Russo-Ukrainian War

Collage of images depicting the Russo-Ukrainian War

### Outcome

Conflict ongoing:* Unmarked Russian troops take over Crimea amidst pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine following the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution.
* Russian intervention in the war in Donbas
* International sanctions and condemnation against Russia, partially contributing to the Russian financial crisis (2014–2016)
* Russia removed from G7
* Signing of the Minsk Protocol, with both sides later blaming each other for it not yet being implemented
* Russian Military forces enter Ukraine from Russia, Crimea, and Belarus
* Russian air and missile strikes target military bases, airports and major cities across Ukraine, including Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, and Odessa
* Russian forces retreat from Kherson
* JTF Deathstalker operatives regroup and coordinate new efforts against the Russian occupation
* Ukrainian military isolated and scattered
* Ukrainian resistance forces continue stubborn opposition despite heavy losses

## Major Events

### Battles

Operation Black FuryOperation Black Lightning

Donbass Campaign

Sevastapol Campaign

Black Sea Campaign

Operation Yellow Boulder

Battle of Kyiv:

* Operation Black Ice

## Combatants

### Allied Combatants

UkraineSupported by:

* NATO
* United States of America
* United Kingdom
* European Union
* Australia
* JTF Deathstalker
* Russo-Ukrainian Cooperative Army

### Enemy Combatants

RussiaCSTO:

* Armenia
* Belarus
* Kazakhstan
* Kyrgyzstan
* Tajikistan

Supported by:

* Wagner Group

## Commanders

### Allied commanders

Ukraine:* President of Ukraine
* Petro Poroshenko (2014–2019)
* Oleksandr Turchynov (February-June, 2014)
* Roman Kozachenko (deceased)
* Pylyp Yarosh
* Pylyp Ruban (deceased)
* Alla Hlushko
* Polina Demydenko

United States:

* President of the United States
* Vice President of the United States
* General Charles Shepherd

President of France

Prime Minister of France

Prime Minster of Australia

United Kingdom:

* Queen of the United Kingdom
* Prime Minister Boris Johnson

### Opposing Commanders

Russian Federation:* President Vladimir Putin
* Prime Minister of Russia
* Mikhail Mishustin
* General Valery Gerasimov
* General Sergey Shoygu
* General Oleg Salyukov
* Lieutenant General Sergei Kisel
* Major General Vladimir Zavadsky
* Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov
* Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev
* Lieutenant General Alexander Kolpachenko

Ukrainian People's Provisional Army:

* Myron Savchuk (deceased)
* Taras Oleksiyenko (deceased)
* Stefan Fesenko (Defected)
* Stepan Hrytsyuk (deceased)

## Casualties and losses

### Total dead

Unknown, projected to be extremely high

The **Russo-Ukrainian War** is the name given to an ongoing and protracted conflict that started in February 2014, primarily involving Russia and pro-Russian forces on one hand, and Ukraine on the other. The war has centered on the status of Crimea and parts of the Donbas, which are largely internationally recognized as part of Ukraine.

## Timeline of events

### Russia annexes Crimea

*Main article:* Annexation of Crimea by Russia

### Kerch Strait Incident

*Main article:* 2018 Kerch Strait Incident

### 2021-2022 Russian Military build-up

In March and April 2021, Russia started to mass thousands of military personnel and equipment near its border with Ukraine and in its annexed Crimean peninsula, representing the highest force mobilization since the country's annexation of Crimea in 2014, triggering an international crisis and generated concerns over a potential invasion. Satellite imagery showed movements of armor, missiles, and heavy weaponry, which were partially withdrawn in June. The crisis was renewed in October and November 2021, when over 100,000 Russian troops were again massed surrounding Ukraine on three sides by December (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/16/world/europe/russia-ukraine-invasion.html).

### Russia invades Ukraine

Main article: 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine

In what many deemed the largest conventional military attack in Europe since the Second World War (US orders 7,000 more troops to Europe following Russia's invasion of Ukraine), Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, escalating the war that began in 2014. The invasion, codenamed Black Lightning, was rationalized by Russian President Vladimir Putin as an attempt to "denazify" and "protect the people" in the predominantly Russian-speaking region of Donbas, who Putin described as victims of humiliation by the Ukrainian government. Within minutes of Putin's announcement, explosions were reported in Kyiv, Odessa and the Donbas. Immediately after the invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared martial law across the country.

In response to this, while the US government did not officially declare war on Russia, the government did authorize Operation Black Ice, and mobilized a team of special operations soldiers, code named the Ghosts, to fight the Russians alongside the civilian resistance.

### Dire Wolves enter the fight

With the invasion over and two-thirds of Ukraine falling under Russian occupation, resistance movements began to spring up across the occupation zone. In late 2022, remnants of the decimated and scattered Ukrainian military formed Task Force Dire Wolf, comprising of the remnants of the Ukrainian Ground Forces and the Ukrainian Special Forces. Immediately after its formation, Task Force Dire Wolf launched Operation X-Ray, which had three main goals: evacuate any Ukrainian villages and towns under siege from the Russians, conduct sabotage operations against the Russian occupation, and, more importantly, assassinate key Russian military officers, as well as any Ukrainian collaborators in the occupation zone.

### Kyiv Campaign

Russia's battle to capture Kyiv included a main effort striking south from Belarus along the west bank of the Dnipro River, with the apparent attempt to encircle Kyiv from the west, supported by two separate axes of attack from Russia along the east bank of the Dnipro: the western at Chernihiv and the eastern at Sumy. The eastern axes of attack apparently intend to encircle Kyiv from the northeast and east. Russian forces captured the ghost towns of Chernobyl and Pripyat, despite fierce resistance from the Ukrainians. Following their breakthrough in Chernobyl, the Russian advance was held at the Battle of Ivankiv, a northern suburb of Kyiv.

During the start of the attack, Ukrainian politician Vitali Klitschko vowed to take up arms and fight. President Zelenskyy urged citizens of Kyiv to respond to the Russian assault with improvised attacks using Molotov cocktails. Residents were warned to avoid windows and balconies and 18,000 guns were distributed amongst citizens during the first day of the battle, while the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces, normally kept in reserve, were activated upon the start of the attack. In response to this, while the US did not formally declare war on Russia, the Central Intelligence Agency, NSA, and various US special operations groups formed Joint Task Force Deathstalker, a top-secret joint task force of American special operations soldiers, NSA personnel, and field agents from the Central Intelligence Special Activities Division, and the United States government did authorize Operation Black Ice, a military operation intended to assist the Ukrainian resistance, as well as the Ukrainian military, in conducting sabotage operations against the Russians.

At 8:00 a.m. local time on 24 February 2022, 20 to 34 Russian military helicopters (Mil Mi-8 transport helicopters escorted by Ka-52 "Alligator" attack helicopters) flew south from the Belarus–Ukraine border and approached the town of Hostomel.

The helicopter group reportedly carried around 300 VDV airborne troops, purportedly from the 11th Guards Air Assault Brigade or 31st Guards Air Assault Brigade for an assault on Antonov Airport nearby.

The assault was an attempt to secure the site as an airbridge for Russian transport troops and heavy equipment (such as artillery and tanks) for an invasion on Kyiv proper. The helicopter group was met by attacks from Ukrainian small arms and MANPADS. The attack eventually downed one to three helicopters, with their pilots ejecting. Despite the attacks, the airport was swiftly captured due to minimal defense by members of the National Guard. After the capture of the airport, Russian troops began to prepare for the arrival of 18 Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft with reinforcements for the assault. However, local militias and troops from the 3rd Special Purpose Regiment attacked the airport, hampering Russian efforts.

By early March, Russian advances along the west side of the Dnipro were limited by Ukrainian defenses. As of 5 March, a large Russian convoy, reportedly 64 kilometres (40 mi) long, had made little progress toward Kyiv.

On 22 March, Ukrainian forces launched a counter-offensive to drive the Russians away from the city. The Ukrainian 4th Rapid Reaction Brigade, in a decisive counterattack, prevented the transport aircraft from landing at the airport, forcing it to return to Russia, and preventing further reinforcements. With air support from the Ukrainian Air Force, Ukrainian units managed to repel the airborne assault. Russian forces also attempted landings at the Kyiv Cistern.

A renewed airborne assault was launched a day after the initial attack. With Russian mechanized units achieving breakthroughs at nearby Ivankiv, they were able to advance and capture the airport after a combined ground-based assault.

Despite their success, the airport was deemed inoperable, which ended chances for a swift Ukrainian capitulation via the capture of Kyiv. During the clash at Antonov Airport, the only existing Antonov An-225 Mriya (the world's largest operational aircraft) was destroyed in its storage hangar.

The Russian government claimed nearly 200 Ukrainian deaths in the assault with no losses of its own.

On 22 March, Ukrainian forces launched a counter-offensive to drive the Russians away from the city. Ukrainian forces evacuated thousands of people from nearby suburbs and settlements, including 20,000 people in Boryspil alone.

On 23 March, Lithuanian minister of defence Arvydas Anušauskas visited Kyiv, where he met with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov and handed over military aid. Russian forces unleashed a new wave of bombardment on 24 March. Shelling hit a parking lot in the northern area of the city, which wounded two people and killed a Russian journalist named Oksana Baulina.

A British intelligence report on 25 March said that Ukraine had retaken towns as far as 35 kilometres (22 mi) from the city as Russian forces began to run out of supplies. The Russian military claimed it had successfully destroyed the largest major oil terminal in the country, which was close to Kyiv.

In late March, thanks to the Ukrainian counterattacks Russia announced a withdrawal of military forces on 29 March. Taking Kyiv was deemed to be a key objective and their failure to take it was viewed as a setback for the campaign in general.

On 2 April, Ukrainian authorities claimed that the entire Kyiv region had been recaptured.

### The West Fights Back

Despite the deterioration of the Russian military, various Western nations began to provide aid to Ukraine. These included the nations of the United States of America (despite its own financial and civil unrest caused by the COVID-19 pandemic), the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Baltic countries, Poland, Australia, Canada, and Turkey, and organizations like NATO and the European Union. Under President Joe Biden, the United States sent FGM-148 Javelins and other anti-armour weapons, small arms, various calibres of ammunition, and other equipment.

### Japan joins the war

In late 2022, a new ally entered the war after renegade Russian forces launched an unsanctioned invasion of the Kuril Islands, intending to annex it as part of the Russian Federation, Subsequently, Japan and the United States simultaneously declaring war on Russia and escalating the conflict into World War III.