Russia Launches a Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine

At dawn on 24 February 2022, Russian military forces crossed Ukraine's borders, launching a full-scale invasion that set off what the UN described as the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War. The full-scale assault represented an escalation of the conflict that began in 2014, when Russia occupied Crimea and backed armed separatists in the eastern Donbas region. In the months preceding the 2022 campaign, Russia gathered military forces along Ukrainian borders while repeatedly denying any intention to strike. President Vladimir Putin announced what he called a special military operation, accusing Ukraine of genocide against Russian speakers. Ukraine challenged that claim under the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice, which in March 2022 ordered Russia to suspend its military operations.

The initial campaign advanced on several fronts, including toward the capital, Kyiv, and the northeastern city of Kharkiv, but Russian forces did not take Kyiv. The UN soon received reports of civilian killings in Bucha and other suburbs of the capital, and UN investigations later found evidence of war crimes in Ukraine.