Putin announced a war to Ukraine.
Minutes later, missiles hit locations across Ukraine, including Kyiv, the capital. The Ukranian Border Guard reported attacks on border posts with Russia and Belarus. Shortly afterwards, Russian Ground Forces entered Ukraine. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy enacted martial law and general mobilisation in the country.
The invasion received widespread international condemnation, including new sanctions imposed on Russia, triggering a financial crisis. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, a refugee crisis across Europe ammounted with more than one million Ukrainians fleeing the country during the first week of the invasion. Global protests took place, while protests in Russia were met with mass arrests. Various states, including previous Russian allies, provided foreign humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. In response to military aid, Putin placed Russia’s nuclear forces on high alert.
On 24 February, close to 05:00 EET (UTC+2), Putin announced a war to Ukraine.
Immediately following the attack, Zelenskyy announced the introduction of martial law in Ukraine; the same evening, he ordered a general mobilization of all Ukrainian males between 18 and 60 years old. Russian troops entered Ukraine from four main directions: north from Belarus, heading towards Kyiv; northeast from Russia, heading towards Kharkiv; east from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR); and south from the annexed region of Crimea.
12th April 2022
At night, the Russians fired a missile at the Khmelnytsky region. They also constantly shelled the Luhansk region. Fighting and shelling continue near Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolayiv.
Russians also destroyed a humanitarian center in Severodonetsk that fed up to 300 people a day. A car exploded on an anti-tank mine on the Chernihiv-Kyiv highway.
Police continues to record crimes committed by the Russian military against civilians in the Kyiv region. In particular, Russians with BMPs shot a family with children during the evacuation.
Russia has already forcibly deported 700,000 people from Ukraine, including 130,000 children. NATO predicts that the second phase of the war in Ukraine will be bloodier, and the fighting will cover wider areas of the south and east.
11th April 2022
It is still restless in the East. The enemy is shelling Luhansk and Donetsk regions. At night, the railway station in eastern Ukraine came under fire from the Russian army – this is the second after Kramatorsk. For the previous day the enemy struck 66 blows on Kharkiv and settlements of area. Slow-moving mines were also scattered throughout the city.
According to US intelligence, Russia may try to launch an offensive from Izyum to the Dnieper.
There were also attacks in the Nikolaev area, there the Russian rackets aimed at hangars of the Qatari enterprise. In Kherson, the occupiers smashed the Glory of Ukraine memorial.
The Russians want to turn children into a “living shield” in the occupied territories, forcing them to start training near areas of hostilities. The enemy is also bribing Ukrainian teenagers to reconnoiter the positions of the Armed Forces.
10th April 2022
Last night, the Russians inflicted a record number of air strikes on Dnipropetrovsk region, and today they completely bombed the airport in Dnipro. As a result of the missile strikes, both the airport and the infrastructure nearby were destroyed.
In the Kharkiv region, Russians fired on civilians, killing two people. The shelling continues in Luhansk and Donetsk regions, where the enemy continues to concentrate its forces.
In our brave Mariupol, the Ukrainian military has once again shown true courage. The border guard blew up along with the radio station so that it would not reach the Russians. His last words were “Glory to Ukraine”.
Ukrainian fighters killed a Russian major and lieutenant colonel, and killed three other Russian lieutenants. The Ukrainian Armed Forces also blew up a warehouse with Russian ammunition and destroyed 13 Russian targets in the Ukrainian sky.
9th April 2022
The shelling continues in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kharkiv regions, where one of the missiles striked on a residential area. Rescuers are pulling people out of the rubble. These areas are now a priority for Russians. According to Ukrainian intelligence, the enemy is now preparing to attack Kharkiv and regroup its forces.
Meanwhile, in the Luhansk region, the Russian military blew up a nitric acid tank for the second time in a week.
The Russians fired a missile at Myrhorod in Poltava region. Enemy attacked the city’s infrastructure and there are casualties.
The crimes of the Russian army will be entered into a special online archive and will be constantly updated. These atrocities cannot be forgotten, much less forgiven.
8th April 2022
The facts of rape of children by Russians were documented in Kyiv region. In Bucha, a 14-year-old girl became pregnant after a gang rape, and an 11-year-old boy was raped in Kharkiv.
The great tragedy happened in Kramatorsk. At the local train station, about 4,000 people were waiting to be evacuated when the Russians fired a missile at them. At least 50 people were killed and about a hundred were injured.
Russian troops continued to attack in Mariupol, where they fired at icebreakers with civilian crew. The Russians also destroyed a boat with civilians in the Kherson region.
On the bright side, Ukrainian counter offensive continues and military has completely liberated Sumy region from Russians, residents of occupied territories can feel safe again.
7th April 2022
In cities that are fully or partially captured by the Russian army, invaders are conducting forced mobilization into the aggressor’s armed forces begins. NATO is convinced that shortly there will be a powerful offensive by the Russian army and a major battle in Donbas because, despite the significant losses of the enemy, Vladimir Putin has not changed his plans to control Ukraine.
Western military experts, meanwhile, predict Ukraine’s victory on all fronts. Destructive fighting awaits in eastern Ukraine, but they believe Russia is unlikely to win there.
Russians blew up a bridge and blocked the only way for evacuation trains from Donbass.
Border guards and the Armed Forces destroyed a Russian supply point in the Kharkiv region, the military seized Russian air defense equipment, and captured Russians near the Urals with looted property. The Armed Forces also destroyed an “elite” unit of the occupying forces and repulsed six attacks in the east.
6th April 2022
The Russians launched an air strike on an oil depot and plant in the Dnipropetrovsk region. In Donetsk region they opened fire on civilians waiting to receive humanitarian aid.
In Mariupol, which was almost completely destroyed by the Russians, the enemy began to use mobile crematoria to hide crimes. The bodies of killed Ukrainians are collected and burned by local collaborators.
Local authorities tell about the mass extermination of Russians and residents of the village of Borodyanka in Kyiv region. The occupiers bombed high-rise buildings and shot at those who tried to dig up the debris.
Ukrainian paratroopers destroyed a russian unit of electronic warfare. In the Chernihiv region, a Ukrainian tank went into battle with a column of Russian armored vehicles.
5th April 2022
Russian army bombed a tank with nitric acid in the Luhansk region. People are asked to stay inside, close the windows and wear masks. In Donetsk region enemy also shelled a chemical plant.
Meanwhile, children killed and raped by Russians have been found in Irpen, and more and more bodies of tortured Ukrainians are being found in the territories liberated from the Russians.
But the fighting continues. Ukrainian defenders defeated Russians in the suburbs of Kharkiv, shot down a Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter in the Kharkiv region, and destroyed dozens of enemy vehicles.
4th April 2022
The Russians shelled Mykolaiv and Odessa, and for the first time launched a missile strike on Ternopil. In the Luhansk region, two volunteers were killed by Russian shelling. The shelling by the Russians continues, but Armed Forces of Ukraine are also defending Ukrainian cities and striking back.
Today, President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Bucha, which was liberated from the Russian occupiers. The European Union has officially accused the Russian authorities of war crimes in the previously occupied settlements of the Kyiv region.
3rd April 2022
Today the whole world was shocked by videos from liberated towns near Kyiv – Bucha, Gostomel, Borodyanka and others. Of course, with the exception of Russia which already denied responsibility and produced multiple bizarre fakes.
However the world knows the truth – Russian soldiers are responsible for marauding, mass rapes, tortures and murders of Ukrainian civilians. This is a true genocide, and scale of it is still unknown as a lot of Ukrainian land is still under occupation. After all, the rumors and scarce reports from Mariupol indicate that situation there might be even worse…
Ukraine resists. Russians retreated from Kyiv, Ukrainian Border Guards secured border with Belarus, and even a senior citizen in Mykolaiv region managed to burn an enemy APC with a Molotov cocktail.
2nd April 2022
The Ukrainian nation continues to resist invaders. There are multiple reports of simple people offering poisoned food and alcohol to Russian soldiers – it’s confirmed that some of them died or got to the hospital after such a treatment.
Russians respond with even more shelling and bombing of Ukrainian cities. But fighting continues, and a few Russian helicopters were shot down – one of them with British MANPADS Starstreak, first time during this war. There also reports of many others destroyed Russian vehicles.
1st April 2022
Ukrainian army continues to liberate territories of northern Ukraine, Kyiv and Chernihiv regions. Russians shelled civilian objects, including an oncology centre in Chernihiv. Invaders also used children as living shield to protect their military convoys.
President of Poland Andrzej Duda is sure that Russia will try to capture other Ukrainian territories soon, to use this as a leverage during the negotiations.
31st March 2022
Ukrainian forces continue their counter-offensive both in the north and in the south, having liberated several localities in Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Zaporizhya regions. Meanwhile, Russians fired at two volunteer convoys in Chernihiv, which were providing food and evacuation for the locals. A few civilians were dead and a few wounded as a result, all cars were destroyed.
A paratrooper in Mykolaiv managed to stop a whole convoy with a good shot, which disabled the first vehicle in a column. After that, the whole convoy stopped and other paratroopers, who prepared an ambush, fired at it with grenade launchers and machineguns. The convoy was destroyed, and an officer was taken POW by the very same paratrooper who disabled the first vehicle.
This is just one episode of what was happening on the front this day.
30th March 2022
After yesterday’s negotiations, the Russian Army claimed that it will “minimize military activity” in Kyiv and Chernihiv regions. This practically means that the Russians acknowledged the success of the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the northern region, and they retreat, planning to regroup their forces and send the remaining troops to Eastern Ukraine.
However, it doesn’t mean that Russians will stop killing civilians in Northern Ukraine – they still have a lot of opportunities to do this, so both Kyiv and Chernihiv regions were shelled this night. Enemy also shelled many other regions, including the forbidden phosphorus munitions in Donetsk region, which caused multiple fires.
On the other hand, 3 Russian fighter aircraft were shot down by Ukrainian anti-air defense. Russians also suffered losses in other directions. Also, Ukrainians captured as a trophy a TOS-1 Heavy Flamethrower System.
29th March 2022
Today Russian forces bombed a city administration building in Mykolaiv, destroying it’s central section and killing at least 7 people. In Lviv region, however, Russian rockets were neutralized by the air defense systems.
As Prime Minister of Ukraine said, Ukrainian losses already exceed a trillion USD. As the war continues, this amount grows every day.
Another Russian helicopter was shot down near Kharkiv. Also, Ukrainian Forces killed a Russian colonel Kurylo, who commanded the 200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, which is considered elite and one of the most battle-ready units in the Russian Army. According to the Ukrainian military, this brigade has already lost 1500 servicemen in Ukraine as killed, captured and wounded.
28th March 2022
Russians have destroyed already 1400 buildings in Kharkiv and used forbidden cluster munitions in Odesa and Kherson regions. Yesterday they once again shelled an experimental nuclear device in Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology. Unfortunately this is not the first Russians create risks of technogenic disaster on nuclear objects. There was also shelling of a nuclear plant in Enerhodar and fighting inside the Chernobyl zone. If a disaster happens on one of these objects the subsequent radiation will have impact on the whole Europe.
Ukrainian Army has liberated city of Irpen in Kyiv region. Bucha and Hostomel are planned to be freed next.
27th March 2022
Russia continues to destroy Ukrainian fuel reserves. Today missiles hit a petrol depot in Lutsk. Invaders also bombed Kharkiv, Zhytomyr, and Rivne. Russians also used forbidden cluster munitions in the Dnipro region. There is also a strong fire in the Chernobyl region, which caused the danger of radiation to rise.
Ukrainian army liberated another village – Husarivka in Kharkiv region. Also, after yesterday Russians lost Trostyanets, a Russian general was fired and a colonel committed a suicide.
26th March 2022
While President of the United States Joseph Biden was giving a speech in Polish city Rzeszów near Polish-Ukrainian border, Russia hit Lviv, which is in less than 200 kms, with missiles. A petroleum depot and a military factory were destroyed, 5 people were injured. This was a clear signal from Putin, who doesn’t like the fact that US supports Ukraine in the war. In another Western Ukrainian city Rivne also a petroleum depot was hit by missiles.
A nuclear device “Neutron source” got under shelling in Kharkiv. This is not the first time Russians are bombing nuclear objects, putting Europe under a risk of another nuclear disaster. Russians also shelled a Holocaust Memorial in Kharkiv, which is not strange considering the fact that ideology of Putin regime is very close to Nazism.
Russians also invaded Slavutych in Kyiv region, captured a hospital and kidnapped mayor.
On the other side, Ukrainian army retook a town of Trostyanets in Sumy region, which was occupied for three weeks. The counter-offensive slowly expands, even while Russians still continue to advance on some directions.
25th March 2022
300 civilian bodies were found in debris of Drama Theater in Mariupol, destroyed by Russian airstrike. Mariupol, a city of 450 thousand people, is fully destroyed by the war and suffering from a blockade for a month. So far it has suffered most from this war, as Putin wants to literally wipe it from the earth. However Mariupol, which was named a Hero City, resists, and casualties of Russian Army, Russian National Guard and DPR/LPR proxies are truly devastating. But there are still plenty of invaders around Mariupol, and the battle there is probably the harshest in the whole Ukraine.
Meanwhile analytics of the international OSINT group InformNapalm warn that invaders are preparing to use chemical weapon sarin to break Ukrainian defense.
On the other hand, in the Chornobaivka airport Ukrainian artillery shelled Russian forces for the 10th time. (!) Another Russian general Rezancev died there.
24th March 2022
One again Russian used the forbidden phosphor bombs, this time in Luhansk region. In Kharkiv invaders shelled a post office, where locals were receiving humanitarian aid. 6 people died, 15 were injured.
Russians also continue forceful deportation of Ukrainian citizens – 15000 civilians were illegally moved out to Russia. This is another crime that will not be forgotten.
But Ukrainians know how to revenge destruction of their cities and death of their families. Russian warship “Orsk” was destroyed in Berdyansk, with unknown number of people aboard. Two other warships were damaged. Another jet Su-34 was destroyed, together with lots of land vehicles.
23rd March 2022
Today Russians used phosphor bombs in Kyiv region. This is a chemical weapon, forbidden by international law. All this aside from more cases of indiscriminate bombing of civilian objects.
Fighting continues. News from the frontlines are often scarce because of combat chaos and communication problems, but we know one thing for sure – Ukrainian army stands their ground and gives hell to the aggressors. Two Russian jets were hit in Kharkiv region, and hundreds of Russians were killed while trying to enter Kharkiv itself.
22nd March 2022
Same as before Russia continues to destruct Ukrainian cities with artillery, missiles and aircraft bombs. Russians also – not for the first time – fired at a shop queue in Severodonetsk. Invaders specifically target hospitals and other civilian objects, as their goal is to cause humanitarian disaster in Ukraine, which will force the country to capitulate.
However they have met very strong resistance in Ukraine, which already force Russian Ministry of Defense to start a hidden mobilization. Right now the debtors are actively mobilized, and Russian government promises to forget their debts.
Ukrainian Army destroyed 3 Russian warplanes. Russian forces continue to suffer heavy casualties in the Mariupol siege. Russian marines that tried to land in Odessa also were killed. Russian lieutenant colonel was captured POW near Mykolaiv.
21st March 2022
Geography of Russian bombing expands – for the first time ever they shelled Zhytomyr region with Grad. Russians are also destroying Ukrainian ecology – a shelling caused fire and ammonia leak on the Sumyhimprom factory. Russian missiles also destroyed a Retroville mall in Kyiv – 8 people died. In Kharkiv 96-year-old survivor of Nazi camps was killed by Russian shelling. Russians also fired at evacuation buses trying to leave Mariupol. Several children got to the hospital.
As pro-Ukrainian protests on occupied territories continue, Russians started their terror against peaceful protestors. Invaders fired their guns at protesters in Kherson.
On the bright side, Russian Army continues to suffer heavy casualties. Number of killed Russians already reached 15 thousands.
20th March 2022
Today Russian Black Sea Fleet warships shelled Mariupol from sea for the first time. An art school was bombed, where 400 civilians were hiding, all of them got covered by the debris. Mariupol, which is destroyed by 90% at this moment, has been under blockade for a month.
In Luhansk region another tragedy happened – Russian tank fired at a retirement home. 56 people died immediately, all who survived where kidnapped and forcefully moved to the occupied “LPR” territory.
Ukrainian people continue to protest against Russia even on occupied territory, stand against enemy tanks with their bare hands and telling them to go away. These days the whole world saw heartbreaking footage of Ukrainian protests in occupied cities of Kherson, Khakovka, Enerhodar and Berdyansk.
But the war continues, and Ukrainian Army is standing their ground. More Russian soldiers find their grave in Ukraine every day.
19th March 2022
Russians killed 7 civilians in Makariv, Kyiv region, with mortar shelling, and 2 children in Rubizhne, Luhansk region. Among a long list of bombed places and cities are military barracks in Mykolaiv, destroyed by Russian shelling.
On the other hand, Ukrainian defenders continue their struggle against aggressors. A lot of invaders were killed and lots of their vehicles – destroyed. This includes about 40 military vehicles, two artillery units, two helicopters Ka-52, several hundred Russian servicemen and their DPR/LPR proxies. Also, a few Russian officers were killed, including airborne mayor Sergey Volynts.
18th March 2022
Lviv – a city in western Ukraine, located less than 100 kilometers from NATO borders, was bombed by Russian missiles early in the morning. Russia bombed an aircraft repair factory. Fortunately, nobody died. Russia also shelled other cities.
However, Ukrainian army stopped further assault of enemies inside the country’s territory. Also, Ukrainians launched a limited counter-assault in Kyiv region.
Another Russian general Andrej Mordvichev was killed by Ukrainian artillery in Chornobaivka airport in Kherson region, together with his command post. Another command post was destroyed near Chernihiv. A lot of Russian senior officers already died in Ukraine.
17th March 2022
Ukraine continues to suffer from indiscriminate shelling. The goal of Russian Armed Forces is simple – to kill as many civilians as they can, organize the humanitarian disaster, and break the will of Ukrainian people to resist. The only thing they didn’t account for is that as more atrocities are committed by Russians, Ukrainian society becomes only more determined to win.
But for Russians continue bombing of Ukrainian cities. For example, in a town of Merefa, Kharkiv region they shelled a school. 23 people died and 26 got injured after the building collapsed and a fire started. This is just a one episode of a long list of Russian war crimes, which happened over the day.
On the bright side, Ukrainians fight back and inflict heavy losses on the invaders. 10 Russian warplanes and helicopters were destroyed, as well as 30% of a regiment that assaulted Kharkiv, a Russian military convoy in Chernihiv region… Again, this is an incomplete list.
The war continues and there a lot of casualties to come.
16th March 2022
Today was another dark day for Mariupol, as Russians dropped an air bomb on the Drama Theater, where hundreds of people were hiding from shelling. Due to constant shelling rescuers cannot shift the debris and save these people. Russians also don’t allow people to leave the city, as they fired at a car column with evacuating citizens. Russian strategy is brutal but pragmatic – by causing a humanitarian disaster in the city they want to force the city into surrender.
Another shocking war atrocity happened in Chernihiv when Russians fired at a queue for bread. Ten people were murdered.
But getting to good news, Ukrainian army destroyed a few enemy helicopters and two Su-30 jets. Russian artillery battalion was eliminated in Sumy region.
15th March 2022
Russians tried to assault Kharkiv, but defenders of the city resisted attacks. Invaders also cannot get into Kyiv. However, destruction of Ukrainian cities with airstrikes and artillery continues. Mariupol, which is still under Russian blockade, suffers the most from a humanitarian disaster as it’s population is experiencing a severe lack of food, water and medicines. It is unclear how much time passes until Mariupol population begins to literally starve. Russians every day commit more atrocities against civilians. On this day Russians even took the medics and patients of a Regional Hospital as hostages.
Ukrainian parliament has continued the martial law by 25th April. President Zelenskyi appealed to the allies and asked for more military aid, as Ukraine is using a week’s aid in just one day.
Russian mayour general was killed near Mariupol – it seems that Ukrainian forces are specifically targeting enemy senior officers. And all this while Russian convoys and army units continue to suffer heavy losses.
14th March 2022
Russia continues heavy shelling of Kharkiv for the whole night. In Rivne, invaders shelled TV tower, in Kyiv – a 9-stories residential building and Antonov factory. They also bombed a water utility in Chernihiv and a sewage treatment plant in Zaporizhya, which already caused discharge of stewage into the Dnipro river. Unfortunately, there are also casualties among the civilian population – 9 killed civilians in Rivne, among others. Also, a pregnant woman that was captured on photo after bombing of maternity hospital in Mariupol, died together with her unborn child.
Ukrainian rescue services are doing their best to mitigate the consequences of the bombing.
On the other hand, Russia continues to suffer heavy losses. Territorial Defense forces captured a Russian radar, and another colonel of Russian Army was killed.
13th March 2022
This day began with a brutal strike just 30 km from the NATO border, when Russian missiles hit a military object in Lviv region. As a result, 35 people are dead, 134 in the hospital – and if Russians missed, they could have as well hit Poland. Russian missiles also have destroyed an already damaged airport in Ivano-Frankivsk, as well as a school and state-owned enterprise “Zorya” in Mykolaiv.
Unfortunately, this is far from a whole list of Russian war crimes committed this day. A famous volunteer with a disability Oleksandr Kononov was murdered in Severodonetsk. He is just one of the many victims of political cleansing, conducted by Russia.
Russia also used white phosphorus munitions in Popasna, Luhansk region, which is strictly prohibited by the rules of war.
12th March 2022
Russia continues heavy shelling of Ukrainian cities – according to the head of the Donetsk region, the town Volnovakha doesn’t exist anymore, as most of the population has been evacuated, and the infrastructure was destroyed. Among other notorious war crimes is shooting at civilians during the evacuation from village Peremoha in Kyiv region, when 6 women and 1 child were killed.
All this fits into the Russian strategy – organizing a humanitarian disaster for the civilian population, so that Putin gets a chance to demand capitulation from the Ukrainian government.
However Ukrainian army continues to fight and inflict heavy losses on the enemy. Russian soldiers are demoralized and suffer from logistical hell, leave their vehicles behind, desert to Russia and surrender to the Ukrainian servicemen.
11th March 2022
Russia tries to setup occupational administration on the occupied territories in Southern Ukraine. This means that it tries to find collaborators among the local politics and officials, which would serve the “Kherson People Republic” or any other Pro-Russian quasi-state, same as it already happened in Donetsk and Luhansk in 2014.
But the problem that Russians face in Ukraine is very serious – there is simply nobody who would want to serve invaders in Ukraine. So, no collaborators, nobody to work in the occupational administration. In such circumstances Russians try to use violence against local politics in order to force them into coercion. So, a mayor of Melitopol city was kidnapped by invaders, and nothing is know about his fate after this.
On the other hand, war continues, and Russia continues to suffer heavy losses – not only among soldiers but also among high ranking officers. Commander of 29th Army (Eastern Military District) Kolesnikov is the most important of an already impressive list of killed Russian senior officers.
10th March 2022
Russian forces continue their strategy of genocide against Ukrainians, which takes the form of various war atrocities – murders, shelling of hospitals, and residential areas. The goal of such actions, which were used before in Syria and Chechnya, is to demoralize the Ukrainian population and to force it to surrender. Mariupol is a strategically important city, as it is the last obstacle before Putin gets its “mainland corridor” from occupied Crimea to Southern Russia. So it’s not surprising that this is now a top priority direction for Russian forces, which are willing to do whatever it takes in order to take the city – and this, unfortunately, means turning it into Grozny or Aleppo.
But it doesn’t mean that Ukrainian Army will not do all it can to prevent this. Ukrainians already launched counterattacks on many directions and continue to inflict heavy losses on the enemy. And Russian vehicles and aircraft are not just destroyed, but also taken as tropheys – including even the newest Pantsir anti-aircraft missile system, one of which was captured intact by Ukrainian Special Operations Forces.
9th March 2022
This was a dark day for Ukraine. Russian Army has “distinguished” itself with a shocking atrocity – the bombing of a maternity hospital and a children’s hospital in Mariupol, a city in Eastern Ukraine that is currently under blockade. 3 people died and 17 were wounded, including children. According to the latest reports, 1300 civilians already died in Mariupol because of Russian artillery and airstrikes. This number can get much higher because Mariupol is encircled by Russians, and it’s impossible to bring food and medicines there. The Ukrainian government tries to organize a humanitarian corridor but invaders continue to shoot at civilians, making it impossible to bring supplies or evacuate civilians.
On the other hand, the Ukrainian Army still stands strong. A Russian military base in Derkachi, Kharkiv region was fully destroyed. Overall, invaders are suffering from logistics hell and Ukranians are launching counterattacks to retake occupied lands.
8th March 2022
The war continues, and Ukrainian forces are fighting back the invaders. Russians tried to land about 120 paratroopers in Kharkiv, but most of them were killed. Also, one of the Russian high-ranking officers was killed around Kharkiv – mayor general Vitaly Gerasimov, who served as chief of staff and first deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army.
Unfortunately, Russia committed more war atrocities – in Sumy, after bombing of residential areas there are at least 21 confirmed deaths among civilians. Invaders also attacked a humanitarian corridor in Mariupol and destroyed the central hospital in Izium, Kharkiv region. Among other known war crimes of the Russian Army – killed zoo workers in Kharkiv and a destroyed bus with kindergarten teachers in the Mykolaiv region.
There is also good news – new Obukhiv a famous Ukrainian pilot “The ghost of Kyiv” hit a Russian missile “Kalibr” which could otherwise kill a lot of people.
7th March 2022
On 7th March Russians continued shelling of Ukrainian cities. In the Kyiv region, invaders dropped aircraft bombs on the bakery, where 13 people died. In the Zaporizhya region, soldiers from the Kadyrov regiment of Russian Guard fired from a tank and ran over a Ukrainian Post car, which was delivering pensions to the elders. Two postmen died. Overall Russian Army has already destroyed 202 schools, 34 hospitals, and more than 1500 houses.
Heavy fighting on the front continued. 30 Russian helicopters were destroyed by Ukrainian artillery on the Kherson airport. Also a Russian warship was destroyed near Odessa. Ukrainian Army and Territorial Defense got a lot of new trophies, and numerous enemy soldiers surrendered because of low morale and logistics problems. However there are still plenty of enemies on Ukrainian land, and their military goals remain same:
- securing corridor between occupied Crimea and Southern Russia
- encircling Mariupol and Kyiv
- getting access to administrative borders of Luhansk and Donetsk regions
6th March 2022
After Western sanctions strongly hit the Russian economy, some Russians went on the streets to protest against the war. 4500 people were detained.
War in Ukraine continues, as well as war crimes committed by the Russian Army. During the evacuation from Irpin, Kyiv region, Russian soldiers shooted at civilian cars and killed at least 3 people, among them 2 children. First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska posted online pictures of children, murdered by Putin’s aggression. She asked: “How many children must die until the Russian Army stops shooting and agrees to establish evacuation corridors?”
On the frontlines, heavy fighting continues, and in the occupied cities like Henichesk people go to the streets to protest against Russian occupation. They also asked NATO to close the sky above Ukraine with anti-aircraft weaponry.
The Ukrainian government announced that volunteers from all over the world are already coming to fight as part of the International Volunteer Legion.
5th March 2022
On Thursday Russia continued the destruction of Ukrainian cities with artillery, aircraft, and missiles. Some streets of Kharkiv were destroyed. Russians were also actively engaged in shooting on refugee columns, which disrupted an agreed-before evacuation corridor for civilians trapped in the city of Mariupol.
On Thursday, the Ukrainian army was holding ground, inflicting heavy losses to the invading forces, and launched a counter-offensive in some directions which includes Kharkiv and Mykolaiv. Demoralized Russian army continues to desert and leave their vehicles, which are then taken by Ukrainian Army and local Territorial Defense. This was also a very dark day for Russian aircraft – 5 planes and 4 helicopters were hit by Ukrainians, and 3 pilots were taken as POWs.
Despite the losses and low morale, Russia continues to build forces on the Ukrainian territory. They aim to encircle such cities as Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Mariupol. They are also trying to fortify their positions in the South where they succeeded the most so far. However, as Russians were kicked out of Mykolaiv by a Ukrainian counter-offensive, they also encountered fierce civilian resistance from the inhabitants of Kherson – the only big Ukrainian city that Russians captured during this invasion.
4th March 2022
That night started with shocking news from the Zaporizhya Nuclear Plant, which was being attacked by the Russian Army. A Russian artillery shell hit the power unit, which caused the fire and tremendous risk of an ecological disaster. As Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba said, if an explosion happens, the consequences will be 10 times more serious than the Chernobyl disaster. The fire was put out only by 6 AM, as Russians at first didn’t allow the firefighters to come closer. The Nuclear Plant was captured by Russians from the Kadyrov regiment who are now using it as a military base. The staff is working under pressure and without shift changes, which increases the risk of a human mistake on the nuclear object.
Intense fighting continued all day. Russians were displaced from the center of Mykolaiv and the outskirts of Kharkiv and suffered heavy losses in Gostomel north of Kyiv.
Russian forces, however, continue pushing on Ukrainian territories, going for encircling Ukrainian cities, especially in the South.
Northern front
On the first day, Russian troops began advancing towards Kyiv. In the Battle of Chornobyl, Russians took control of the ghost towns of Chornobyl and Pripyat, including the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant; their advance was hindered by strong resistance from Ukrainian troops. Following their breakthrough in Chornobyl, Russian forces began the Battle of Ivankiv. Some Russian forces were able to break through Ivankiv and captured the strategically significant Antonov Airport, located just 20 kilometres (12 mi) northwest from Kyiv. In the Battle of Antonov Airport, fierce fighting took place between 24 and 25 February, with Ukrainian troops trying to repel Russian Airborne Forces several times. The airport eventually fell into Russian hands.
The offensive is accompanied by cynical shelling of civilian buildings.
In the early morning of 26 February, paratroopers of the Russian airborne forces began the Battle of Vasylkiv near the city of Vasylkiv, 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Kyiv, in an attempt to secure Vasylkiv Air Base. Heavy fighting between the Russian paratroopers and Ukrainian defenders occurred in the city.
Eastern front
In the northeast, Russian troops tried to capture Kharkiv and Sumy, which are both located less than 35 kilometres (22 mi) from the Russian border. According to the Ukrainian army, the Battle of Konotop was lost on 25 February. In the Battle of Kharkiv, Russian tanks were met with strong resistance. On 28 February, the city was targeted by various missile attacks that claimed several lives. The battle was described by a Ukrainian presidential adviser as the “Stalingrad of the 21st century”. In the Battle of Sumy, despite little initial resistance, Ukrainian soldiers and militia began engaging the Russian forces within the city, resulting in heavy urban warfare.
On the morning of 25 February, Russian Armed Forces advanced from DPR territory in the east towards Mariupol and encountered Ukrainian forces near the village of Pavlopil, where they were defeated. The Russian Navy reportedly began an amphibious assault on the Sea of Azov coastline 70 kilometres (43 mi) west of Mariupol on the evening of 25 February. A US defence official stated that the Russians were potentially deploying thousands of Russian Naval Infantry from this beachhead. On 1 March, Denis Pushilin, the head of the DPR, announced that DPR forces had almost completely surrounded the nearby city of Volnovakha and they would soon do the same to Mariupol.
Southern front
On 24 February, Russian troops took control of the North Crimean Canal, allowing Crimea to obtain water supplies for the peninsula, which it had been cut off from since 2014.The attack also moved east towards Mariupol, beginning a siege of the city and linking the front with the Donbas separatist regions. On 1 March, Russian forces started preparing to resume their attack on Melitopol and other cities, starting the Battle of Melitopol.
Other Russian forces advanced north from Crimea on 26 February, with Russia’s 22nd Army Corps approaching the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. On 3 March, they began the siege of Enerhodar in an attempt to take control of the nuclear power plant. Parts of the battle were captured on livestream footage, showing that a fire developed during the firefight. The International Atomic Energy Agency stat.
The invasion of Ukraine considered to have violated the Charter of the United Nations and constituted a crime of aggression according to international criminal law, raising the possibility that the crime of aggression could be prosecuted under universal jurisdiction. The invasion also violated the Rome Statute, which prohibits “the invasion or attack by the armed forces of a State of the territory of another State, or any military occupation, however temporary, resulting from such invasion or attack, or any annexation by the use of force of the territory of another State or part thereof”. Ukraine had not ratified the Rome Statute and Russia withdrew its signature from it in 2016.
On 25 February, Amnesty International said that it had collected and analysed evidence showing that Russia had violated international humanitarian law, including attacks that could amount to war crimes; it also said that Russian claims to be only using precision-guided weapons were false. Amnesty and Human Rights Watch said that Russian forces had carried out indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas and strikes on hospitals, including firing a 9M79 Tochka ballistic missile with a cluster munition warhead towards a hospital in Vuhledar, which killed four civilians and wounded ten others, including six healthcare staff.Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, the governor of Sumy Oblast, said that at least six Ukrainians, including a seven-year-old girl, had died in a Russian attack on Okhtyrka on 26 February, and that a kindergarten and orphanage had been hit.
On 27 February, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba called for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the Okhtyrka kindergarten bombing. The same day, Ukraine filed a lawsuit against Russia before the International Court of Justice, accusing Russia of violating the Genocide Convention by falsely claiming genocide as a pretext for military operations against Ukraine. On 28 February, Karim Ahmad Khan, the chief prosecutor of the ICC, said there was a “reasonable basis” for allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity following the ICC’s preliminary examination of the case.Thirty-nine states officially referred the situation in Ukraine to the ICC. On 3 March, Khan announced that evidence was being collected of alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide committed by individuals of all sides during the invasion and that a full investigation would be opened.
On 28 February, a diplomatic crisis within Greece–Russia relations was sparked when the latter’s air forces bombarded the two settlements of Buhas and Sartana, majority-populated by Ukrainian Greeks near Mariupol, killing 12 Greeks. Greece protested strongly, summoning the Russian ambassador. French president Emmanuel Macron and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, along with Germany, and other countries, expressed their condolences to Greece. Russian authorities denied responsibility, although Greek authorities stated that they had evidence of Russian involvement. In response, Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that his country would send defensive military equipment and humanitarian aid to support Ukraine.The same day, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch denounced the use of cluster munitions and thermobaric weapons by Russian invasion forces in Ukraine. The use of cluster munitions in war is prohibited by the Convention on Cluster Munitions of 2008, though Russia and Ukraine are not part of this convention. Both the Ukrainian and Russian governments have accused each other of using human shields.
On 1 March, President Zelenskyy said there was evidence that civilian areas had been targeted during a Russian artillery bombardment of Kharkiv earlier that day, and described it as a war crime.