Browsing: Russia-Ukraine crisis

Russia-Ukraine crisis

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, marking a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014 following the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity. 

The invasion triggered Europe’s largest refugee crisis since WW2, with millions leaving the country and millions more displaced. 

Russia invades Ukraine 2022 

In 2014, at the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war, Russia annexed Crimea and Russian-backed separatists seized part of the south-eastern Donbas region of Ukraine, sparking a regional war there. 

In 2022, Russia began a large military build-up along its Ukrainian border – over 190,000 armed troops. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin had continued to deny Russia was planning an invasion until shortly before the invasion. 

In a broadcast shortly before the invasion, Putin espoused irredentist views, questioned Ukraine’s right to statehood and falsely claimed the country was being governed by neo-Nazis. Putin also claimed NATO constitutes a threat to Russia’s national security by expanding eastward since the early 2000s, which NATO disputed. Russia demanded NATO cease expansion and bar Ukraine from ever joining. The UK, USA and allies all accused Russia of planning to attack or invade Ukraine, Russian officials and state media continued to deny it up until 23 February 2022. 

The invasion began on 24 February – Putin announced it was a “special military operation” to “demilitarise and denazify” Ukraine. Russia then started missiles and airstrikes across Ukraine as well as a large ground invasion from multiple directions. 

The invasion has been widely condemned by the international community.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine hasn’t gone entirely to plan as the Russians underestimated the Ukrainian people’s will to fight for their country. 

Russia keeps air strikes on Kyiv as NATO meets EU

Zelensky’s fight for NATO membership comes as Ukraine says it shot down eleven Russian drones overnight, a second night in a row of attacks on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. FRANCE 24’s correspondent Emmanuelle Chaze gave us more on reaction from there.

Explosions reportedly caused by a drone attack on a military airbase near Moscow (Picture: Twitter)

At least four kamikaze drones were shot down by air defences in Moscow in the early hours of this morning.

Russia has accused Ukraine of launching an attack on an administrative building at the Kubinka military air base, some 48 miles southwest of the Kremlin.

A fifth drone was jammed, crashing into the Odintsovo district, the defence ministry said.

Russian news agencies reported that two drones were intercepted near a village 19 miles southwest of the Kremlin.

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One drone was also detected in the neighbouring Kaluga region.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Ukraine launched another drone attack on the Russian capital and its region, temporarily disrupting flight operations at the Vnukovo airport.

‘At this moment, the attacks have been repelled by air defence forces,’ Sobyanin said on his Telegram messaging channel.

‘All detected drones have been eliminated.’

There were no casualties or injured reported, Sobyanin added.

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