A principios de 2014, las protestas de Euromaidán condujeron a la Revolución de la Dignidad y al derrocamiento del presidente prorruso de Ucrania, Viktor Yanukovych . Poco después, estallaron disturbios prorrusos en el este y el sur de Ucrania, mientras tropas rusas sin marcar ocupaban Crimea . Rusia pronto anexó Crimea después de un referéndum muy disputado . En abril de 2014, militantes respaldados por Rusia tomaron ciudades en la región oriental de Donbas de Ucrania y proclamaron la República Popular de Donetsk (DPR) y la República Popular de Luhansk (LPR) como estados independientes, iniciando la guerra de Donbas . Rusia apoyó encubiertamente a los separatistas con sus propias tropas, tanques y artillería, y Ucrania no logró recuperar completamente el territorio. En febrero de 2015, Rusia y Ucrania firmaron los acuerdos de Minsk II para poner fin al conflicto, pero nunca se implementaron por completo en los años siguientes. La guerra del Donbass se convirtió en un conflicto violento pero estático entre Ucrania y las fuerzas rusas y separatistas, con muchos breves ceses del fuego pero ninguna paz duradera y pocos cambios en el control territorial.
Las elecciones presidenciales ucranianas de 2004 fueron controvertidas. Durante la campaña electoral, el candidato de la oposición Viktor Yushchenko fue envenenado con dioxina TCDD ; [15] [16] más tarde acusó a Rusia de estar implicada. [17] En noviembre, el primer ministro Viktor Yanukovych fue declarado ganador, a pesar de las acusaciones de manipulación de votos por parte de los observadores electorales. [18] Durante un período de dos meses que se conoció como la Revolución Naranja, grandes protestas pacíficas desafiaron con éxito el resultado. Después de que la Corte Suprema de Ucrania anulara el resultado inicial debido a un fraude electoral generalizado , se realizó una segunda vuelta , llevando al poder a Yushchenko como presidente y a Yulia Tymoshenko como primera ministra, y dejando a Yanukovych en la oposición. [19] La Revolución Naranja a menudo se agrupa junto con otros movimientos de protesta de principios del siglo XXI, particularmente dentro de la ex URSS , conocidos como revoluciones de colores . Según Anthony Cordesman , los oficiales militares rusos vieron estas revoluciones de colores como intentos de los Estados Unidos y los estados europeos de desestabilizar a los países vecinos y socavar la seguridad nacional de Rusia. [20] El presidente ruso , Vladimir Putin, acusó a los organizadores de las protestas rusas de 2011-2013 de ser ex asesores de Yushchenko, y describió las protestas como un intento de transferir la Revolución Naranja a Rusia. [21] Las manifestaciones a favor de Putin durante este período fueron llamadas " protestas anti-Naranja ". [22]
En la cumbre de Bucarest de 2008 , Ucrania y Georgia pidieron unirse a la OTAN. La respuesta entre los miembros de la OTAN estuvo dividida. Los países de Europa occidental se opusieron a ofrecer Planes de Acción para la Adhesión (PAA) a Ucrania y Georgia para evitar antagonizar a Rusia, mientras que el presidente estadounidense George W. Bush presionó para su admisión. [23] La OTAN finalmente se negó a ofrecer MAP a Ucrania y Georgia, pero también emitió una declaración en la que acordaba que "estos países se convertirán en miembros de la OTAN" en algún momento. Putin se opuso firmemente a las solicitudes de membresía de Georgia y Ucrania. [24] Para enero de 2022, la posibilidad de que Ucrania se uniera a la OTAN seguía siendo remota. [25]
En 2009, Yanukóvich anunció su intención de volver a presentarse como candidato a la presidencia en las elecciones presidenciales ucranianas de 2010 , [26] que posteriormente ganó. [27] En noviembre de 2013, una gran ola de protestas a favor de la Unión Europea (UE) estalló en respuesta a la repentina decisión de Yanukóvich de no firmar el Acuerdo de Asociación UE-Ucrania , optando en su lugar por lazos más estrechos con Rusia y la Unión Económica Euroasiática . El 22 de febrero de 2013, el parlamento ucraniano aprobó por abrumadora mayoría la finalización del acuerdo de Ucrania con la UE. [28] Posteriormente, Rusia presionó a Ucrania para que rechazara este acuerdo amenazando con sanciones . El asesor del Kremlin, Serguéi Glaziev, declaró que si se firmaba el acuerdo, Rusia no podría garantizar el estatus de Ucrania como Estado. [29] [30]
Euromaidán, revolución de la dignidad y disturbios prorrusos
El 21 de febrero de 2014, tras meses de protestas en el marco del movimiento Euromaidán , Yanukovych y los líderes de la oposición parlamentaria firmaron un acuerdo de conciliación que preveía la celebración de elecciones anticipadas. Al día siguiente, Yanukovych huyó de la capital antes de que se votara su destitución, lo que lo despojaría de sus poderes como presidente. [31] [32] [33] [34] El 23 de febrero, la Rada (Parlamento ucraniano) aprobó un proyecto de ley para derogar la ley de 2012 que convertía al ruso en lengua oficial. [35] El proyecto de ley no se promulgó , [36] pero la propuesta provocó reacciones negativas en las regiones rusoparlantes de Ucrania, [37] intensificadas por los medios rusos que afirmaban que la población étnica rusa estaba en peligro inminente. [38]
El 27 de febrero se formó un gobierno provisional y se convocaron elecciones presidenciales anticipadas. Al día siguiente, Yanukovych reapareció en Rusia y, en una conferencia de prensa, declaró que seguía siendo el presidente interino de Ucrania, justo cuando Rusia estaba iniciando una campaña militar en Crimea. Los líderes de las regiones orientales de Ucrania de habla rusa declararon su lealtad continua a Yanukovych, [32] [39] lo que desencadenó los disturbios prorrusos de 2014 en Ucrania .
Al comienzo del conflicto de Crimea , Rusia tenía aproximadamente 12.000 efectivos militares de la Flota del Mar Negro , [38] en varios lugares de la península de Crimea, como Sebastopol, Kacha , Hvardiiske, Simferopol Raion , Sarych y otros. En 2005 estalló una disputa entre Rusia y Ucrania por el control del faro del cabo Sarych cerca de Yalta, y una serie de otras balizas. [40] [41] La presencia rusa fue permitida por el acuerdo de base y tránsito con Ucrania. Según este acuerdo, el ejército ruso en Crimea estaba limitado a un máximo de 25.000 tropas. Rusia estaba obligada a respetar la soberanía de Ucrania, honrar su legislación, no interferir en los asuntos internos del país y mostrar sus "tarjetas de identificación militar" al cruzar la frontera internacional. [42] Al comienzo del conflicto, el generoso límite de tropas del acuerdo permitió a Rusia fortalecer significativamente su presencia militar, desplegar fuerzas especiales y otras capacidades necesarias para llevar a cabo la operación en Crimea, con el pretexto de abordar las preocupaciones de seguridad. [38]
Según el tratado original sobre la división de la Flota del Mar Negro soviética firmado en 1997, a Rusia se le permitió tener sus bases militares en Crimea hasta 2017, después de lo cual evacuaría todas las unidades militares, incluida su parte de la Flota del Mar Negro, de la República Autónoma de Crimea y Sebastopol. El 21 de abril de 2010, el expresidente ucraniano Víktor Yanukóvich firmó un nuevo acuerdo con Rusia, conocido como el Pacto de Járkov , para resolver la disputa de gas entre Rusia y Ucrania de 2009. El pacto extendió la estancia de Rusia en Crimea hasta 2042, con una opción de renovación. [43]
Legalidad y declaración de guerra
No se ha emitido ninguna declaración formal de guerra en la actual guerra ruso-ucraniana. Cuando Putin anunció la invasión rusa de Ucrania en 2022 , afirmó que iniciaría una " operación militar especial ", eludiendo una declaración formal de guerra. [44] Sin embargo, el gobierno ucraniano consideró la declaración como una declaración de guerra [45] y muchas fuentes de noticias internacionales la informaron como tal. [46] [47] Si bien el parlamento ucraniano se refiere a Rusia como un "estado terrorista" con respecto a sus acciones militares en Ucrania, [48] no ha emitido una declaración formal de guerra en su nombre.
La intensificación de las operaciones militares rusas en la frontera oriental de Ucrania en febrero y marzo de 2014Bloqueo de unidades militares de las Fuerzas Armadas de Ucrania durante la ocupación de Crimea por Rusia en febrero-marzo de 2014Tropas rusas bloquean la base militar ucraniana en Perevalne
A finales de febrero de 2014, Rusia comenzó a ocupar Crimea , lo que marcó el comienzo de la guerra ruso-ucraniana. [63] [64] [65] [66] El 22 y 23 de febrero, en el relativo vacío de poder inmediatamente después del derrocamiento de Yanukovych, [67] las tropas rusas y las fuerzas especiales se trasladaron cerca de la frontera con Crimea. [65] El 27 de febrero, las fuerzas rusas sin insignias comenzaron a ocupar Crimea. [68] [69] Rusia negó constantemente que los soldados fueran suyos, y en cambio afirmó que eran unidades locales de "autodefensa". Se apoderaron del parlamento de Crimea y de los edificios gubernamentales , además de establecer puestos de control para restringir el movimiento y aislar la península de Crimea del resto de Ucrania. [70] [71] [72] [73] En los días siguientes, fuerzas especiales rusas sin distintivos ocuparon aeropuertos y centros de comunicaciones, [74] y bloquearon bases militares ucranianas, como la Base Naval del Sur . Los ciberataques rusos cerraron sitios web asociados con el gobierno ucraniano, medios de comunicación y redes sociales. Los ciberataques también permitieron a Rusia acceder a los teléfonos móviles de funcionarios y miembros del parlamento ucranianos, lo que interrumpió aún más las comunicaciones. [75] El 1 de marzo, el parlamento ruso aprobó el uso de las fuerzas armadas en Crimea. [74]
Mientras las fuerzas especiales rusas ocupaban el parlamento de Crimea, destituyeron al gobierno crimeo , instalaron al gobierno prorruso de Aksyonov y anunciaron un referéndum sobre el estatus de Crimea . El referéndum se celebró bajo ocupación rusa y, según las autoridades instaladas por Rusia, el resultado fue a favor de la anexión a Rusia. Crimea se anexó el 18 de marzo de 2014. Después de esto, las fuerzas rusas tomaron bases militares ucranianas en Crimea y capturaron a su personal. El 24 de marzo, Ucrania ordenó a sus tropas restantes que se retiraran; el 30 de marzo, todas las fuerzas ucranianas habían abandonado la península.
El 15 de abril, el parlamento ucraniano declaró a Crimea un territorio ocupado temporalmente por Rusia . [76] Después de la anexión, el gobierno ruso militarizó la península y realizó amenazas nucleares. [77] Putin dijo que se establecería una fuerza de tarea militar rusa en Crimea. [78] En noviembre, la OTAN declaró que creía que Rusia estaba desplegando armas con capacidad nuclear en Crimea. [79] Después de la anexión de Crimea, algunos miembros de la OTAN comenzaron a brindar entrenamiento al ejército ucraniano. [80]
La guerra en el Donbás (2014-2015)
Despliegue de tropas ucranianas en respuesta a maniobras rusas. Principios de marzo de 2014.
Disturbios a favor de Rusia
Desde finales de febrero de 2014, se produjeron manifestaciones de grupos prorrusos y antigubernamentales en las principales ciudades de las regiones oriental y meridional de Ucrania . [81] Las primeras protestas en el sur y el este de Ucrania fueron en gran medida expresiones nativas de descontento con el nuevo gobierno ucraniano. [81] [82] La participación rusa en esta etapa se limitó a expresar su apoyo a las manifestaciones. [82] [83] Sin embargo, Rusia explotó esto, lanzando una campaña política y militar coordinada contra Ucrania. [82] [84] Putin dio legitimidad a los separatistas cuando describió al Donbás como parte de la " Nueva Rusia " ( Novorossiya ), y expresó su desconcierto sobre cómo la región había llegado a ser parte de Ucrania. [85]
Rusia continuó reuniendo fuerzas cerca de la frontera oriental de Ucrania a fines de marzo, alcanzando entre 30.000 y 40.000 tropas en abril. [86] [38] El despliegue se utilizó para amenazar con una escalada e interrumpir la respuesta de Ucrania. [38] Esta amenaza obligó a Ucrania a desviar fuerzas a sus fronteras en lugar de a la zona de conflicto. [38]
Las autoridades ucranianas reprimieron las protestas prorrusas y arrestaron a los líderes separatistas locales a principios de marzo. Esos líderes fueron reemplazados por personas con vínculos con los servicios de seguridad rusos e intereses en empresas rusas. [87] Para abril de 2014, los ciudadanos rusos habían tomado el control del movimiento separatista, apoyados por voluntarios y material de Rusia, incluidos combatientes chechenos y cosacos . [88] [89] [90] [91] Según el comandante de la República Popular de Donetsk (RPD) , Igor Girkin , sin este apoyo en abril, el movimiento se habría disipado, como sucedió en Járkov y Odesa . [92] Los grupos separatistas celebraron referendos controvertidos en mayo, [93] [94] [95] que no fueron reconocidos por Ucrania ni ningún otro estado miembro de la ONU. [93]
Conflicto armado
Respuesta de Ucrania a las actividades rusas en el Donbás tras la toma de Slaviansk el 12 de abril. Abril-mayo de 2014.
En abril de 2014, comenzó un conflicto armado en el este de Ucrania entre los separatistas apoyados por Rusia y Ucrania. El 12 de abril, una unidad de cincuenta hombres de militantes prorrusos tomó las ciudades de Sloviansk y Kramatorsk . [96] Los hombres fuertemente armados eran "voluntarios" de las Fuerzas Armadas rusas bajo el mando del ex coronel del GRU Ígor Girkin ('Strelkov'). [96] [97] Habían sido enviados desde Crimea ocupada por Rusia y no llevaban insignias . [96] Girkin dijo que esta acción desencadenó la Guerra del Donbás. Dijo: "Yo soy el que apretó el gatillo de la guerra. Si nuestra unidad no hubiera cruzado la frontera, todo habría fracasado". [98] [99]
En respuesta, el 15 de abril el gobierno interino ucraniano lanzó una " Operación Antiterrorista " (ATO); sin embargo, las fuerzas ucranianas estaban mal preparadas y mal posicionadas y la operación se estancó rápidamente. [100] A fines de abril, Ucrania anunció que había perdido el control de las provincias de Donetsk y Luhansk. Afirmó estar en "alerta de combate total" contra una posible invasión rusa y restableció el reclutamiento en sus fuerzas armadas. [101] Durante mayo, la campaña ucraniana se centró en contener a los separatistas asegurando posiciones clave alrededor de la zona ATO para posicionar al ejército para una ofensiva decisiva una vez que se hubiera completado la movilización nacional de Ucrania.
El 17 de julio de 2014, fuerzas controladas por Rusia derribaron un avión de pasajeros, el vuelo 17 de Malaysia Airlines , cuando volaba sobre el este de Ucrania. [107] Las investigaciones y la recuperación de cadáveres comenzaron en la zona de conflicto mientras continuaban los combates. [108] [109] [110]
A finales de julio, las fuerzas ucranianas estaban avanzando hacia las ciudades para cortar las rutas de suministro entre ambas, aislando a Donetsk e intentando recuperar el control de la frontera ruso-ucraniana . Para el 28 de julio, las alturas estratégicas de Savur-Mohyla estaban bajo control ucraniano, junto con la ciudad de Debaltseve , un importante centro ferroviario. [111] Estos éxitos operativos de las fuerzas ucranianas amenazaron la existencia de los pequeños estados de la RPD y la RPL, lo que provocó bombardeos transfronterizos rusos dirigidos a las tropas ucranianas en su propio suelo, desde mediados de julio en adelante. [112]
Invasión rusa de agosto de 2014
Mapa de progresión junio-agosto 2014
Después de una serie de derrotas militares y reveses para los separatistas, que se unieron bajo la bandera de " Novorossiya ", [113] [114] Rusia envió lo que llamó un "convoy humanitario" de camiones a través de la frontera a mediados de agosto de 2014. Ucrania calificó la medida como una "invasión directa". [115] El Consejo de Seguridad Nacional y Defensa de Ucrania informó que los convoyes llegaban casi a diario en noviembre (hasta 9 convoyes el 30 de noviembre) y que su contenido era principalmente armas y municiones. Strelkov afirmó que a principios de agosto, militares rusos, supuestamente de "vacaciones" del ejército, comenzaron a llegar al Donbás. [116]
En agosto de 2014, la "Operación Antiterrorista" ucraniana redujo el territorio bajo control prorruso y se acercó a la frontera. [117] Igor Girkin instó a la intervención militar rusa y dijo que la inexperiencia en combate de sus fuerzas irregulares, junto con las dificultades de reclutamiento entre la población local, habían causado los reveses. Afirmó que "perder esta guerra en el territorio que el presidente Vladimir Putin llamó personalmente Nueva Rusia amenazaría el poder del Kremlin y, personalmente, el poder del presidente". [118]
En respuesta al deterioro de la situación, Rusia abandonó su enfoque híbrido y comenzó una invasión convencional el 25 de agosto de 2014. [117] [119] Al día siguiente, el Ministerio de Defensa ruso dijo que estos soldados habían cruzado la frontera "por accidente". [120] [121] [122] Según las estimaciones de Nikolai Mitrokhin, a mediados de agosto de 2014, durante la Batalla de Ilovaisk , entre 20.000 y 25.000 soldados luchaban en el Donbás en el lado separatista, y solo el 40-45% eran "locales". [123]
El 24 de agosto de 2014, Amvrosiivka fue ocupada por paracaidistas rusos, [124] apoyados por 250 vehículos blindados y piezas de artillería. [125] El mismo día, el presidente ucraniano Petro Poroshenko se refirió a la operación como la "Guerra Patriótica de 2014" de Ucrania y una guerra contra la agresión externa. [126] [127] El 25 de agosto, se informó de que una columna de vehículos militares rusos había cruzado a Ucrania cerca de Novoazovsk en la costa del mar de Azov . Parecía dirigirse hacia Mariupol , en poder de Ucrania , [128] [129] [130] [131] [132] en un área que no había visto presencia prorrusa durante semanas. [133] Las fuerzas rusas capturaron Novoazovsk . [134] y los soldados rusos comenzaron a deportar a los ucranianos que no tenían una dirección registrada dentro de la ciudad. [135] En Mariupol se produjeron protestas contra la guerra a favor de Ucrania . [135] [136] El Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU convocó una reunión de emergencia. [137]
Residentes de Kiev con voluntarios del Batallón Sich el 26 de agosto de 2014
El presidente de la cámara alta del parlamento ruso y los canales de televisión estatales rusos reconocieron que los soldados rusos entraron en Ucrania, pero se refirieron a ellos como "voluntarios". [139] Un reportero de Novaya Gazeta , un periódico de la oposición en Rusia, afirmó que el liderazgo militar ruso pagó a los soldados para que renunciaran a sus comisiones y lucharan en Ucrania a principios del verano de 2014, y luego comenzó a ordenar el ingreso de soldados a Ucrania. [140] El diputado de la oposición rusa Lev Shlosberg hizo declaraciones similares, aunque dijo que los combatientes de su país son "tropas rusas regulares", disfrazadas de unidades de la RPD y la RPL. [141]
A principios de septiembre de 2014, los canales de televisión estatales rusos informaron sobre los funerales de los soldados rusos que habían muerto en Ucrania, pero los describieron como "voluntarios" que luchaban por el " mundo ruso ". Valentina Matviyenko , una importante política de Rusia Unida , también elogió a los "voluntarios" que luchan en "nuestra nación fraternal". [139] La televisión estatal rusa mostró por primera vez el funeral de un soldado muerto en combate en Ucrania. [142]
Ofensiva de Mariupol y primer alto el fuego en Minsk
Mapa de la línea de control y la zona de amortiguación establecidas por el Protocolo de Minsk el 5 de septiembre de 2014
El 3 de septiembre, Poroshenko dijo que él y Putin habían llegado a un acuerdo de "alto el fuego permanente". [143] Rusia lo negó, negando que fuera parte del conflicto, añadiendo que "sólo discutieron cómo resolver el conflicto". [144] [145] Poroshenko luego se retractó. [146] [147] El 5 de septiembre, el Representante Permanente de Rusia ante la OSCE, Andrey Kelin , dijo que era natural que los separatistas prorrusos "fueran a liberar" Mariupol . Las fuerzas ucranianas declararon que se habían visto grupos de inteligencia rusos en la zona. Kelin dijo que "podría haber voluntarios allí". [148] El 4 de septiembre de 2014, un oficial de la OTAN dijo que varios miles de fuerzas regulares rusas estaban operando en Ucrania. [149]
El 5 de septiembre de 2014, el acuerdo de alto el fuego del Protocolo de Minsk trazó una línea de demarcación entre Ucrania y partes controladas por los separatistas de las provincias de Donetsk y Luhansk.
Finales de 2014 y acuerdo de Minsk II
El 7 y el 12 de noviembre, los funcionarios de la OTAN reconfirmaron la presencia rusa, citando 32 tanques, 16 cañones obuses y 30 camiones de tropas que ingresaron al país. [150] El general estadounidense Philip M. Breedlove dijo que se habían avistado "tanques rusos, artillería rusa, sistemas de defensa aérea rusos y tropas de combate rusas". [79] [151] La OTAN dijo que había visto un aumento en los tanques rusos, piezas de artillería y otro equipo militar pesado en Ucrania y renovó su llamado a Moscú para que retire sus fuerzas. [152] El Consejo de Asuntos Globales de Chicago declaró que los separatistas rusos disfrutaban de ventajas técnicas sobre el ejército ucraniano desde la gran afluencia de sistemas militares avanzados a mediados de 2014: armas antiaéreas efectivas (" Buk ", MANPADS) suprimieron los ataques aéreos ucranianos, los drones rusos proporcionaron inteligencia y el sistema de comunicaciones seguras ruso interrumpió la inteligencia de las comunicaciones ucranianas. El lado ruso empleó sistemas de guerra electrónica de los que Ucrania carecía. Conclusiones similares sobre la ventaja técnica de los separatistas rusos fueron expresadas por el Centro de Investigación de Estudios de Conflictos. [153] En la reunión del Consejo de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas del 12 de noviembre, el representante del Reino Unido acusó a Rusia de limitar intencionalmente las capacidades de las misiones de observación de la OSCE , afirmando que a los observadores se les permitió monitorear solo dos kilómetros de frontera y que los drones desplegados para ampliar sus capacidades fueron bloqueados o derribados. [154] [ fuente no primaria necesaria ]
Rebeldes prorrusos en Donetsk en mayo de 2015. Ucrania declaró que las repúblicas separatistas apoyadas por Rusia del este del país eran organizaciones terroristas . [155]
En enero de 2015, Donetsk , Luhansk y Mariupol representaban los tres frentes de batalla. [156] Poroshenko describió una peligrosa escalada el 21 de enero en medio de informes de más de 2.000 tropas rusas adicionales, 200 tanques y vehículos de transporte de personal armados cruzando la frontera. Abrevió su visita al Foro Económico Mundial debido a sus preocupaciones. [157]
El 15 de febrero de 2015 se acordó un nuevo paquete de medidas para poner fin al conflicto, conocido como Minsk II . [158] El 18 de febrero, las fuerzas ucranianas se retiraron de Debatlseve , en la última batalla de alta intensidad de la guerra del Donbás hasta 2022. En septiembre de 2015, la Oficina de Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas estimó que el conflicto había provocado 8000 víctimas. [159]
La línea de conflicto se estabiliza (2015-2022)
El presidente ucraniano , Petro Poroshenko, inspecciona las posiciones de los soldados ucranianos en la línea del frente en la región de Donetsk en junio de 2016
Después de los acuerdos de Minsk, la guerra se convirtió en una guerra de trincheras estática alrededor de la línea de contacto acordada, con pocos cambios en el control territorial. El conflicto estuvo marcado por duelos de artillería, operaciones de fuerzas especiales y guerra de trincheras . Las hostilidades nunca cesaron durante un período de tiempo sustancial, sino que continuaron a un nivel bajo a pesar de los repetidos intentos de alto el fuego. En los meses posteriores a la caída de Debáltseve, continuaron pequeñas escaramuzas a lo largo de la línea de contacto, pero no se produjeron cambios territoriales. Ambos bandos comenzaron a fortificar su posición construyendo redes de trincheras , búnkeres y túneles , convirtiendo el conflicto en una guerra de trincheras estática . [160] [161] El conflicto relativamente estático fue etiquetado como " congelado " por algunos, [162] pero Rusia nunca lo logró ya que los combates nunca se detuvieron. [163] [164] Entre 2014 y 2022 hubo 29 ceses del fuego , cada uno acordado para permanecer en vigor indefinidamente. Sin embargo, ninguno de ellos duró más de dos semanas. [165]
Los funcionarios estadounidenses e internacionales siguieron informando sobre la presencia activa de militares rusos en el este de Ucrania, incluida la zona de Debáltseve. [166] En 2015, se estimó que las fuerzas separatistas rusas sumaban alrededor de 36.000 soldados (en comparación con 34.000 ucranianos), de los cuales entre 8.500 y 10.000 eran soldados rusos. Además, alrededor de 1.000 tropas del GRU operaban en la zona. [167] Otra estimación de 2015 sostenía que las fuerzas ucranianas superaban en número a las fuerzas rusas en 40.000 a 20.000. [168] En 2017, en promedio un soldado ucraniano murió en combate cada tres días, [169] con un estimado de 6.000 tropas rusas y 40.000 separatistas en la región. [170] [171]
Los medios de comunicación rusos locales hablaron de casos de soldados rusos muertos y heridos. [172] El reclutamiento para el Donbass se llevó a cabo abiertamente a través de organizaciones de veteranos y paramilitares. Vladimir Yefimov, líder de una de esas organizaciones, explicó cómo funcionaba el proceso en la zona de los Urales . La organización reclutaba principalmente a veteranos del ejército, pero también a policías, bomberos, etc. con experiencia militar. El coste de equipar a un voluntario se estimó en 350.000 rublos (alrededor de 6.500 dólares) más un salario de 60.000 a 240.000 rublos al mes. [173] Los reclutas recibían armas sólo después de llegar a la zona de conflicto. A menudo, las tropas rusas viajaban disfrazadas de personal de la Cruz Roja. [174] [175] [176] [177] Igor Trunov, jefe de la Cruz Roja rusa en Moscú, condenó estos convoyes, diciendo que complicaban la entrega de ayuda humanitaria. [178] Rusia se negó a permitir que la OSCE ampliara su misión más allá de dos cruces fronterizos. [179]
A los voluntarios se les entregó un documento en el que se afirmaba que su participación se limitaba a “ofrecer ayuda humanitaria” para evitar las leyes rusas contra los mercenarios . La legislación rusa contra los mercenarios define a un mercenario como alguien que “participa [en combates] con fines contrarios a los intereses de la Federación Rusa”. [173]
En agosto de 2016, el servicio de inteligencia ucraniano, el SBU, publicó interceptaciones telefónicas de 2014 de Sergey Glazyev (asesor presidencial ruso), Konstantin Zatulin y otras personas en las que discutían la financiación encubierta de activistas prorrusos en el este de Ucrania, la ocupación de edificios administrativos y otras acciones que desencadenaron el conflicto. [180] Ya en febrero de 2014, Glazyev dio instrucciones directas a varios partidos prorrusos sobre cómo hacerse cargo de las oficinas de la administración local, qué hacer después, cómo formular demandas y prometió el apoyo de Rusia, incluido "el envío de nuestros muchachos". [181] [182] [183]
Separatistas apoyados por Rusia en mayo de 2016
Incidente del estrecho de Kerch de 2018
El incidente del estrecho de Kerch en el paso entre los mares Negro y Azov
Rusia obtuvo el control de facto del estrecho de Kerch en 2014. En 2017, Ucrania apeló a un tribunal de arbitraje sobre el uso del estrecho. Para 2018, Rusia había construido un puente sobre el estrecho, limitando el tamaño de los barcos que podían pasar, impuso nuevas regulaciones y detuvo repetidamente a los buques ucranianos. [184] El 25 de noviembre de 2018, tres barcos ucranianos que viajaban de Odesa a Mariupol fueron capturados por buques de guerra rusos; 24 marineros ucranianos fueron detenidos. [185] [186] Un día después, el 26 de noviembre de 2018, el parlamento ucraniano respaldó abrumadoramente la imposición de la ley marcial a lo largo de las regiones costeras de Ucrania y las que limitan con Rusia. [187]
Más de 110 soldados ucranianos murieron en el conflicto en 2019. [188] En mayo de 2019, el recién elegido presidente ucraniano Volodymyr Zelenskyy asumió el cargo prometiendo poner fin a la guerra en el Donbás. [188] En diciembre de 2019, Ucrania y los separatistas prorrusos comenzaron a intercambiar prisioneros de guerra . Alrededor de 200 prisioneros fueron intercambiados el 29 de diciembre de 2019. [189] [190] [191] [192] Según las autoridades ucranianas, 50 soldados ucranianos murieron en 2020. [193] Entre 2019 y 2021, Rusia emitió más de 650.000 pasaportes rusos internos a ucranianos. [194] [195]
En 2019 hubo 27 muertes de civiles relacionadas con el conflicto, 26 muertes en 2020 y 25 muertes en 2021, más de la mitad de ellas a causa de minas y municiones sin detonar . [196]
Invasión rusa de Ucrania (2022)
Preludio
Entre marzo y abril de 2021, Rusia inició una importante concentración militar cerca de la frontera, seguida de una segunda concentración entre octubre de 2021 y febrero de 2022 en Rusia y Bielorrusia. [197] Durante todo ese tiempo, el gobierno ruso negó repetidamente que tuviera planes de atacar a Ucrania. [198] [199]
A principios de diciembre de 2021, tras las negaciones rusas, Estados Unidos publicó información de inteligencia sobre los planes de invasión rusos, incluidas fotografías satelitales que mostraban tropas y equipos rusos cerca de la frontera. [200] La inteligencia informó sobre una lista rusa de lugares y personas clave que debían ser asesinados o neutralizados. [201] Estados Unidos publicó múltiples informes que predijeron con precisión los planes de invasión. [201]
La viceprimera ministra ucraniana, Olha Stefanishyna, con el secretario general de la OTAN, Jens Stoltenberg, en una conferencia el 10 de enero de 2022 sobre una posible invasión rusa
En los meses previos a la invasión, los funcionarios rusos acusaron a Ucrania de incitar tensiones, rusofobia y reprimir a los rusohablantes . Hicieron múltiples demandas de seguridad a Ucrania, la OTAN y otros países de la UE. El 9 de diciembre de 2021, Putin dijo que "la rusofobia es un primer paso hacia el genocidio ". [202] [203] Las afirmaciones de Putin fueron rechazadas por la comunidad internacional, [204] y las afirmaciones rusas de genocidio fueron rechazadas por infundadas. [205] [206] [207] En un discurso del 21 de febrero, [208] Putin cuestionó la legitimidad del estado ucraniano, repitiendo una afirmación inexacta de que "Ucrania nunca tuvo una tradición de estado genuino". [209] Afirmó incorrectamente que Vladimir Lenin había creado Ucrania, al forjar una República Soviética separada de lo que Putin dijo que era tierra rusa, y que Nikita Khrushchev "le quitó Crimea a Rusia por alguna razón y se la dio a Ucrania" en 1954. [210]
Mapa e imágenes de la evaluación de inteligencia estadounidense sobre el movimiento militar ruso cerca de la frontera con Ucrania, al 3 de diciembre de 2021. Evaluó que Rusia había desplegado alrededor de 70.000 efectivos militares, principalmente a unos 100-200 kilómetros (62-124 millas) de la frontera con Ucrania, con una evaluación que podría aumentar a 175.000 efectivos. Publicado por The Washington Post . [211]
Durante la segunda fase de preparación, el gobierno ruso exigió a la OTAN que pusiera fin a toda actividad en sus estados miembros de Europa del Este y prohibiera a Ucrania o a cualquier otro estado ex soviético unirse a la OTAN, entre otras demandas. [212] Un tratado para impedir que Ucrania se una a la OTAN iría en contra de la política de " puertas abiertas " de la alianza y del derecho de los países a elegir su propia seguridad, [213] aunque la OTAN no había avanzado en las solicitudes de adhesión de Ucrania. [214] El Secretario General de la OTAN, Jens Stoltenberg, respondió que "Rusia no tiene voz ni voto" sobre si Ucrania se une, y que "Rusia no tiene derecho a establecer una esfera de influencia para tratar de controlar a sus vecinos". [215] La OTAN ofreció mejorar la comunicación con Rusia y discutir límites a la colocación de misiles y ejercicios militares, siempre y cuando Rusia retirara tropas de las fronteras de Ucrania, [216] pero Rusia no se retiró.
Escalada
Los combates en el Donbás se intensificaron significativamente a partir del 17 de febrero de 2022. [217] Los ucranianos y los separatistas prorrusos se acusaron mutuamente de ataques. [218] [219] Hubo un fuerte aumento de los bombardeos de artillería por parte de los militantes liderados por Rusia en el Donbás, lo que Ucrania y sus partidarios consideraron un intento de provocar al ejército ucraniano o crear un pretexto para la invasión. [220] [221] [222] El 18 de febrero, las repúblicas populares de Donetsk y Luhansk ordenaron evacuaciones de emergencia obligatorias de civiles de sus respectivas capitales, [223] [224] [225] aunque los observadores señalaron que las evacuaciones completas tardarían meses. [226] El gobierno ruso intensificó su campaña de desinformación , con los medios estatales rusos promocionando vídeos fabricados ( falsas banderas ) casi cada hora que pretendían mostrar a las fuerzas ucranianas atacando a Rusia. [227] Muchos de los videos de desinformación eran amateurs, y la evidencia mostraba que los supuestos ataques, explosiones y evacuaciones en el Donbass fueron organizados por Rusia. [227] [228] [229]
Discurso de Putin a la nación el 21 de febrero (subtítulos en inglés disponibles)
El 21 de febrero a las 22:35 (UTC+3), [230] Putin anunció que el gobierno ruso reconocería diplomáticamente a las repúblicas populares de Donetsk y Luhansk. [231] Esa misma tarde, Putin ordenó que las tropas rusas se desplegaran en el Donbás, en lo que Rusia denominó una " misión de mantenimiento de la paz ". [232] [233] El 22 de febrero, el Consejo de la Federación autorizó por unanimidad a Putin a utilizar la fuerza militar fuera de Rusia. [234] En respuesta, Zelenskyy ordenó el reclutamiento de reservistas del ejército ; [235] Al día siguiente, el parlamento de Ucrania proclamó un estado de emergencia nacional de 30 días y ordenó la movilización de todos los reservistas. [236] [237] [238] Rusia comenzó a evacuar su embajada en Kiev. [239]
En la noche del 23 de febrero, [240] Zelenskyy pronunció un discurso en ruso en el que hizo un llamamiento a los ciudadanos de Rusia para que impidieran la guerra. [241] [242] Rechazó las afirmaciones de Rusia sobre los neonazis y declaró que no tenía intención de atacar el Donbás. [243] El portavoz del Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov , dijo el 23 de febrero que los líderes separatistas de Donetsk y Luhansk habían enviado una carta a Putin declarando que los bombardeos ucranianos habían causado muertes de civiles y pidiendo apoyo militar. [244]
Invasión a gran escala
Mapa animado de la invasión rusa de Ucrania hasta el 5 de diciembre de 2022 (haga clic para reproducir la animación)Soldados ucranianos muertos en la guerra ruso-ucraniana en 2022
La invasión rusa de Ucrania comenzó en la mañana del 24 de febrero de 2022, [245] cuando Putin anunció una "operación militar especial" para " desmilitarizar y desnazificar " Ucrania. [246] [247] Minutos después, misiles y ataques aéreos impactaron en toda Ucrania, incluida Kiev , poco seguidos por una gran invasión terrestre a lo largo de múltiples frentes. [248] [249] Zelenskyy declaró la ley marcial y una movilización general de todos los ciudadanos ucranianos varones entre 18 y 60 años, a quienes se les prohibió salir del país. [250] [251]
Los ataques rusos se lanzaron inicialmente en un frente norte desde Bielorrusia hacia Kiev, un frente sur desde Crimea y un frente sureste desde Luhansk y Donetsk y hacia Járkov . [252] [253] En el frente norte, en medio de fuertes pérdidas y una fuerte resistencia ucraniana que rodeaba Kiev, el avance de Rusia se estancó en marzo y en abril sus tropas se retiraron. El 8 de abril, Rusia colocó sus fuerzas en el sur y el este de Ucrania bajo el mando del general Aleksandr Dvornikov , y algunas unidades retiradas del norte fueron redistribuidas al Donbás. [254] El 19 de abril, Rusia lanzó un nuevo ataque a lo largo de un frente de 500 kilómetros (300 millas) de largo que se extendía desde Járkov hasta Donetsk y Luhansk. [255] Para el 13 de mayo, una contraofensiva ucraniana había hecho retroceder a las fuerzas rusas cerca de Járkov. Para el 20 de mayo, Mariúpol cayó ante las tropas rusas después de un asedio prolongado a la acería Azovstal . [256] [257] Las fuerzas rusas continuaron bombardeando objetivos militares y civiles lejos de la línea del frente. [258] [259] La guerra causó la mayor crisis humanitaria y de refugiados en Europa desde las guerras yugoslavas en la década de 1990; [260] [261] la ONU la describió como la crisis de este tipo de más rápido crecimiento desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial. [262] En la primera semana de la invasión, la ONU informó que más de un millón de refugiados habían huido de Ucrania; esta cifra aumentó posteriormente a más de 7.405.590 el 24 de septiembre, una reducción de más de ocho millones debido al regreso de algunos refugiados. [263] [264]
Las fuerzas ucranianas lanzaron contraofensivas en el sur en agosto de 2022 y en el noreste en septiembre de 2022. El 30 de septiembre, Rusia se anexionó cuatro óblasts de Ucrania que había conquistado parcialmente durante la invasión. [271] Esta anexión fue generalmente no reconocida y condenada por los países del mundo. [272] Después de que Putin anunciara que comenzaría el reclutamiento entre los 300.000 ciudadanos con entrenamiento militar y potencialmente el grupo de unos 25 millones de rusos que podrían ser elegibles para el reclutamiento, los boletos de ida para salir del país se agotaron casi o completamente. [273] [274] La ofensiva ucraniana en el noreste recuperó con éxito la mayoría del óblast de Járkov en septiembre. En el curso de la contraofensiva del sur, Ucrania recuperó la ciudad de Jersón en noviembre y las fuerzas rusas se retiraron a la orilla este del río Dniéper. [275]
En agosto de 2023, el número total de soldados rusos y ucranianos muertos o heridos durante la invasión rusa de Ucrania era de casi 500.000. [276] En noviembre de 2023, la ONU afirmó que más de 10.000 civiles habían muerto durante la invasión rusa de Ucrania, y que aproximadamente la mitad de las muertes en los tres meses anteriores al informe se habían producido muy por detrás de las líneas del frente. La ONU atribuyó las muertes muy por detrás del frente al uso ruso de misiles de largo alcance y explosiones de municiones abandonadas. [277] Según una evaluación desclasificada de la inteligencia estadounidense, en diciembre de 2023, Rusia había perdido 315.000 de los 360.000 soldados que componían la fuerza terrestre de Rusia antes de la invasión, y 2.200 de los 3.500 tanques. [278]
Campañas rusas y ofensiva ucraniana del Kursk (1 de diciembre de 2023 – presente)
Se estima que entre diciembre de 2023 y mayo de 2024 Rusia ha aumentado sus ataques con drones y misiles, disparando armas más difíciles de alcanzar, como misiles balísticos. [279] Según la misma medición, se observó que las fuerzas ucranianas tenían poca munición, en particular los sistemas Patriot que han sido "su mejor defensa contra tales ataques". [279]
En agosto de 2024, las Fuerzas Armadas de Ucrania lanzaron una incursión en la región rusa de Kursk y, según informó la parte ucraniana, en pocos días capturaron un área de hasta 350 kilómetros cuadrados. [280] Para el 19 de agosto, Ucrania había capturado a cientos de soldados rusos durante la incursión. [281]
Violaciones de derechos humanos
Civiles ucranianos ejecutados con las muñecas atadas con correas de plástico en un sótano de Bucha , 3 de abril de 2022
Durante la guerra se han producido violaciones de los derechos humanos y crímenes atroces . Entre 2014 y 2021, hubo más de 3.000 víctimas civiles , la mayoría de ellas en 2014 y 2015. [282] Se impidió el derecho de circulación de los habitantes de la zona de conflicto. [283] Ambos bandos practicaron detenciones arbitrarias en los primeros años del conflicto. Disminuyeron después de 2016 en las zonas controladas por el gobierno, mientras que continuaron en las controladas por los separatistas. [284] Las investigaciones sobre los abusos cometidos por ambos bandos avanzaron poco. [285] [286]
Desde el comienzo de la invasión rusa de Ucrania en 2022, las autoridades y fuerzas armadas rusas han cometido múltiples crímenes de guerra en forma de ataques deliberados contra objetivos civiles, [287] [288] masacres de civiles, tortura y violación de mujeres y niños, [289] [290] y muchos ataques indiscriminados [291] [292] en zonas densamente pobladas. Después de la retirada rusa de las zonas al norte de Kiev , se descubrió evidencia abrumadora de crímenes de guerra por parte de las fuerzas rusas. En particular, en la ciudad de Bucha , surgieron pruebas de una masacre de civiles perpetrada por tropas rusas, incluida tortura, mutilación, violación, saqueo y asesinatos deliberados de civiles. [293] [294] [295] la Misión de Observación de los Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas en Ucrania (ACNUDH) ha documentado el asesinato de al menos 73 civiles, en su mayoría hombres, pero también mujeres y niños, en Bucha. [296] Se encontraron más de 1.200 cadáveres de civiles en la región de Kiev después de que las fuerzas rusas se retiraran, algunos de ellos ejecutados sumariamente. Hubo informes de deportaciones forzadas de miles de civiles, incluidos niños, a Rusia, principalmente desde Mariupol, ocupada por Rusia, [297] [298] así como de violencia sexual , incluidos casos de violación, agresión sexual y violación en grupo, [299] y asesinato deliberado de civiles ucranianos por parte de las fuerzas rusas. [300] Rusia también ha atacado sistemáticamente la infraestructura médica ucraniana , y la Organización Mundial de la Salud informó de 1.422 ataques al 21 de diciembre de 2023. [301]
Las fuerzas ucranianas también han sido acusadas de cometer diversos crímenes de guerra, incluido el maltrato de detenidos. [302] [303]
A principios de mayo de 2024, Artem Lysohor , jefe de la Administración Civil y Militar Regional de Luhansk , anunció que desde el 6 de mayo de 2024 las madres que den a luz en la parte controlada por Rusia de los hospitales de la región de Luhansk tendrán que demostrar que uno de los padres del recién nacido tiene ciudadanía rusa, de lo contrario no se les permitirá salir de los hospitales con sus recién nacidos, que pueden ser llevados. [304]
En agosto de 2024, la funcionaria de la ONU Danielle Bell afirmó que el 95% de los prisioneros de guerra ucranianos habían sufrido torturas rusas (por ejemplo, palizas, descargas eléctricas o desnudez). [305]
Cuestiones relacionadas
Derrame
El 19 de septiembre de 2023, CNN informó que era "probable" que las Fuerzas de Operaciones Especiales de Ucrania estuvieran detrás de una serie de ataques con drones y una operación terrestre dirigida contra las RSF respaldadas por Wagner cerca de Jartum el 8 de septiembre. [306] Kyrylo Budanov , jefe de la Dirección Principal de Inteligencia del Ministerio de Defensa de Ucrania , declaró en una entrevista el 22 de septiembre que no podía negar ni confirmar la participación de Ucrania en el conflicto de Sudán, [307] pero dijo que Ucrania castigaría a los criminales de guerra rusos en cualquier parte del mundo. [308]
En septiembre y octubre de 2023, se informó del hallazgo de una serie de fragmentos en Rumania, un estado miembro de la OTAN, que se sospechaba que eran los restos de un ataque con aviones no tripulados rusos cerca de la frontera rumana con Ucrania . [309] [310]
Disputas por el gas y sabotaje al Nord Stream
Los principales gasoductos rusos hacia Europa
Gas natural TTF de Europa
Hasta 2014, Ucrania era la principal ruta de tránsito del gas natural ruso vendido a Europa, lo que le reportaba unos 3.000 millones de dólares al año en tarifas de tránsito, lo que lo convertía en el servicio de exportación más lucrativo del país. [311] Tras el lanzamiento por parte de Rusia del gasoducto Nord Stream , que pasa por alto Ucrania, los volúmenes de tránsito de gas disminuyeron de forma constante. [311] Tras el inicio de la guerra ruso-ucraniana en febrero de 2014, las graves tensiones se extendieron al sector del gas. [312] [313] El posterior estallido de la guerra en la región del Donbás obligó a suspender un proyecto para desarrollar las propias reservas de gas de esquisto de Ucrania en el yacimiento de gas de Yuzivska , que se había planificado como una forma de reducir la dependencia de Ucrania de las importaciones de gas ruso. [314] Finalmente, se llamó al comisario de energía de la UE, Günther Oettinger, para que negociara un acuerdo que asegurara el suministro a Ucrania y el tránsito a la UE. [315]
En 2015, los medios estatales rusos informaron que Rusia planeaba abandonar por completo el suministro de gas a Europa a través de Ucrania después de 2018. [318] [319] El gigante energético estatal ruso Gazprom ya había reducido sustancialmente los volúmenes de gas que transitaban a través de Ucrania y expresó su intención de reducir aún más el nivel mediante gasoductos de diversificación de tránsito (Turkish Stream, Nord Stream, etc.). [320] Gazprom y Ucrania acordaron un acuerdo de cinco años sobre el tránsito de gas ruso a Europa a fines de 2019. [321] [322]
En mayo de 2021, la administración Biden levantó las sanciones CAATSA de Trump a la empresa detrás del gasoducto ruso Nord Stream 2 a Alemania. [325] [326] El presidente ucraniano Zelenskyy dijo que estaba "sorprendido" y "decepcionado" por la decisión de Joe Biden . [327] En julio de 2021, Estados Unidos instó a Ucrania a no criticar un próximo acuerdo con Alemania sobre el gasoducto. [328] [329]
En julio de 2021, Biden y la canciller alemana, Angela Merkel, llegaron a un acuerdo por el que Estados Unidos podría aplicar sanciones si Rusia utilizaba Nord Stream como "arma política". El acuerdo tenía como objetivo evitar que Polonia y Ucrania se quedaran sin suministro de gas ruso. Ucrania recibirá un préstamo de 50 millones de dólares para tecnología verde hasta 2024 y Alemania creará un fondo de mil millones de dólares para promover la transición de Ucrania a la energía verde para compensar la pérdida de las tarifas de tránsito de gas. El contrato para el tránsito de gas ruso a través de Ucrania se prolongará hasta 2034, si el gobierno ruso está de acuerdo. [330] [331] [332]
En agosto de 2021, Zelenskyy advirtió que el gasoducto de gas natural Nord Stream 2 entre Rusia y Alemania era "un arma peligrosa, no solo para Ucrania sino para toda Europa". [333] [334] En septiembre de 2021, el director ejecutivo de Naftogaz de Ucrania, Yuriy Vitrenko, acusó a Rusia de utilizar el gas natural como "arma geopolítica". [335] Vitrenko afirmó que "una declaración conjunta de Estados Unidos y Alemania decía que si el Kremlin utilizaba el gas como arma, habría una respuesta apropiada. Ahora estamos esperando la imposición de sanciones a una filial 100% de Gazprom, el operador de Nord Stream 2". [336]
El 26 de septiembre de 2022, se produjeron una serie de explosiones submarinas y las consiguientes fugas de gas en los gasoductos de gas natural Nord Stream 1 (NS1) y Nord Stream 2 (NS2) . [337] Las investigaciones de Suecia y Dinamarca describieron las explosiones como sabotaje, [338] [339] [340] [341] y se cerraron sin identificar a los autores en febrero de 2024. [342] [343] El gobierno alemán se negó a publicar los resultados preliminares de su propia investigación en julio de 2024. [344]
Guerra híbrida
El conflicto ruso-ucraniano también ha incluido elementos de guerra híbrida utilizando medios no tradicionales. La ciberguerra ha sido utilizada por Rusia en operaciones que incluyen ataques exitosos a la red eléctrica ucraniana en diciembre de 2015 y en diciembre de 2016 , que fue el primer ciberataque exitoso a una red eléctrica, [345] y el ataque masivo a la cadena de suministro de hackers en junio de 2017, que según Estados Unidos fue el ciberataque más grande conocido. [346] En represalia, las operaciones ucranianas han incluido las filtraciones de Surkov en octubre de 2016, que publicaron 2.337 correos electrónicos en relación con los planes rusos para apoderarse de Crimea de Ucrania y fomentar el malestar separatista en el Donbass. [347] La guerra de información rusa contra Ucrania ha sido otro frente de guerra híbrida librada por Rusia.
El Estado ruso afirma falsamente que el gobierno y la sociedad de Ucrania están dominados por el neonazismo , invocando la historia de colaboración en la Ucrania ocupada por Alemania durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial . [351] [352] [353] [354] Estas acusaciones nazis son ampliamente rechazadas por falsas y parte de una campaña de desinformación para justificar la invasión. [355] [356] [357] [358] Algunos de los principales historiadores del nazismo y el Holocausto del mundo publicaron una declaración rechazando las afirmaciones, que fue firmada por cientos de otros historiadores y académicos del tema. Dice:
“Rechazamos firmemente la equiparación que hace el gobierno ruso del Estado ucraniano con el régimen nazi para justificar su agresión no provocada. Esta retórica es objetivamente errónea, moralmente repugnante y profundamente ofensiva para la memoria de millones de víctimas del nazismo y de quienes valientemente lucharon contra él”. [359]
Ucrania tiene una franja de extrema derecha como la mayoría de los países, incluido el Movimiento Azov y el Sector Derecho , [360] [352] pero los analistas dicen que el gobierno de Rusia y los principales medios de comunicación exageran enormemente su tamaño e influencia. [361] [351] El presidente de Ucrania, Zelenskyy, es judío, su abuelo sirvió en el ejército soviético luchando contra los nazis, [362] y tres de sus antepasados murieron en el Holocausto . [361] En un intento de generar apoyo para la guerra entre sus ciudadanos, la propaganda rusa la ha enmarcado como una continuación de la " Gran Guerra Patriótica " de la Unión Soviética contra la Alemania nazi. [363] [364] Algunos comentaristas señalan que Rusia afirma estar "desnazificando" Ucrania a pesar de que grupos neonazis rusos (como Rusich ) participan en la guerra, y a pesar de que la Rusia de Putin se compara con un estado fascista (ver Ruscismo ). [365] [366] [367]
El presentador de radio y televisión pro-Kremlin, Vladimir Solovyov, expresó su apoyo a la invasión de Ucrania por parte de su país. [368]Manifestante ucraniano con un cartel que retrata a los presidentes rusos (Putin y Medvedev) como nazis en 2014Flash mob del símbolo Z en Khabarovsk
Putin llamó a los rusos y ucranianos " un solo pueblo " y afirmó que "no hay base histórica" para la "idea del pueblo ucraniano como una nación separada de los rusos". [369] Putin negó repetidamente el derecho de Ucrania a existir , alegando que fue creada por los bolcheviques rusos y que nunca tuvo "un verdadero estado". [370] Una encuesta realizada en abril de 2022 por " Rating " encontró que la gran mayoría (91%) de los ucranianos no apoya la tesis de que "los rusos y los ucranianos son un solo pueblo". [371] En 2020, Vladislav Surkov , quien se desempeñó como asesor de Putin sobre Ucrania, dijo "No hay Ucrania. Hay ucranianismo... es un trastorno específico de la mente". [372] [373] Dmitry Medvedev , vicepresidente del Consejo de Seguridad de Rusia y expresidente ruso, escribió públicamente que "Ucrania NO es un país, sino territorios recolectados artificialmente" y que el ucraniano "NO es un idioma" sino un "dialecto mestizo" del ruso. [374] En 2024, Medvedev llamó a Ucrania parte de Rusia [375] y dijo que el Ejército ruso se apoderará de lo que llamó las "ciudades rusas" de Kiev y Odesa . [376] Medvedev también ha dicho que Ucrania no debería existir en ninguna forma y que Rusia seguirá librando una guerra contra cualquier estado ucraniano independiente. [377] Además, Medvedev advirtió que Rusia usaría un arma nuclear si la contraofensiva ucraniana de 2023 tuviera éxito. [378] Dijo que los ucranianos tenían que elegir entre unirse a Rusia o la "muerte". [379]
Se han utilizado historias falsas para provocar la indignación pública contra Ucrania. En abril de 2014, un canal de noticias ruso mostró a un hombre que decía haber sido atacado por una banda fascista ucraniana, mientras que otro canal mostró al mismo hombre afirmando ser un ucraniano que financiaba a radicales de extrema derecha antirrusos. [380] [381] Un tercer segmento retrató al hombre como un cirujano neonazi. [382] En julio de 2014, Channel One Rusia transmitió una historia falsa sobre un niño ruso de 3 años que supuestamente fue crucificado por nacionalistas ucranianos. [383] [384] [381] [385] Los medios estatales rusos informaron sobre fosas comunes llenas de personas de etnia rusa en el este de Ucrania. Amnistía Internacional investigó estas afirmaciones en 2014 y, en cambio, encontró incidentes aislados de ejecuciones extrajudiciales por parte de ambos bandos. [386] Los medios de comunicación estatales rusos a veces han emitido historias sobre presuntas atrocidades ucranianas utilizando imágenes de otros conflictos no relacionados. [385] [387] [385]
El aparato de censura ruso Roskomnadzor ordenó a los medios de comunicación del país que utilizaran información únicamente de fuentes estatales rusas o, de lo contrario, se enfrentarían a multas y bloqueos, [392] y ordenó a los medios y las escuelas que describieran la guerra como una "operación militar especial". [393] El 4 de marzo de 2022, Putin firmó una ley que introduce penas de prisión de hasta 15 años para quienes publiquen "noticias falsas" sobre el ejército ruso y sus operaciones, [394] lo que llevó a algunos medios de comunicación a dejar de informar sobre Ucrania. [395] El político opositor ruso Alexei Navalny dijo que la "monstruosidad de mentiras" en los medios estatales rusos "es inimaginable. Y, lamentablemente, también lo es su capacidad de persuasión para quienes no tienen acceso a información alternativa". [396] Tuiteó que los "belicistas" entre las personalidades de los medios estatales rusos "deberían ser tratados como criminales de guerra. Desde los editores en jefe hasta los presentadores de programas de entrevistas y los editores de noticias, [ellos] deberían ser sancionados ahora y juzgados algún día". [397]
El Estado Islámico se atribuyó la responsabilidad del ataque del 22 de marzo al Crocus City Hall , un ataque terrorista en un local de música en Krasnogorsk, Óblast de Moscú , Rusia, y publicó un vídeo que lo corrobora. [398] Putin y el servicio de seguridad ruso, el FSB , culparon a Ucrania por el ataque, sin pruebas. [399] El 3 de abril de 2024, el Ministerio de Defensa de Rusia anunció que "alrededor de 16.000 ciudadanos" habían firmado contratos militares en los últimos 10 días para luchar como soldados contratados en la guerra contra Ucrania, y la mayoría de ellos dijeron que estaban motivados para "vengar a los muertos" en el ataque al Crocus City Hall. [400]
NAFO (North Atlantic Fella Organization), un grupo informal de comentaristas en línea que prometen luchar contra la desinformación rusa, ganó notoriedad después de junio de 2022. [401]
El papel de la Iglesia Ortodoxa Rusa en Ucrania
La ceremonia de consagración de 2020 de la Catedral Principal de las Fuerzas Armadas Rusas , que anteriormente tenía un mosaico que representaba la anexión de Crimea en 2014 y presentaba a Putin y Shoigu, pero luego fue retirado [402]
La Iglesia Ortodoxa Rusa (Patriarcado de Moscú) y su jerarca, el Patriarca Kirill de Moscú, han mostrado su pleno apoyo a la guerra contra Ucrania. [403] La Iglesia Ortodoxa Rusa considera oficialmente la invasión de Ucrania como una " guerra santa ". [404] Durante el Consejo Popular Ruso Mundial de marzo de 2024, la Iglesia Ortodoxa Rusa aprobó un documento que declaraba que esta "guerra santa" era para defender a la " Santa Rusia " y proteger al mundo del globalismo y Occidente , que según decía había "caído en el satanismo ". [404] El documento afirmaba además que toda Ucrania debería quedar bajo la esfera de influencia de Rusia , y que los ucranianos y bielorrusos "deberían ser reconocidos sólo como grupos subétnicos de los rusos ". [404] Ninguno de los aproximadamente 400 obispos de la Iglesia Ortodoxa Rusa en Rusia se ha pronunciado en contra de la guerra. [405] El patriarca Kirill también emitió una oración por la victoria en la guerra. [406]
El papel de la Iglesia Ortodoxa Rusa en la difusión del mensaje bélico de Putin es una vívida ilustración de la compleja interacción entre religión y política. [407] Un experto en Rusia y miembro de la Universidad de Bremen en Alemania, dijo a Al Jazeera que la participación de la Iglesia Ortodoxa Rusa en la guerra significa que “se enfrenta a la perspectiva de perder su ‘carácter universal’ y su influencia, y de reducir sus fronteras a las del imperio político de [el presidente ruso Vladimir] Putin”. [408]
El 27 de marzo de 2024 se celebró en la Catedral de Cristo Salvador de Moscú el Consejo Mundial del Pueblo Ruso , donde se adoptó el "Nakaz" (decreto) del consejo "El presente y el futuro del mundo ruso". [409] Según algunos expertos, como el protodiácono de la Iglesia Ortodoxa Rusa Andrei Kurayev, tiene similitudes con los artículos del programa de los cristianos alemanes . [410] El decreto habla de la llamada "Operación Militar Especial" en Ucrania, el desarrollo del mundo ruso a nivel mundial y otras cuestiones. [411]
The conflict has harmed relations between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a defensive alliance of European and North American states. Russia and NATO had co-operated until Russia annexed Crimea 2014.[412] In his February 2022 speeches justifying the invasion of Ukraine, Putin falsely claimed that NATO was building up military infrastructure in Ukraine and threatening Russia, forcing him to order an invasion.[413] Putin warned that NATO would use Ukraine to launch a surprise attack on Russia.[414] Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov characterized the conflict as a proxy war started by NATO.[415] He said: "We don't think we're at war with NATO ... Unfortunately, NATO believes it is at war with Russia".[416]
NATO says it is not at war with Russia; its official policy is that it does not seek confrontation, but rather its members support Ukraine in "its right to self-defense, as enshrined in the UN Charter".[412] NATO condemned Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine in "the strongest possible terms", and calls it "the biggest security threat in a generation". It led to the deployment of additional NATO units in its eastern member states.[417] Former CIA director Leon Panetta told the ABC that the U.S. is 'without question' involved in a proxy war with Russia.[418]Lawrence Freedman wrote that calling Ukraine a NATO "proxy" wrongly implied that "Ukrainians are only fighting because NATO put them up to it, rather than because of the more obvious reason that they have been subjected to a vicious invasion".[419]
Steven Pifer argues that Russia's own aggressive actions since 2014 have done the most to push Ukraine towards the West and NATO.[420] Russia's invasion led Finland to join NATO, doubling the length of Russia's border with NATO.[421] Putin said that Finland's membership was not a threat, unlike Ukraine's, "but the expansion of military infrastructure into this territory would certainly provoke our response".[422] An article published by the Institute for the Study of War concluded:
"Putin didn't invade Ukraine in 2022 because he feared NATO. He invaded because he believed that NATO was weak, that his efforts to regain control of Ukraine by other means had failed, and that installing a pro-Russian government in Kyiv would be safe and easy. His aim was not to defend Russia against some non-existent threat but rather to expand Russia's power, eradicate Ukraine's statehood, and destroy NATO".[423]
Countering claims that NATO started and is waging a proxy war against Russia, it is pointed out that NATO states only sent Ukraine military aid in response to Russian aggression. NATO states have actually been slow in sending Ukraine offensive weaponry, and they prevented Ukraine from firing those weapons into Russia.[424] It was not until May 2024, more than two years into the invasion, that NATO states allowed Ukraine to fire Western-supplied weapons at military targets inside Russia, and only then in self-defense.[425] NATO has refused Ukrainian calls to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine,[419] and the US told Ukraine to stop attacking refineries and early-warning radars in Russia.[426][427]
Russian military aircraft flying over the Baltic and Black Seas often do not indicate their position or communicate with air traffic controllers, thus posing a potential risk to civilian airliners. NATO aircraft scrambled many times to track and intercept these aircraft near alliance airspace. The Russian aircraft intercepted never entered NATO airspace, and the interceptions were conducted in a safe and routine manner.[428]
Reactions
Reactions to the Russian annexation of Crimea
Ukrainian response
Following Russia's annexation of Crimea, Ukraine blocked the North Crimean Canal, which provided 85% of Crimea's drinking and irrigation water.[429]
Interim Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov accused Russia of "provoking a conflict" by backing the seizure of the Crimean parliament building and other government offices on the Crimean peninsula. He compared Russia's military actions to the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, when Russian troops occupied parts of the Republic of Georgia and the breakaway enclaves of Abkhazia and South Ossetia were established under the control of Russian-backed administrations. He called on Putin to withdraw Russian troops from Crimea and stated that Ukraine will "preserve its territory" and "defend its independence".[430] On 1 March, he warned, "Military intervention would be the beginning of war and the end of any relations between Ukraine and Russia."[431] On 1 March, Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov placed the Armed Forces of Ukraine on full alert and combat readiness.[432]
A U.S. Army convoy in Vilseck, Germany during Operation Atlantic Resolve, NATO's efforts to reassert its military presence in central and eastern Europe that began in April 2014.
On 4 March 2014, the United States pledged $1 billion in aid to Ukraine.[434] Russia's actions increased tensions in nearby countries historically within its sphere of influence, particularly the Baltic and Moldova. All have large Russian-speaking populations, and Russian troops are stationed in the breakaway Moldovan territory of Transnistria.[435] Some devoted resources to increasing defensive capabilities,[436] and many requested increased support from the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which they had joined in recent years.[435][436] The conflict "reinvigorated" NATO, which had been created to face the Soviet Union, but had devoted more resources to "expeditionary missions" in recent years.[437]
In addition to diplomatic support in its conflict with Russia, the U.S. provided Ukraine with US$1.5 billion in military aid during the 2010s.[438] In 2018 the U.S. House of Representatives passed a provision blocking any training of Azov Battalion of the Ukrainian National Guard by American forces. In previous years, between 2014 and 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives passed amendments banning support of Azov, but due to pressure from the Pentagon, the amendments were quietly lifted.[439][440][441]
The initial reaction to the escalation of tensions in Crimea caused the Russian and European stock market to tumble.[442]The intervention caused the Swiss franc to climb to a 2-year high against the dollar and 1-year high against the Euro. The Euro and the US dollar both rose, as did the Australian dollar.[443] The Russian stock market declined by more than 10 percent, while the Russian ruble hit all-time lows against the US dollar and the Euro.[444][445][446] The Russian central bank hiked interest rates and intervened in the foreign exchange markets to the tune of $12 billion[clarification needed] to try to stabilize its currency.[443] Prices for wheat and grain rose, with Ukraine being a major exporter of both crops.[447]
Later in March 2014, the reaction of the financial markets to the Crimea annexation was surprisingly mellow, with global financial markets rising immediately after the referendum held in Crimea, one explanation being that the sanctions were already priced in following the earlier Russian incursion.[448]Other observers considered that the positive reaction of the global financial markets on Monday 17 March 2014, after the announcement of sanctions against Russia by the EU and the US, revealed that these sanctions were too weak to hurt Russia.[449]In early August 2014, the German DAX was down by 6 percent for the year, and 11 percent since June, over concerns Russia, Germany's 13th biggest trade partner, would retaliate against sanctions.[450]
Reactions to the war in Donbas
Ukrainian public opinion
Pro-Russian supporters in Donetsk, 20 December 2014
A poll of the Ukrainian public, excluding Russian-annexed Crimea, was taken by the International Republican Institute from 12 to 25 September 2014.[451] 89% of those polled opposed 2014 Russian military intervention in Ukraine. As broken down by region, 78% of those polled from Eastern Ukraine (including Dnipropetrovsk Oblast) opposed said intervention, along with 89% in Southern Ukraine, 93% in Central Ukraine, and 99% in Western Ukraine.[451] As broken down by native language, 79% of Russian speakers and 95% of Ukrainian speakers opposed the intervention. 80% of those polled said the country should remain a unitary country.[451]
A poll of the Crimean public in Russian-annexed Crimea was taken by the Ukrainian branch of Germany's biggest market research organization, GfK, on 16–22 January 2015. According to its results: "Eighty-two percent of those polled said they fully supported Crimea's inclusion in Russia, and another 11 percent expressed partial support. Only 4 percent spoke out against it."[452][453][454]
A joint poll conducted by Levada and the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology from September to October 2020 found that in the breakaway regions controlled by the DPR/LPR, just over half of the respondents wanted to join Russia (either with or without some autonomous status) while less than one-tenth wanted independence and 12% wanted reintegration into Ukraine. It contrasted with respondents in Kyiv-controlled Donbas, where a vast majority felt the separatist regions should be returned to Ukraine.[455] According to results from Levada in January 2022, roughly 70% of those in the breakaway regions said their territories should become part of the Russian Federation.[456]
An August 2014 survey by the Levada Centre reported that only 13% of those Russians polled would support the Russian government in an open war with Ukraine.[457] Street protests against the war in Ukraine arose in Russia. Notable protests first occurred in March[458][459] and large protests occurred in September when "tens of thousands" protested the war in Ukraine with a peace march in downtown Moscow on Sunday, 21 September 2014, "under heavy police supervision".[460]
In March 2022, a week after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 98% of Ukrainians—including 82% of ethnic Russians living in Ukraine—said they did not believe that any part of Ukraine was rightfully part of Russia, according to Lord Ashcroft's polls which did not include Crimea and the separatist-controlled part of Donbas. 97% of Ukrainians said they had an unfavourable view of Russian President Vladimir Putin, with a further 94% saying they had an unfavourable view of the Russian Armed Forces.[461]
At the end of 2021, 75% of Ukrainians said they had a positive attitude toward ordinary Russians, while in May 2022, 82% of Ukrainians said they had a negative attitude toward ordinary Russians.[462]
A Razumkov Centre poll conducted from 19 to 25 January 2024, found that Russia was the most negatively viewed country in Ukraine, with it being viewed negatively by 95% of Ukrainian respondents. The second, third and fourth most negatively viewed countries were Belarus (87%), Iran (82%) and China (72.5%) respectively. Ukrainian respondents were most positive towards Lithuania (91%), Latvia (90.5%), the UK (90%), Germany (89%), Estonia (89%), Canada (88%) and the US (87%).[463][464]
An April 2022 survey by the Levada Centre reported that approximately 74% of the Russians polled supported the "special military operation" in Ukraine, suggesting that Russian public opinion has shifted considerably since 2014.[466] According to some sources, a reason many Russians supported the "special military operation" has to do with the propaganda and disinformation.[467][468] In addition, it has been suggested that some respondents did not want to answer pollsters' questions for fear of negative consequences.[469][470] At the end of March, a poll conducted in Russia by the Levada Center concluded the following: When asked why they think the military operation is taking place, respondents said it was to protect and defend civilians, ethnic Russians or Russian speakers in Ukraine (43%), to prevent an attack on Russia (25%), to get rid of nationalists and "denazify" Ukraine (21%), and to incorporate Ukraine or the Donbas region into Russia (3%)."[471] According to polls, the Russian President's rating rose from 71% on the eve of the invasion to 82% in March 2023.[472]
The Kremlin's analysis concluded that public support for the war was broad but not deep, and that most Russians would accept anything Putin would call a victory. In September 2023, the head of the VTsIOM state pollster Valery Fyodorov said in an interview that only 10–15% of Russians actively supported the war, and that "most Russians are not demanding the conquest of Kyiv or Odesa."[473]
On 28 April 2022, US President Joe Biden asked Congress for an additional $33 billion to assist Ukraine, including $20 billion to provide weapons to Ukraine.[477] On 5 May, Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced that Ukraine had received more than $12 billion worth of weapons and financial aid from Western countries since the start of Russia's invasion on 24 February.[478] On 21 May 2022, the United States passed legislation providing $40 billion in new military and humanitarian foreign aid to Ukraine, marking a historically large commitment of funds.[479][480] In August 2022, U.S. defense spending to counter the Russian war effort exceeded the first 5 years of war costs in Afghanistan. The Washington Post reported that new U.S. weapons delivered to the Ukrainian war front suggest a closer combat scenario with more casualties.[481] The United States looks to build "enduring strength in Ukraine" with increased arms shipments and a record-breaking $3 billion military aid package.[481]
On 22 April 2022, professor Timothy D. Snyder published an article in The New York Times Magazine where he wrote that "we have tended to overlook the central example of fascism's revival, which is the Putin regime in the Russian Federation".[482] On the wider regime, Snyder writes that "[p]rominent Russian fascists are given access to mass media during wars, including this one. Members of the Russian elite, above all Putin himself, rely increasingly on fascist concepts", and states that "Putin's very justification of the war in Ukraine [...] represents a Christian form of fascism."[482]
After expending large amounts of heavy weapons and munitions over months, the Russian Federation received combat drones, loitering munitions, and large amounts of artillery from Iran, deliveries of tanks and other armoured vehicles from Belarus, and reportedly planned to trade for artillery ammunition from North Korea and ballistic missiles from Iran.[485][486][487][488][489]
The U.S. has accused China of providing Russia with technology it needs for high-tech weapons, allegations which China has denied. The U.S. sanctioned a Chinese firm for providing satellite imagery to Russian mercenary forces fighting in Ukraine.[490]
In March 2023, Western nations had pressed the United Arab Emirates to halt re-exports of goods to Russia which had military uses, amidst allegations that the Gulf country exported 158 drones to Russia in 2022.[491] In May 2023, the U.S. accused South Africa of supplying arms to Russia in a covert naval operation,[492] allegations which have been denied by South African president Cyril Ramaphosa.[493]
United Nations
United Nations secretary-general António Guterres and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delegations meeting in April 2022
On 25 February 2022, the Security Council failed to adopt a draft resolution which would have "deplored, in the strongest terms, the Russian Federation's aggression" on Ukraine. Of the 15 member states on the Security Council, 11 were in support, whilst three abstained from voting. The draft resolution failed due to a Russian veto.[494][495]
Due to the deadlock, the Security Council passed a resolution to convene the General Assembly for the eleventh emergency special session.[496] On 2 March 2022, the General Assembly voted to deplore "in the strongest possible terms" Russia's aggression against Ukraine by a vote of 141 to 5, with 35 abstentions.[497] The resolution also called for the Russian Federation to "immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine" and "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces."[497] Only Russia, Belarus, Syria, North Korea and Eritrea voted against the resolution.[498]
On 4 March 2022, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution by a vote of 32 to 2, with 13 abstentions, calling for the withdrawal of Russian troops and Russian-backed armed groups from Ukraine and humanitarian access to people in need. The resolution also established a commission to investigate alleged rights violations committed during Russia's military attack on Ukraine.[499]
In October 2022, the United Nations General Assembly had adopted a resolution condemning the 2022 annexation referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine with 143 supporting votes, 5 opposing votes (Belarus, North Korea, Nicaragua, Russia, Syria), and 35 abstentions.[500]
^ a bThe Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic were Russian-controlled puppet states that declared their independence from Ukraine in May 2014. By 2022 they had received international recognition from each other, Russia, Syria and North Korea, and some other partially recognised states. On 30 September 2022 Russia declared it had formally annexed both entities.
^There are "some contradictions and inherent problems" regarding the date on which the occupation began.[501] The Ukrainian Government maintains, and the European Court of Human Rights agrees, that Russia controlled Crimea from 27 February 2014,[502] when unmarked Russian special forces took control of its political institutions.[503] The Russian Government later made 27 February "Special Operations Forces Day".[68] In 2015, the Ukrainian parliament officially designated 20 February 2014 as "the beginning of the temporary occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia",[504] citing the date inscribed on the Russian medal "For the Return of Crimea".[505] On that date, Vladimir Konstantinov, then Chairman of the Supreme Council of Crimea, had said the region would be prepared to join Russia.[506] In 2018, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that the earlier "start date" on the medal was due to a "technical misunderstanding".[507] President Putin stated in a Russian film about the annexation that he ordered the operation to "restore" Crimea to Russia following an all-night emergency meeting on 22–23 February 2014.[501][508]
^Rainsford, Sarah (6 September 2023). "Ukraine war: Romania reveals Russian drone parts hit its territory". Archived from the original on 23 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
^MacFarquhar, Neil (17 March 2024). "Five Takeaways From Putin's Orchestrated Win in Russia". The New York Times.
^"'Terrible toll': Russia's invasion of Ukraine in numbers". Euractiv. 14 February 2023. Archived from the original on 12 July 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
^Hussain, Murtaza (9 March 2023). "The War in Ukraine Is Just Getting Started". The Intercept. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
^"Chernihiv: Are these Russia's weapons of war?". BBC News. 9 April 2022. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
^Gall, Carlotta; Kramer, Andrew E. (3 April 2022). "In a Kyiv Suburb,'They Shot Everyone They Saw'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
^Bogner, Matilda (25 March 2022). "Situation in Ukraine. Statement delivered by the Head of Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine on the situation in Ukraine". Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
^Budjeryn, Mariana (21 May 2021). "Revisiting Ukraine's Nuclear Past Will Not Help Secure Its Future". Lawfare. Archived from the original on 13 January 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
^Budjeryn, Mariana. "Issue Brief #3: The Breach: Ukraine's Territorial Integrity and the Budapest Memorandum" (PDF). Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
^Vasylenko, Volodymyr (15 December 2009). "On assurances without guarantees in a 'shelved document'". The Day. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
^Harahan, Joseph P. (2014). "With Courage and Persistence: Eliminating and Securing Weapons of Mass Destruction with the Nunn-Luger Cooperative Threat Reduction Programs" (PDF). DTRA History Series. Defense Threat Reduction Agency. ASIN B01LYEJ56H. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
^"Istanbul Document 1999". Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. 19 November 1999. Archived from the original on 1 June 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
^Wiegrefe, Klaus (15 February 2022). "NATO's Eastward Expansion: Is Vladimir Putin Right?". Der Spiegel. ISSN 2195-1349. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
^Hall, Gavin E. L. (14 February 2022). "Ukraine: the history behind Russia's claim that Nato promised not to expand to the east". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
^Leung, Rebecca (11 February 2009). "Yushchenko: 'Live And Carry On'". CBS News. CBS. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
^"Study: Dioxin that poisoned Yushchenko made in lab". Kyiv Post. London: Businessgroup. Associated Press. 5 August 2009. ISSN 1563-6429. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
^"Yushchenko to Russia: Hand over witnesses". Kyiv Post. Businessgroup. 28 October 2009. ISSN 1563-6429. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
^"The Supreme Court findings" (in Ukrainian). Supreme Court of Ukraine. 3 December 2004. Archived from the original on 25 July 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2008.
^"Ukraine-Independent Ukraine". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica. 15 January 2008. Archived from the original on 15 January 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
^Cordesman, Anthony H. (28 May 2014). "Russia and the 'Color Revolution'". Center for Strategic and International Studies. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
^"Putin calls 'color revolutions' an instrument of destabilization". Kyiv Post. Interfax Ukraine. 15 December 2011. Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
^Антиоранжевый митинг проходит на Поклонной горе [Anti-orange rally takes place on Poklonnaya Hill] (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 4 February 2012. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
^Brown, Colin (3 April 2008). "EU allies unite against Bush over Nato membership for Georgia and Ukraine". The Independent. p. 24.
^Evans, Michael (5 April 2008). "President tells summit he wants security and friendship". The Times. p. 46. President Putin, in a bravura performance before the world's media at the end of the Nato summit, warned President Bush and other alliance leaders that their plan to expand eastwards to Ukraine and Georgia 'didn't contribute to trust and predictability in our relations'.
^Wong, Edward; Jakes, Lara (13 January 2022). "NATO Won't Let Ukraine Join Soon. Here's Why". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
^"Yanukovych tops list of presidential candidates in Ukraine – poll". Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. 2 June 2009. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2009.
^Harding, Luke (8 February 2010). "Yanukovych set to become president as observers say Ukraine election was fair". The Guardian. Kyiv. ISSN 1756-3224. OCLC 60623878. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022.
^"Parliament passes statement on Ukraine's aspirations for European integration". Kyiv Post. Interfax-Ukraine. 22 February 2013. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
^Dinan, Desmond; Nugent, Neil (eds.). The European Union in Crisis. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 3, 274.
^Walker, Shaun (22 September 2013). "Ukraine's EU trade deal will be catastrophic, says Russia". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
^"Rada removes Yanukovych from office, schedules new elections for May 25". Interfax-Ukraine. 24 February 2014. Archived from the original on 10 February 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
^ a b"Ukraine President Yanukovich impeached". Al Jazeera. 22 February 2014. Archived from the original on 7 September 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
^Sindelar, Daisy (23 February 2014). "Was Yanukovych's Ouster Constitutional?". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
^Feffer, John (14 March 2014). "Who Are These 'People,' Anyway?". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 18 March 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
^Traynor, Ian (24 February 2014). "Western nations scramble to contain fallout from Ukraine crisis". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
^На отмену закона о региональных языках на Украине наложат вето [The abolition of the law on regional languages in Ukraine will be vetoed] (in Russian). Lenta.ru. 1 March 2014. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
^Ayres, Sabra (28 February 2014). "Is it too late for Kyiv to woo Russian-speaking Ukraine?". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
^ a b c d e fKofman, Michael (2017). Lessons from Russia's Operations in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine (PDF). Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. ISBN 978-0-8330-9617-3. OCLC 990544142. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2021. By March 26, the annexation was essentially complete, and Russia began returning seized military hardware to Ukraine.
^Polityuk, Pavel; Robinson, Matt (22 February 2014). Roche, Andrew (ed.). "Ukraine parliament removes Yanukovich, who flees Kyiv in 'coup'". Reuters. Gabriela Baczynska, Marcin Goettig, Peter Graff, Giles Elgood. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
^"Yanukovich poshel po stopam Yushchenko – sudy opyat' otbirayut mayaki u rossiyskikh voyennykh" Янукович пошел по стопам Ющенко – суды опять отбирают маяки у российских военных [Yanukovych followed in Yushchenko's footsteps – courts again take away beacons from Russian military]. DELO (in Russian). 11 August 2011. Archived from the original on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
^Stephen, Chris (16 January 2006). "Russian anger as Ukraine seizes lighthouse". Irish Times. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
^Kimball, Spencer (11 March 2014). "Bound by treaty: Russia, Ukraine, and Crimea". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
^Янукович віддав крим російському флоту ще на 25 років. Ukrainska Pravda (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
^Pullen, R.; Frost, C. (3 March 2022). "Putin's Ukraine invasion – do declarations of war still exist?". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
^"Ukraine's envoy says Russia 'declared war'". The Economic Times. Associated Press. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
^"'No other option': Excerpts of Putin's speech declaring war". Al Jazeera. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
^Sheftalovic, Zoya (24 February 2022). "Battles flare across Ukraine after Putin declares war Battles flare as Putin declares war". Politico Europe. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
^"Verkhovna Rada recognized Russia as a terrorist state". ukrinform.net. 15 April 2022. Archived from the original on 18 April 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
^Wuerth, Ingrid (22 February 2022). "International Law and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine". Lawfare. Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
^Bellinger III, John B. (28 February 2022). "How Russia's Invasion of Ukraine Violates International Law". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
^Hannum, Hurst. "International law says Putin's war against Ukraine is illegal. Does that matter?". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
^Neal, Jeff (2 March 2022). "The Ukraine conflict and international law". Harvard Law Today. Interviewees: Blum, Gabriella & Modirzadeh, Naz. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
^Weiner, Allen S. (24 February 2022). "Stanford's Allen Weiner on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine". Stanford Law School Blogs. Q&A with Driscoll, Sharon. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
^Dworkin, Anthony (25 February 2022). "International law and the invasion of Ukraine". European Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
^Wilmhurst, Elizabeth (24 February 2022). "Ukraine: Debunking Russia's legal justifications". Chatham House. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
^Attributed to multiple references:[49][50][51][52][53][54][55]
^Ranjan, Prabhash; Anil, Achyuth (1 March 2022). "Debunking Russia's international law justifications". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
^Troconis, Jesus Eduardo (24 February 2022). "Rusia está fuera de la ley internacional". Cambio16. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
^Gross, Judah Ari (27 February 2022). "Israeli legal experts condemn Ukraine invasion, say it's illegal under international law". Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
^McIntyre, Juliette; Guilfoyle, Douglas; Paige, Tamsin Phillipa (24 February 2022). "Is international law powerless against Russian aggression in Ukraine? No, but it's complicated". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
^Dannenbaum, Tom (10 March 2022). "Mechanisms for Criminal Prosecution of Russia's Aggression Against Ukraine". Just Security. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
^Colangelo, Anthony J. (4 March 2022). "Putin can be prosecuted for crimes of aggression – but likely not any time soon". The Hill. Archived from the original on 11 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
^*"Ukraine v. Russia (re Crimea) (decision)". European Court of Human Rights. January 2021. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2024. The Ukrainian Government maintains that the Russian Federation has from 27 February 2014 exercised effective control over the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol ... There was sufficient evidence that during the relevant period the respondent State [Russia] had exercised effective control over Crimea.
Sasse, Gwendolyn (2023). Russia's War Against Ukraine. Wiley & Sons. p. 2004. Russia's war against Ukraine began with the annexation of Crimea on 27 February 2014. On that day, Russian special forces without any uniform insignia appeared in Crimea, quickly taking control of strategic, military and political institutions.
Käihkö, Ilmari (2023). Slava Ukraini!: Strategy and the Spirit of Ukrainian Resistance 2014–2023. Helsinki University Press. p. 72. If asked when the war began, many Ukrainians believe it was when the unmarked Russian 'little green men' occupied Crimea on February 27, 2014, or February 20, the date given on the official Russian campaign medal 'For the Return of Crimea'.
^Cathcart, Will (25 April 2014). "Putin's Crimean Medal of Honor, Forged Before the War Even Began". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
^ a b"The Russian Invasion of the Crimean Peninsula 2014–2015" (PDF). Johns Hopkins University. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 February 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
^"10 facts you should know about russian military aggression against Ukraine". Ukraine government. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
^Lessons from Russia's Operations in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine Archived 17 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine, p. 19, published by RAND Corporation in 2017. "Ukraine's government was in transition following the ouster of Yanukovych. As a result, it did not react to the Russian operation when launched. Russia's task was made relatively easy by the confusion and chaos that generally follows an uprising, such as what happened in Kyiv. Moscow capitalized on the tensions and uncertainty in Crimea, as well as on the inexperience of Ukraine's provisional government. Meeting notes of the discussion among Ukrainian leadership reveal a great deal of anxiety, uncertainty, and unwillingness to take action for fear of escalation."
^ a bDeBenedictis, Kent (2022). Russian 'Hybrid Warfare' and the Annexation of Crimea. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 140. During the night of 26–27 February, Russian special forces without insignia departed Sevastopol ... They arrived at the Crimean Rada and Council of Ministers buildings in Simferopol, disarmed the security and took control of the buildings ... Putin later signed a decree designating 27 February as Special Operations Forces Day in Russia.
^"Armed men seize two airports in Ukraine's Crimea, Russia denies involvement". Yahoo News. 28 February 2014. Archived from the original on 19 November 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
^Birnbaum, Michael (15 March 2015). "Putin Details Crimea Takeover Before First Anniversary". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
^Mackinnon, Mark (26 February 2014). "Globe in Ukraine: Russian-backed fighters restrict access to Crimean city". Toronto: The Globe & Mail. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
^"Russia flexes military muscle as tensions rise in Ukraine's Crimea". CNN. 26 February 2014. Archived from the original on 9 September 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2014. A CNN team in the area encountered more than one pro-Russian militia checkpoint on the road from Sevastopol to Simferopol.
^"Checkpoints put at all entrances to Sevastopol". Kyiv Post. 26 February 2014. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014. Checkpoints were put up at all entrances to Sevastopol last night and the borders to the city are guarded by groups of people, police units, and traffic police.
^ a b"Russian parliament approves use of armed forces in Crimea". Deutsche Welle. 26 February 2014. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
^Jen Weedon, FireEye (2015). "Beyond 'Cyber War': Russia's Use of Strategic Cyber Espionage and Information Operations in Ukraine". In Geers, Kenneth (ed.). Cyber War in Perspective: Russian Aggression against Ukraine. Tallinn: NATO CCD COE Publications. ISBN 978-9949-9544-5-2. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
^"Ukraine Parliament declares Crimea temporarily occupied territory". IANS. news.biharprabha.com. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
^""Russia Threatens Nuclear Strikes Over Crimea"". The Diplomat. 11 July 2014. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
^"Putin: Russia to set up military force in Crimea". ITV. 19 August 2014. Archived from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
^ a b"Ukraine crisis: Russian troops crossed border, Nato says". BBC News. 12 November 2014. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
^"Doorstep statement". Archived from the original on 16 November 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022. NATO Allies have provided training to Ukrainian forces since 2014. In particular, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, have conducted significant training in Ukraine since the illegal annexation of Crimea, but also some EU NATO members have been part of these efforts.
^ a bPlatonova, Daria (2022). The Donbas Conflict in Ukraine: elites, protest, and partition. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-003-21371-0. OCLC 1249709944.
^ a b cKofman, Michael; Migacheva, Katya; Nichiporuk, Brian; Radin, Andrew; Tkacheva, Olesya; Oberholtzer, Jenny (2017). Lessons from Russia's Operations in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine (PDF) (Report). Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. pp. 33–34. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
^Wilson, Andrew (20 April 2016). "The Donbas in 2014: Explaining Civil Conflict Perhaps, but not Civil War". Europe-Asia Studies. 68 (4): 631–652. doi:10.1080/09668136.2016.1176994. ISSN 0966-8136. S2CID 148334453.
^Karber, Phillip A. (29 September 2015). "Lessons Learned" from the Russo-Ukrainian War (Report). The Potomac Foundation. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
^Freedman, Lawrence (2 November 2014). "Ukraine and the Art of Limited War". Survival. 56 (6): 13. doi:10.1080/00396338.2014.985432. ISSN 0039-6338. S2CID 154981360.
^"Russia's buildup near Ukraine may reach 40,000 troops: U.S. sources". Reuters. 28 March 2014. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
^Kofman, Michael; Migacheva, Katya; Nichiporuk, Brian; Radin, Andrew; Tkacheva, Olesya; Oberholtzer, Jenny (2017). Lessons from Russia's Operations in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine (PDF) (Report). Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. p. 38. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
^Kofman, Michael; Migacheva, Katya; Nichiporuk, Brian; Radin, Andrew; Tkacheva, Olesya; Oberholtzer, Jenny (2017). Lessons from Russia's Operations in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine (PDF) (Report). Santa Monica: RAND Corporation. pp. 43–44. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
^"Strelkov/Girkin Demoted, Transnistrian Siloviki Strengthened in 'Donetsk People's Republic'". Jamestown. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
^ a b"Pushing locals aside, Russians take top rebel posts in east Ukraine". Reuters. 27 July 2014. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
^Matsuzato, Kimitaka (22 March 2017). "The Donbass War: Outbreak and Deadlock". Demokratizatsiya. 25 (2). Princeton: Princeton University Press: 175–202. ISBN 978-1-4008-8731-6. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
^Wilson, Andrew (20 April 2016). "The Donbas in 2014: Explaining Civil Conflict Perhaps, but not Civil War". Europe-Asia Studies. 68 (4): 647–648. doi:10.1080/09668136.2016.1176994. ISSN 0966-8136. S2CID 148334453.
^ a b"Rebels appeal to join Russia after east Ukraine referendum". Reuters. 12 May 2014. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
^"Ukraine rebels hold referendums in Donetsk and Luhansk". BBC News. 11 May 2014. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
^"Rebels declare victory in East Ukraine vote on self-rule". Reuters. 11 May 2014. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
^ a b cArel, Dominique; Driscoll, Jesse, eds. (2023). Ukraine's Unnamed War. Cambridge University Press. pp. 138–140.
^Wynnyckyj, Mychailo (2019). Ukraine's Maidan, Russia's War: A Chronicle and Analysis of the Revolution of Dignity. Columbia University Press. pp. 151–153.
^"Russia's Igor Strelkov: I Am Responsible for War in Eastern Ukraine". The Moscow Times. 21 November 2014. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
^"Should Putin fear the man who 'pulled the trigger of war' in Ukraine?". Reuters. 26 November 2014. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
^Holcomb, Franklin (2017). The Kremlin's Irregular Army (PDF). Institute for the Study of War. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
^"Ukraine reinstates conscription as crisis deepens". BBC News. 2 May 2017. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
^Kofman, Michael; Migacheva, Katya; Nichiporuk, Brian; Radin, Andrew; Tkacheva, Olesya; Oberholtzer, Jenny (2017). Lessons from Russia's Operations in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine (PDF) (Report). Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. p. 69. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
^Fedorov, Yury E. (2019). "Russia's 'Hybrid' Aggression Against Ukraine". Routledge Handbook of Russian Security. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-18122-8. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
^Karber, Phillip A. (29 September 2015). "Lessons Learned" from the Russo-Ukrainian War (Report). The Potomac Foundation. p. 34. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
^Kofman, Michael; Migacheva, Katya; Nichiporuk, Brian; Radin, Andrew; Tkacheva, Olesya; Oberholtzer, Jenny (2017). Lessons from Russia's Operations in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine (PDF) (Report). Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. p. 43. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
^Loshkariov, Ivan D.; Sushentsov, Andrey A. (2 January 2016). "Radicalization of Russians in Ukraine: from 'accidental' diaspora to rebel movement". Southeast European and Black Sea Studies. 16 (1). Informa UK Limited: 71–90. doi:10.1080/14683857.2016.1149349. ISSN 1468-3857. S2CID 147321629.
^Higgins, Andrew; Clark, Nicola (9 September 2014). "Malaysian Jet Over Ukraine Was Downed by 'High-Energy Objects,' Dutch Investigators Say". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
^"Raw: Crews begin moving bodies at jet crash site". USA Today. Associated Press. 19 July 2014. Archived from the original on 19 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
^Miller, Nick (19 July 2014). "MH17: 'Unknown groups' use body bags". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 20 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
^Grytsenko, Oksana. "MH17: armed rebels fuel chaos as rotting corpses pile up on the roadside". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
^"ATO forces take over Debaltseve, Shakhtarsk, Torez, Lutuhyne, fighting for Pervomaisk and Snizhne underway – ATO press center". Interfax-Ukraine News Agency. 28 July 2014. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
^Sutyagin, Igor (March 2015). "Russian Forces in Ukraine" (PDF). Royal United Services Institute. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
^"Here's Why Putin Calling Eastern Ukraine 'Novorossiya' Is Important". The Huffington Post. 18 April 2014. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
^Herszenhorn, David M. (17 April 2014). "Away From Show of Diplomacy in Geneva, Putin Puts on a Show of His Own". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
^Luhn, Alec; Roberts, Dan (23 August 2014). "Ukraine condemns 'direct invasion' as Russian aid convoy crosses border". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
^Dolgov, Anna (21 November 2014). "Russia's Igor Strelkov: I Am Responsible for War in Eastern Ukraine". The Moscow Times. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
^ a bKofman, Michael; Migacheva, Katya; Nichiporuk, Brian; Radin, Andrew; Tkacheva, Olesya; Oberholtzer, Jenny (2017). Lessons from Russia's Operations in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine (PDF) (Report). Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. p. 44. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
^Nemtsova, Anna (25 July 2014). "Putin's Number One Gunman in Ukraine Warns Him of Possible Defeat". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 22 March 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
^Snyder, Timothy (2018). The road to unfreedom : Russia, Europe, America (1st ed.). New York: Tim Duggan Books. p. 191. ISBN 978-0-525-57446-0. OCLC 1029484935.
^"Captured Russian troops 'in Ukraine by accident'". BBC News. 26 August 2014. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
^Walker, Shaun (26 August 2014). "Russia admits its soldiers have been caught in Ukraine". The Guardian. Kyiv. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
^Freedman, Lawrence (2 November 2014). "Ukraine and the Art of Limited War". Survival. 56 (6): 35. doi:10.1080/00396338.2014.985432. ISSN 0039-6338. S2CID 154981360.
^Wilson, Andrew (20 April 2016). "The Donbas in 2014: Explaining Civil Conflict Perhaps, but not Civil War". Europe-Asia Studies. 68 (4): 649. doi:10.1080/09668136.2016.1176994. ISSN 0966-8136. S2CID 148334453.
^"Herashchenko kazhe, shcho Rosiya napala na Ukrayinu shche 24 serpnya" Геращенко каже, що Росія напала на Україну ще 24 серпня [Gerashchenko says that Russia attacked Ukraine on August 24]. Ukrinform (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
^"V Amvrosiyevku voshli rossiyskiye voyska bez znakov otlichiya" В Амвросиевку вошли российские войска без знаков отличия [Russian troops entered Amvrosievka without insignia]. Liga Novosti (in Russian). 24 August 2014. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
^"Poroshenko: ATO Is Ukraine's Patriotic War". Archived from the original on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2015. President Petro Poroshenko considers the government's anti-terrorist operation (ATO) against separatists as Ukraine's patriotic war.
^Gearin, Mary (24 August 2014). "Ukrainian POWs marched at bayonet-point through city". ABC (Australia). Archived from the original on 4 August 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
^Heintz, Jim (25 August 2014). "Ukraine: Russian Tank Column Enters Southeast". ABC News. Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
^"Ukraine crisis: 'Column from Russia' crosses border". BBC News. 25 August 2014. Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
^Nelson, Soraya Sarhaddi (26 August 2014). "Russian Separatists Open New Front in Southern Ukraine". National Public Radio (NPR). Archived from the original on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
^Kramer, Andrew. "Ukraine Says Russian Forces Lead Major New Offensive in East". CNBC. Archived from the original on 28 August 2014. Tanks, artillery and infantry have crossed from Russia into an unbreached part of eastern Ukraine in recent days, attacking Ukrainian forces and causing panic and wholesale retreat not only in this small border town but a wide swath of territory, in what Ukrainian and Western military officials are calling a stealth invasion.
^Tsevtkova, Maria (26 August 2014). "'Men in green' raise suspicions of east Ukrainian villagers". Reuters. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2021. Unidentified, heavily-armed strangers with Russian accents have appeared in an eastern Ukrainian village, arousing residents' suspicions despite Moscow's denials that its troops have deliberately infiltrated the frontier.
^Lowe, Christian; Tsvetkova, Maria (26 August 2014). "In Ukraine, an armoured column appears out of nowhere". Reuters. Archived from the original on 11 March 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
^Gowen, Annie; Gearan, Anne (28 August 2014). "Russian armored columns said to capture key Ukrainian towns". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 25 October 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
^ a b"NATO: 1000 rosyjskich żołnierzy działa na Ukrainie. A Rosja znów: Nie przekraczaliśmy granicy [NA ŻYWO]". gazeta.pl (in Polish). 28 August 2014. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
^"BBC:Ukraine crisis: 'Thousands of Russians' fighting in east, August 28". BBC News. 28 August 2014. Archived from the original on 13 December 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
^"U.S. says Russia has 'outright lied' about Ukraine". USA Today. 28 August 2014. Archived from the original on 31 August 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
^"Syly ATO aktyvno nastupayutʹ. Terorysty-naymantsi nesutʹ chymali vtraty" Сили АТО активно наступають. Терористи-найманці несуть чималі втрати [ATO forces are actively advancing. Mercenary terrorists suffer heavy losses]. Міністерство оборони України (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
^ a bMorgan, Martin (5 September 2014). "Russia 'will react' to EU sanctions". BBC News. Archived from the original on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
^Alfred, Charlotte (6 September 2014). "Russian Journalist: 'Convincing Evidence' Moscow Sent Fighters To Ukraine". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
^Warketin, Alexander (29 August 2014). "Disowned and forgotten: Russian soldiers in Ukraine". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 5 May 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
^"Russian TV shows funeral of soldier killed 'on leave' in Ukraine". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 5 September 2014. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
^В Кремле и Киеве разъяснили заявление о прекращении огня в Донбассе (in Russian). Interfax. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
^"Ukraine crisis: Putin hopes for peace deal by Friday". BBC News. 3 September 2014. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
^"Kremlin denies that Poroshenko and Putin agreed on ceasefire". Kyiv Post. 3 September 2014. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
^MacFarquhar, Neil (3 September 2014). "Putin Lays Out Proposal to End Ukraine Conflict". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
^Walker, Shaun; Luhn, Alec; Willsher, Kim (3 September 2014). "Vladimir Putin drafts peace plan for eastern Ukraine". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
^"Russian ambassador anticipates 'liberation' of Mariupol in Ukraine". CNN. 5 September 2014. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
^Croft, Adrian (4 September 2014). Faulconbridge, Guy (ed.). "Russia has 'several thousand' combat troops in Ukraine: NATO officer". Reuters. Archived from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
^"Russia Sends Dozens Of Tanks Into Ukraine". Sky News. 7 November 2014. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
^"Lithuania's statement at the UN Security Council briefing on Ukraine". Permanent Mission of the Republic of Lithuania to UN in New York. 13 November 2014. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
^"NATO sees increase of Russian tanks and artillery in Ukraine". Ukraine Today. 22 January 2015. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
^Giles, Keir (6 February 2015). "Ukraine crisis: Russia tests new weapons". BBC. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
^"Ukraine — Security Council, 7311th meeting" (PDF). United Nations. 12 November 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
^"Pro-Russian rebels officially labelled terrorists by Ukraine government". CBC News. 27 January 2015. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
^Miller, Michael Weiss (26 January 2015). "Putin Is Winning the Ukraine War on Three Fronts". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
^Lacqua, Francine (21 January 2015). "Ukraine Talks Start as Poroshenko Warns of an Escalation". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
^"Ukraine crisis: Leaders agree peace roadmap". BBC News. 12 February 2015. Archived from the original on 4 January 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
^"UN News – Close to 8,000 people killed in eastern Ukraine, says UN human rights report". UN News Service Section. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
^"Go Inside the Frozen Trenches of Eastern Ukraine". Time. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
^Brown, Daniel. "Here's what it's like inside the bunkers Ukrainian troops are living in every day". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
^Tsvetkova, Maria (21 July 2015). "Ceasefire brings limited respite for east Ukrainians". Euronews. Reuters. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
^Kofman, Michael; Migacheva, Katya; Nichiporuk, Brian; Radin, Andrew; Tkacheva, Olesya; Oberholtzer, Jenny (2017). Lessons from Russia's Operations in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine (PDF) (Report). Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. pp. 52–54. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
^Whitmore, Brian (26 July 2016). "The Daily Vertical: Ukraine's Forgotten War (Transcript)". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
^Місяць тиші на Донбасі. Що відбувається на фронті [The longest truce in Donbas. Does it really exist]. Ukrayinska Pravda (in Ukrainian). 7 September 2020. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
^Bender, Jeremy (11 February 2015). "US Army commander for Europe: Russian troops are currently fighting on Ukraine's front lines". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 11 March 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
^"Preserving Ukraine's Independence, Resisting Russian Aggression: What the United States and NATO Must Do" (PDF). Chicago Council on Global Affairs. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
^Peter, Laurence (6 February 2015). "Ukraine 'can't stop Russian armour'". BBC. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
^Kurt Volker: The Full Transcript Archived 24 February 2022 at the Wayback Machine, Politico (27 November 2017)
^"Kyiv says there are about 6,000 Russian soldiers, 40,000 separatists in Donbas". Kyiv Post. 11 September 2017. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
^Miller, Christopher (30 January 2017). "Anxious Ukraine Risks Escalation In 'Creeping Offensive'". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
^Luhn, Alec (19 January 2015). "They were never there: Russia's silence for families of troops killed in Ukraine". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
^ a bQuinn, Allison (25 June 2015). "Russia trolls world by saying it cannot stop its citizens from fighting in Ukraine". Kyiv Post. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
^Rupert, James (5 January 2015). "How Russians Are Sent to Fight in Ukraine". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
^"Head of Sverdlovsk special forces veterans union: 'I help to send volunteers to war in Ukraine'". Kyiv Post. 26 December 2014. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
^Kozakov, Ilya (24 December 2014). Глава фонда свердловских ветеранов спецназа: 'Я помогаю добровольцам отправиться воевать на Украину' [Head of spetsnaz veteran fund in Sverdlovsk: 'I'm helping volunteers go to the war in Ukraine']. E1.ru. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
^"Russians Used Humanitarian Convoys to Send Militants into Ukraine, Russian Organizer Says". The Interpreter Magazine. 26 December 2014. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
^"Red Cross Official Says Moscow Used 'Humanitarian' Convoys to Ship Arms to Militants in Ukraine". The Interpreter Magazine. 28 December 2014. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
^Theise, Eugen (24 June 2015). "OSCE caught in the crossfire of the Ukraine propaganda war". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
^Беседы 'Сергея Глазьева' о Крыме и беспорядках на востоке Украины. Расшифровка — Meduza (in Russian). Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^Whitmore, Brian (26 August 2016). "Podcast: The Tale Of The Tape". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
^Uapositon (29 August 2016). "English translation of audio evidence of Putin's Adviser Glazyev and other Russian politicians involvement in war in Ukraine". Uaposition. Focus on Ukraine. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
^Umland, Andreas (25 November 2016). "Glazyev Tapes: What Moscow's interference in Ukraine means for the Minsk Agreements". Raam op Rusland (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
^Larter, David B.; Bodner, Matthew (28 November 2018). "The Sea of Azov won't become the new South China Sea (and Russia knows it)". Defense News. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
^"Russia-Ukraine sea clash in 300 words". BBC News. 30 November 2018. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
^"Kiev declares martial law after Russian seizure of Ukrainian ships in Black Sea". The Independent. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
^ a b"Two Ukrainian Soldiers Killed Over Bloody Weekend In Donbas". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 3 February 2020. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
^Betz, Bradford (29 December 2019). "Ukraine, pro-Russian separatists swap prisoners in step to end 5-year war". Fox News. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
^"Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists exchange prisoners". BBC News. 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
^"France's Macron, Germany's Merkel welcome prisoner swap in Ukraine". Reuters. 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
^Ukraine government and separatists begin prisoners swap. Al Jazeera English. 29 December 2019. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2022 – via YouTube.
^"Ukraine conflict: Moscow could 'defend' Russia-backed rebels". BBC News. 9 April 2021. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
^"Kremlin defends Russian military buildup on Ukraine border". The Guardian. 9 April 2021. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
^"Zelenskiy: Russian passports in Donbass are a step towards 'annexation'". Reuters. 20 May 2021. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
^"Conflict-related civilian casualties in Ukraine" (PDF). OHCHR. 27 January 2022. p. 3. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
^Schogol, Jeff (22 February 2022). "Here's what those mysterious white 'Z' markings on Russian military equipment may mean". Task & Purpose. North Equity. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022. [B]ottom line is the 'Z' markings (and others like it) are a deconfliction measure to help prevent fratricide, or friendly fire incidents.
^Taylor, Adam (24 February 2022). "Russia's attack on Ukraine came after months of denials it would attack". The Washington Post. Photograph by Evgeniy Maloletka (Associated Press). Nash Holdings. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 2269358. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022. On Sunday ... 'There is no invasion. There is no such plans,' Antonov said.
^"Putin attacked Ukraine after insisting for months there was no plan to do so. Now he says there's no plan to take over". CBS News. Kharkiv: CBS (published 22 February 2022). 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
^Harris, Shane; Sonne, Paul (3 December 2021). "Russia planning massive military offensive against Ukraine involving 175,000 troops, U.S. intelligence warns". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings. Archived from the original on 30 December 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2022. [U].S. intelligence has found the Kremlin is planning a multi-frontal offensive as soon as early next year involving up to 175,000 troops ... .
^ a bMerchant, Normaan (25 February 2022). "US intel predicted Russia's invasion plans. Did it matter?". Associated Press. Photographs by Alexei Alexandrov and Alex Brandon (AP Photo). Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
^"Putin Says Conflict in Eastern Ukraine 'Looks Like Genocide'". The Moscow Times. 10 December 2021. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
^"Путин заявил о геноциде на Донбассе" [Putin announced the genocide in the Donbas]. Rossiyskaya Gazeta (in Russian). 9 December 2021. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
^Stanley, Jason (26 February 2022). "The antisemitism animating Putin's claim to 'denazify' Ukraine". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
^"Ukraine crisis: Vladimir Putin address fact-checked". BBC News. 22 February 2022. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
^Hinton, Alexander (24 February 2022). "Putin's claims that Ukraine is committing genocide are baseless, but not unprecedented". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
^"Extracts from Putin's speech on Ukraine". Reuters. 21 February 2022. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
^Düben, Björn Alexander (1 July 2020). "'There is no Ukraine': Fact-Checking the Kremlin's Version of Ukrainian History". LSE International History. London School of Economics. Archived from the original on 19 December 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
^Perrigo, Billy (22 February 2022). "How Putin's Denial of Ukraine's Statehood Rewrites History". Time. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
^Harris, Shane; Sonne, Paul (3 December 2021). "Russia planning massive military offensive against Ukraine involving 175,000 troops, U.S. intelligence warns". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 30 December 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
^Tétrault-Farber, Gabrielle; Balmforth, Tom (17 December 2021). "Russia demands NATO roll back from East Europe and stay out of Ukraine". Reuters. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
^Szayna, Thomas S. (29 October 1997). "The Enlargement of NATO and Central European Politics". Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
^Coyer, Cassandre (25 February 2022). "Why is Ukraine not in NATO and is it too late to join? Here's what experts, NATO say". The Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
^"NATO chief: 'Russia has no right to establish a sphere of influence'". Axios. 1 December 2021. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
^"US offers no concessions in response to Russia on Ukraine". Associated Press. 26 January 2022. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
^MacKinnon, Mark; Morrow, Adrian (18 February 2022). "Biden 'convinced' Putin will invade Ukraine as Donbas region ordered evacuated". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
^Brown, David (17 February 2022). "Ukraine: How big is Russia's military build-up?". BBC News. Photograph by the Russian Defence Ministry; Graphics by Sandra Rodriguez Chillida and Prina Shah. BBC. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
^Talmazan, Yuliya; Shabad, Rebecca; Williams, Abigail (17 February 2022). "Ukraine, West accuse Russia of trying to create pretext for invasion after shelling in east". NBC News. NBC. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022 – via MSN.
^Khurshudyan, Isabelle; Hendrix, Steve (19 February 2022). "In Ukraine's war-weary east, intensifying shelling and battered homes signal attempts at provocation by Russia". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
^Ponomarenko, Illia (18 February 2022). "47 shelling incidents leave 5 injured in Donbas". The Kyiv Independent. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
^Volvach, Yaroslava (18 February 2022). "How Russian proxy forces are attempting to provoke the Ukrainian army and are lying about a new Ukrainian offensive". NV.UA. Archived from the original on 18 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
^"Russian-backed separatists announce civilian evacuation from eastern Ukraine as escalation stokes Russian invasion fears". NBC News. 18 February 2022. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
^Smith, Alexander (18 February 2022). "Warning siren sounds in rebel-held capital in east Ukraine -Reuters witness". MSN News. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
^"Ukraine conflict: Rebels declare general mobilisation as fighting grows". BBC News. 19 February 2022. Archived from the original on 19 February 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
^Light, Felix (20 February 2022). "In the Closest Russian City to Ukraine's Separatist Region, There Are Few Signs of Refugees". The Moscow Times. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
^ a bGilbert, David (21 February 2022). "Russia's 'Idiotic' Disinformation Campaign Could Still Lead to War in Ukraine". Vice Media. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
^Bellingcat Investigation Team (23 February 2022). "Documenting and Debunking Dubious Footage from Ukraine's Frontlines". Bellingcat. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
^Harding, Luke; Roth, Andrew; Walker, Shaun (21 February 2022). "'Dumb and lazy': the flawed films of Ukrainian 'attacks' made by Russia's 'fake factory'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
^"Address by the President of the Russian Federation". President of Russia. 21 February 2022. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
^"Extracts from Putin's speech on Ukraine". Reuters. 21 February 2022. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
^Kottasová, Ivana; Qiblawi, Tamara; Regan, Helen (21 February 2022). "Putin orders troops into separatist-held parts of Ukraine". CNN. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
^Philp, Catherine; Wright, Oliver; Brown, Larissa (22 February 2022). "Putin sends Russian tanks into Ukraine". The Times. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
^Hodge, Nathan (26 February 2022). "Russia's Federation Council gives consent to Putin on use of armed forces abroad, Russian agencies report". CNN. Moscow. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
^Zinets, Natalia; Williams, Matthias (22 February 2022). "Ukrainian president drafts reservists but rules out general mobilisation for now". Reuters. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
^Kingsley, Thomas (23 February 2022). "Ukraine to introduce a state of emergency and tells its citizens to leave Russia immediately". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
^"Ukraine's Parliament approves state of emergency". Reuters. 23 February 2022. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
^D'agata, Charlie; Redman, Justine; Ott, Haley (23 February 2022). "Ukraine calls up reservists, declares national emergency as U.S. and allies hit Russia with new sanctions". CBS News. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
^Litvinova, Dasha (23 February 2022). "Russia evacuates embassy in Ukraine as crisis escalates". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
^Zelenskyy, Volodymyr (23 February 2022). Ukrayina prahne myru! I robytʹ dlya tsʹoho vse! Україна прагне миру! І робить для цього все! [Ukraine seeks peace! And does everything for this!] (Video) (in Ukrainian). Ukraine. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Alt URL
^Sonne, Paul (24 February 2022). "Ukraine's Zelensky to Russians: 'What are you fighting for and with whom?'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
^"Zelensky's Last-Ditch Plea for Peace". Foreign Policy. 23 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
^Cruz Bustillos, Dominic (24 February 2022). "Full Translation: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Feb. 23 Speech". Lawfare. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
^"Kremlin Says Ukraine Rebels Have Asked Russia for 'Help' Against Kyiv". The Moscow Times. 23 February 2022. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022.
^Nikolskaya, Polina; Osborn, Andrew (24 February 2022). "Russia's Putin authorises 'special military operation' against Ukraine". Reuters. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
^Grunau, Andrea; von Hein, Matthias; Theise, Eugen; Weber, Joscha (25 February 2022). "Fact check: Do Vladimir Putin's justifications for going to war against Ukraine add up?". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
^Waxman, Olivia B. (3 March 2022). "Historians on What Putin Gets Wrong About 'Denazification' in Ukraine". Time. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
^"Russia attacks Ukraine". CNN International. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
^Kirby, Paul (9 March 2022). "Why is Russia invading Ukraine and what does Putin want?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
^"Ukrainian president signs decree on general mobilisation of population -Interfax". Reuters. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
^"Zelensky signs decree declaring general mobilization". Interfax-Ukraine. 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
^"Ukraine rejects Russian demand to surrender port city of Mariupol in exchange for safe passage". CBS News. 20 March 2022. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
^"Ukraine refuses to surrender Mariupol as scope of human toll remains unclear". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 21 March 2022. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
^"Trending news: BBC: Putin replaces military commander in Ukraine – The Moscow Times". Hindustan News Hub. 8 April 2022. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
^Arraf, Jane; Nechepurenko, Ivan; Landler, Mark (19 April 2022). "Ukraine Says Russia Begins Assault in the East After Raining Missiles Nationwide". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
^"Russia says remaining 531 Azovstal defenders surrender, steelworks siege over". Yahoo!News. 20 May 2022. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
^Sommerville, Quentin (11 May 2022). "Ukraine war: Russia pushed back from Kharkiv – report from front line". BBC. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
^Myre, Greg (26 June 2022). "Russia bombs Kyiv in a weekend missile barrage across Ukraine". NPR. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
^"Russia hits Lviv again as Putin's campaign of terror focuses on Ukraine's shell-shocked east". www.cbsnews.com. 4 May 2022. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
^Rutter, Jill (7 March 2022). "Protecting Ukrainian refugees: What can we learn from the response to Kosovo in the 90s?". British Future. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
^"IntelBrief: China Seeks to Balance Its Interests as Russia's War on Ukraine Intensifies". The Soufan Center. 4 March 2022. Archived from the original on 10 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022. Over a week into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the war has raged on, spurring the most serious humanitarian crisis in Europe since the wars in the Balkans in the 1990s.
^Beaumont, Peter (6 March 2022). "Ukraine has fastest-growing refugee crisis since second world war, says UN". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
^"Liz Truss mulls seizure of Russian assets in UK to give to Ukraine". the Guardian. 3 July 2022. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
^"UN resolution against Ukraine invasion: Full text". Al Jazeera. 2 March 2022. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022. The General Assembly ... [d]eplores in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine in violation of Article 2 (4) of the Charter
^Scheffer, David J. (17 March 2022). "Can Russia Be Held Accountable for War Crimes in Ukraine?". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022. Russia's invasion of Ukraine constitutes the crime of aggression under international law.
^Chernova, Anna; Cotovio, Vasco; Thompson, Mark (28 February 2022). "Sanctions slams Russian economy". CNN. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
^"House approves $40B in Ukraine aid, beefing up Biden request". Associated Press. 11 May 2022. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
^"Russians Protest Putin's Conscription". Foreign policy. 26 September 2022. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
^"It's a Mistake To Turn Away Russian Civilians Fleeing Conscription". 26 September 2022. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
^Dickson, Janice (30 September 2022). "Putin signs documents to illegally annex four Ukrainian regions, in drastic escalation of Russia's war". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
^"Ukraine war latest: Putin declares four areas of Ukraine as Russian". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^"Russians Are Fleeing the Threat of Conscription". 21 September 2022. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
^"Russians rush for flights out amid partial reservist call-up". NPR. 21 September 2022. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
^Beaumont, Peter; Sauer, Pjotr; Koshiw, Isobel; Harding, Luke (11 November 2022). "Ukraine troops enter centre of Kherson as Russians retreat in chaos". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
^Cooper, Helene; Gibbons-Neff, Thomas; Schmitt, Eric; Barnes, Julian E. (18 August 2023). "Troop Deaths and Injuries in Ukraine War Near 500,000, U.S. Officials Say". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
^"More than 10,000 civilians killed in Ukraine since Russia invasion, UN says". Al Jazeera. 21 November 2023. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
^Katie Bo Lillis (13 December 2023). "Russia has lost 87% of troops it had prior to start of Ukraine war, according to US intelligence assessment". CNN. Archived from the original on 1 January 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
^ a bMacDonald, Alistair; Brinson, Jemal R.; Brown, Emma; Sivorka, Ievgeniia. "Russia's Bombardment of Ukraine Is More Lethal Than Ever". WSJ. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
^"Kursk region is partially out of Russia's control". RBC-Ukraine. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
^Tokariuk, Olga (19 August 2024). "Ukraine's gamble in Kursk restores belief it can beat Russia – it requires a Western response". Chatham House. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
^"Address by Ms. Nada Al-Nashif, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights 47th session of the Human Rights Council Item 10: Oral report on Ukraine". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 9 July 2021. Archived from the original on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
^"Report on the human rights situation in Ukraine 1 August 2021 – 31 January 2022" (PDF). Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
^"Ukraine 2021". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
^Goodman, Jack; Devlin, Kayleen; Korenyuk, Maria; Cheetham, Joshua; Tauschinski, Jana (9 April 2022). "Chernihiv: Are these Russia's weapons of war?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
^Gall, Carlotta; Kramer, Andrew E. (3 April 2022). "In a Kyiv Suburb,'They Shot Everyone They Saw'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
^Cumming-Bruce, Nick (23 September 2022). "U.N. Experts find that war crimes have been committed in Ukraine". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
^Macias, Amanda (28 October 2022). "UN report details horrifying Ukrainian accounts of rape, torture and executions by Russian troops". CNBC. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
^"Russian Federation Launches One of Biggest Air Attacks on Ukraine Since Full-Scale Invasion Began, Killing Over 30 Civilians, Top UN Official Tells Security Council". United Nations. 29 December 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
^"Russia commits indiscriminate attacks during the invasion of Ukraine". Amnesty International. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
^Bearak, Max; Loveluck, Louisa (7 April 2022). "In Bucha, the scope of Russian barbarity is coming into focus". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
^Callaghan, Louise (2 April 2022). "Bodies of mutilated children among horrors the Russians left behind". The Times. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
^"Ukraine documents alleged atrocities by retreating Russians". CBS News. Associated Press. 3 April 2022. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
^"UN report details summary executions of civilians by Russian troops in northern Ukraine". OHCHR (Press release). 7 December 2022. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
^Tondo, Lorenzo; Henley, Jon; Boffey, Daniel (20 March 2022). "Ukraine: US condemns 'unconscionable' forced deportations of civilians from Mariupol". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
^Ochab, Ewelina U. (10 April 2022). "Ukrainian Children Forcibly Transferred And Subjected To Illegal Adoptions". Forbes. Archived from the original on 11 June 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
^Engelbrecht, Cora (29 March 2022). "Reports of sexual violence involving Russian soldiers are multiplying, Ukrainian officials say". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
^"War in Ukraine: Street in Bucha found strewn with dead bodies". BBC News. 2 April 2022. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
^"Situation reports (Ukraine-specific)". www.who.int. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
^Hinnant, Lori; Keaten, Jamey (16 March 2023). "UN-backed inquiry accuses Russia of war crimes in Ukraine". AP News. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
^"War crimes, indiscriminate attacks on infrastructure, systematic and widespread torture show disregard for civilians, says UN Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine". OHCHR (Press release). 16 March 2023. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
^Ben, Bohdan (4 May 2024). "ISW: Russians reportedly threaten to take newborns away in occupied Luhansk Oblast if parents don't have Russian citizenship". Euromaidan Press.
^"UN: 95% of Ukrainian prisoners of war tortured in Russia". Українські національні новини.
^Butenko, Victoria; Elbagir, Nima; Mezzofiore, Gianluca; Qiblawi, Tamara; Goodwin, Allegra; Carey, Andrew; Munsi, Pallabi; Zene, Mahamat Tahir; Arvanitidis, Barbara; Platt, Alex; Baron, Mark; Lauren, Kent (19 September 2023). "Ukraine's special services 'likely' behind strikes on Wagner-backed forces in Sudan, a Ukrainian military source says". CNN. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
^Altman, Howard (22 September 2023). "Exclusive Interview With Ukraine's Spy Boss From His D.C. Hotel Room". The War Zone. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023. TWZ: (...) Were you guys involved with the attack on a Wagner-backed militia in Sudan? CNN reported that Ukrainians were likely involved in the attack on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) forces with FPV drones. KB: I will only say the following: About two to three months ago I was giving an interview to one of the media, I don't remember which specific one. I answered them back then that anywhere across the world we will be seeking and hunting down Russian military criminals, and sooner or later that time will come whenever they are. That is why we shouldn't be surprised when in any territory, something happens to Russian military criminals. Then speaking about your specific question about Sudan, regretfully I cannot confirm or deny.
^Fenert, Abbey (24 September 2023). "Budanov responds to CNN reports about Ukrainian drone strikes in Sudan". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
^"NATO member Romania finds more drone fragments on its soil after Russia again hits southern Ukraine". AP News. 12 October 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
^"Ukraine war: Romania reveals Russian drone parts hit its territory". BBC News. 6 September 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
^ a b"Kyiv's gas strategy: closer cooperation with Gazprom or a genuine diversification". Centre for Eastern Studies. 15 July 2013. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013.
^"Russia's gas fight with Ukraine". BBC News. 31 October 2014.
^"Russia, Ukraine escalate 'gas war' as Europe draws 'map of fear'". Al Jazeera. 27 November 2019.
^Gent, Stephen E. (2021). Market power politics : war, institutions, and strategic delays in world politics. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 159. ISBN 978-0-19-752984-3. OCLC 1196822660.
^"Russia-Ukraine gas deal secures EU winter supply". BBC News. 31 October 2014.
^"Explosion on Ukraine gas pipeline". Radio New Zealand. 18 June 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
^"Blast at Ukraine gas pipeline said due to bomb, security increased". Reuters. Kyiv. 18 June 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
^"Russia's gas pipelines to Europe by 2018". TASS. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
^"Gas supplies to bypass Ukraine from 2019 — Gazprom". TASS. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
^Pirani, Simon; Yafimava, Katja (February 2016). "Russian Gas Transit Across Ukraine Post-2019 – pipeline scenarios, gas flow consequences, and regulatory constraints". Oxford, UK: Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. ISBN 978-1-78467-054-2.
^"Russia, Ukraine sign gas transit deal ahead of deadline". Deutsche Welle. 31 December 2021.
^Makogon, Sergiy (1 October 2021). "Europe is under attack from Putin's energy weapon". Atlantic Council.
^"TurkStream natural gas pipeline to impact region's gas flow". Daily Sabah. 23 October 2019.
^"Russia Launches Into New Export Territory With TurkStream Natural-Gas Pipeline". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 7 January 2020.
^"Biden Says He Waived Nord Stream Sanctions Because It's Finished". Bloomberg. 25 May 2021.
^"Putin-Biden Summit Set for June 16 in Geneva". The Moscow Times. 25 May 2021.
^"Zelensky 'surprised' and 'disappointed' by Biden pipeline move". Axios. 6 June 2021.
^Woodruff, Betsy Swan; Ward, Alexander; Desiderio, Andrew (20 July 2021). "U.S. urges Ukraine to stay quiet on Russian pipeline". Politico. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
^"U.S.-German Deal on Russia's Nord Stream 2 Pipeline Expected Soon". The Wall Street Journal. 20 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
^Shalal, Andrea (20 July 2021). "Germany to announce deal on Nord Stream 2 pipeline in coming days -sources". Reuters. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
^"Nord Stream 2: Ukraine and Poland slam deal to complete controversial gas pipeline". Euronews. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
^Williams, Aime; Olearchyk, Roman (21 July 2021). "Germany and US reach truce over Nord Stream 2 pipeline". Financial Times. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
^Rettman, Andrew (23 August 2021). "Nord Stream 2 overshadows EU leaders' Ukraine trip".
^"Ukraine insists Nord Stream 2 is 'dangerous' despite German reassurances". Politico. 22 August 2021.
^"Ukraine gas chief urges Europe to resist Russia pressure on Nord Stream 2". Financial Times. 1 November 2021.
^"Ukraine demands sanctions on Russia's Gazprom after Kyiv loses gas imports". Reuters. 1 October 2021.
^"Gas Infrastructure Europe – System Development Map 2022/2021" (PDF). European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG). December 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
^Aitken, Peter (2 October 2022). "NATO chief: 'All evidence' points to pipeline sabotage, dodges question on Ukraine membership". Fox News. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^"Nancy Faeser kündigt internationale Ermittlungsgruppe an" [Nancy Faeser announces international investigation team]. Zeit Online (in German). Zeitverlag. 2 October 2022. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^"Bekräftat sabotage vid Nord Stream" [Confirmed sabotage on Nord Stream]. Åklagarmyndigheten (Press release) (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
^Ambrose, Tom; Belam, Martin; Sullivan, Helen (19 November 2022). "Russia-Ukraine war: remains of explosives found at Nord Stream pipeline blast site – as it happened". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
^Ruiz, Rebecca R.; Sanger, David E. (7 February 2024). "Sweden Closes Investigation of Pipeline Blasts, but Stays Silent on Cause". New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
^Gozzi, Laura (26 February 2024). "Nord Stream: Denmark closes investigation into pipeline blast". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on 4 March 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
^Schmeller, Raphael. "Nord Stream: Neue Antwort der Bundesregierung – Ermittlungsstand zu Anschlag bleibt geheim". Berliner Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
^Кім Зеттер, Wired (17 March 2016). "Хакерська атака Росії на українську енергосистему: як це було". Texty.org. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
^"Statement from the Press Secretary". whitehouse.gov. 15 February 2018. Archived from the original on 3 February 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021 – via National Archives.
^Christopher Miller (2 November 2016). "Inside The Ukrainian 'Hacktivist' Network Cyberbattling The Kremlin". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
^Diyak, Ivan. "P'yata kolona v Ukrayini: zahroza derzhavnosti" П'ята колона в Україні: загроза державності. [The fifth column in Ukraine: the threat of statehood.]. Велика рідня (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 7 April 2021.
^"Rosiysʹka 'p'yata kolona" prosytʹ sud zaboronyty Yanukovychu pidpysuvaty uhodu pro asotsiatsiyu z YES" Російська "п'ята колона" просить суд заборонити Януковичу підписувати угоду про асоціацію з ЄС [The Russian 'fifth column' is asking the court to prohibit Yanukovych from signing the association agreement with the EU]. tyzhden.ua (in Ukrainian). 13 November 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
^"Onlayn kazyno Ukrayiny 2021 X Internet-kazyno na hroshi" Онлайн казино України 2021 Ξ Інтернет-казино на гроші [Online casino of Ukraine 2021 Ξ Internet casino for money]. www.gazeta.lviv.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 7 April 2021.
^ a bAbbruzzese, Jason (24 February 2022). "Putin says he is fighting a resurgence of Nazism. That's not true". NBC News. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
^ a bCampbell, Eric (3 March 2022). "Inside Donetsk, the separatist republic that triggered the war in Ukraine". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
^McGlynn, Jade (4 May 2023). Memory Makers: The Politics of the Past in Putin's Russia. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 65–68. ISBN 978-1-350-28078-6.
^Waxman, Olivia B. (3 March 2022). "Historians on What Putin Gets Wrong About 'Denazification' in Ukraine". Time. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
^Grzegorz Rossoliński-Liebe, Bastiaan Willems (2022). "Putin's Abuse of History: Ukrainian 'Nazis', 'Genocide', and a Fake Threat Scenario". The Journal of Slavic Military Studies. 35 (1): 1–10. doi:10.1080/13518046.2022.2058179. S2CID 250340541.
^"Attacking Ukraine, Putin calls for 'denazification' of country with a Jewish leader". Times of Israel. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
^Bulos, Nabih (17 February 2022). "Russian disinformation kicks into high gear as Ukraine crisis drags on". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
^ a bFisher, Max (19 February 2022). "Putin's Baseless Claims of Genocide Hint at More Than War". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
^Tabarovsky, Izabella; Finkel, Eugene (27 February 2022). "Statement on the War in Ukraine by Scholars of Genocide, Nazism and World War II". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
^Berger, Miriam (24 February 2022). "Putin says he will 'denazify' Ukraine. Here's the history behind that claim". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
^ a bLi, David K.; Allen, Jonathan; Siemaszko, Corky (24 February 2022). "Putin using false 'Nazi' narrative to justify Russia's attack on Ukraine, experts say". NBC News. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
^Lawler, Dave; Basu, Zachary (24 February 2022). "Ukrainian President Zelensky says Putin has ordered invasion as country prepares for war". Axios. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
^Antonova, Natalia (1 June 2022). "The 'Death Cult' Keeping Russia in Ukraine". The Bulwark.
^Garner, Ian (26 March 2022). "Russia and Ukraine Are Fighting for the Legacy of World War II". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
^Đokić, Aleksandar (13 April 2023). "When Russia calls others 'Nazis', it should be taking a hard look at itself". Euronews. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
^"Russian Neo-Nazis Participate in 'Denazifying' Ukraine – Der Spiegel". The Moscow Times. 23 May 2022. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
^"Yes, Putin and Russia are fascist – a political scientist shows how they meet the textbook definition". The Conversation. 30 March 2022. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
^"Ukraine War: Russia Is Running an Orwellian Propaganda Campaign". Haaretz. 27 February 2022.
^Düben, B A. "Revising History and ‘Gathering the Russian Lands’: Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian Nationhood". LSE Public Policy Review, vol. 3, no. 1, 2023
^Durand, Olivia (24 February 2022). "Putin's invasion of Ukraine attacks its distinct history and reveals his imperial instincts". The Conversation.
^"Восьме загальнонаціональне опитування: Україна в умовах війни (6 квітня 2022)". Ratinggroup.ua. 6 April 2022.
^Chesnakov, Aleksei (26 February 2020). "Surkov: I am interested to act against the reality" [Сурков: мне интересно действовать против реальности]. Actualcomment.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
^Karatnycky, Adrian (19 December 2023). "What a Russian Victory Would Mean for Ukraine". Foreign Policy.
^"Putin ally says 'Ukraine is Russia' and historical territory needs to 'come home'". Reuters. 4 March 2024.
^"Russia to bite off much more of Ukraine, Putin ally Medvedev says". Reuters. 22 February 2024.
^"Putin Ally Says There's '100 Percent' Chance of Future Russia-Ukraine Wars". Newsweek. 17 January 2024.
^Osborn, Andrew (30 July 2023). "Russia's Medvedev: We'd have to use a nuclear weapon if Ukrainian offensive was a success". Reuters.
^"Russia Bans Ukrainian in Occupied Territory Schools, Medvedev Posts 'Genocidal' Tirade". Kyiv Post. 18 January 2024.
^"Russia TV stations air 'impostor' protester in two guises". BBC News. 11 April 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
^ a bPomerantsev, Peter (9 September 2014). "Russia and the Menace of Unreality". The Atlantic. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
^Rudenko, Olga (30 April 2014). "Russia cranks out propaganda as militants hang on in Ukraine". USA Today. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
^Ash, Lucy (29 January 2015). "How Russia outfoxes its enemies". BBC News. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
^"Russian TV sparks outrage with Ukraine child 'crucifixion' claim". Yahoo News. Agence France-Presse. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
^ a b cYoung, Cathy (24 July 2014). "Putin's Pal". Slate. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
^"Eastern Ukraine conflict: Summary killings, misrecorded and misreported". Amnesty International. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
^Williams, Carol J. (18 June 2014). "U.N. warns pro-Russia separatists leading Ukrainians down 'dead end'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
^Hinton, Alexander (25 February 2022). "Putin's claims that Ukraine is committing genocide are baseless, but not unprecedented". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
^Crosbie, Jack (17 February 2022). "'Mass Graves' and Shelled Schools: A Dangerous New Phase of the Ukraine Crisis is Here". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
^"UN international court of justice orders Russia to halt invasion of Ukraine". The Guardian. 16 March 2022. Archived from the original on 2 May 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
^"Conflict-related civilian casualties in Ukraine" (PDF). OHCHR. 27 January 2022. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
^"Use Only Official Sources About Ukraine War, Russian Media Watchdog Tells Journalists". The Moscow Times. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
^"Do not call Ukraine invasion a 'war', Russia tells media, schools". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
^"Even Russia's Kremlin-backed media is going off message and beginning to question Putin's war on Ukraine". Fortune. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
^"Putin Signs Law Introducing Jail Terms for 'Fake News' on Army". The Moscow Times. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
^"Channelling Goebbels: The obscenity of Russian state TV news, as it conceals war crimes for Putin". inews.co.uk. 6 April 2022.
^"Navalny Calls for Sanctions Against Russian State Media 'Warmongers'". The Moscow Times. 6 March 2022.
^Roth, Andrew (24 March 2024). "New Islamic State videos back claim it carried out Moscow concert hall attack". the Guardian. Guardian News & Media. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024.
^"Russia blames Ukraine, the West over Moscow concert hall attack". France 24. 26 March 2024. Archived from the original on 26 March 2024.
^"Russian Military Says Recruited 100K Contract Soldiers Since Start of 2024". The Moscow Times. 3 April 2024.
^Gault, Matthew (12 July 2022). "Shitposting Shiba Inu Accounts Chased a Russian Diplomat Offline". Vice.
^"Russia Ditches Putin Mosaic in Army Church". The Moscow Times. 1 May 2020.
^Luchenko, Ksenia (31 January 2023). "Why the Russian Orthodox Church Supports the War in Ukraine". The Guardian.
^ a b cBrendan Cole (28 March 2024). "Ukraine Is Now 'Holy War,' Russian Church Declares". Newsweek. Retrieved 29 March 2024. Tetyana Oliynyk (28 March 2024). "Russian Orthodox Church calls invasion of Ukraine "holy war", Ukrainian church reacts". Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
^Gudziak, Borys (3 August 2023). "Russian Orthodox leader Patriarch Kirill's unholy war against Ukraine". Atlantic Council.
^Prokhorenko, Veronica (30 March 2024). "Russia was ordered to pray for God to give victory: a letter was leaked from Moscow (photo)". Ukraine Today.
^Dubtsova, Natalia (6 February 2024). "From pulpit to propaganda machine: tracing the Russian Orthodox Church's role in Putin's war". Reuters Institute.
^Mirovalev, Mansur (9 February 2024). "'God of war': Russian Orthodox Church stands by Putin, but at what cost?". Al Jazeera.
^Kirill of Moscow, Patriarch (27 March 2024). "Выступление Святейшего Патриарха Кирилла на внеочередном соборном съезде Всемирного русского народного собора". Russian Orthodox Church.
^Shumylo, Serhiy (5 April 2024). ""Звичайний фашизм": розбір тез про "священную войну" Росії проти України та Заходу". Радіо Свобода.
^"THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH DECLARES "HOLY WAR" AGAINST UKRAINE AND ARTICULATES TENETS OF RUSSIA'S EMERGING OFFICIAL NATIONALIST IDEOLOGY". Institute for the Study of War. 30 March 2024.
^ a b"NATO-Russia: Setting the record straight". NATO. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
^"Fact check: Russia's disinformation campaign targets NATO". Deutsche Welle. 13 February 2023.
^"Extracts from Putin's speech on Ukraine". Reuters. 21 February 2022. Archived from the original on 2 December 2023.
^Livingstone, Helen (26 April 2022). "Russia accuses Nato of 'proxy war' in Ukraine as US hosts crucial defence summit: Ukraine dismisses Sergei Lavrov's war comments as diplomats gather in Germany for US-hosted talks to navigate 'critical' phase". The Guardian.
^"Russia doesn't consider itself to be at war with NATO, Lavrov says". Washington Post. 29 April 2022.
^"Russia's war on Ukraine: NATO response". European Parliament. 22 April 2022.
^Macmillan, Jade (25 March 2022). "With NATO and the US in a 'proxy war' with Russia, ex-CIA boss Leon Panetta says Joe Biden's next move is crucial". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
^"Finland doubling NATO's border with Russia in blow to Putin". Associated Press. 3 April 2023. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
^"Putin sees no threat from NATO expansion, warns against military build-up". Reuters. 17 March 2022. Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
^"Weakness is Lethal: Why Putin Invaded Ukraine and How the War Must End". Institute for the Study of War. 1 October 2023.
^"Fake of the week: Russia is waging war against NATO in Ukraine". Euractiv. 6 September 2023.
^"The West finally allowed Ukraine to strike back at Russia — and it seems to be working". CNN. 15 July 2024.
^Goncharenko, Oleksiy (7 April 2024). "Western weakness in Ukraine could provoke a far bigger war with Russia". Atlantic Council.
^"U.S. concerned about Ukraine strikes on Russian nuclear radar stations". The Washington Post. 29 May 2024.
^"NATO jets scramble in response to Russian aircraft over Baltic and Black Sea". NATO. 29 April 2022.
^"Dam leaves Crimea population in chronic water shortage". Al-Jazeera. 4 January 2017.
^"Turchynov: Russia starts aggression in Crimea". Kyiv Post. 28 February 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
^Henderson, Barney (1 March 2014). "Ukraine live: Prime Minister of Ukraine says Russian military invasion would lead to war". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
^Coker, Margaret; Kolyandr, Alexander (1 March 2014). "Ukraine Puts Military on Full Alert After Russian invasion Threat". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
^(in Ukrainian) The Cabinet decided to create the Ministry of temporarily occupied territories and internally displaced persons, Ukrayinska Pravda (20 April 2016)
^ a bScislowska; Pablo Gorondi; Karel Janicek; Jovana Gec; Corneliu Rusnac (12 March 2014). "Russian aggression unnerves other neighbours". The Chronicle Herald. Associated Press. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
^ a b"Russia's Neighbors Want Stronger Defenses After Ukraine Incursion". Global Security Newswire. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
^Gearan, Anne (1 April 2014). "NATO chief recommits to defending Eastern European, Baltic nations". The Washington Post. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
^"How U.S. Military Aid Has Helped Ukraine Since 2014". NPR. December 2019.
^Kheel, Rebecca (27 March 2018). "Congress bans arms to Ukraine militia linked to neo-Nazis". The Hill.
^"Congress Has Removed a Ban on Funding Neo-Nazis From Its Year-End Spending Bill". The Nation. 14 January 2016. Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
^Sokol, Sam (18 January 2016). "US lifts ban on funding 'neo-Nazi' Ukrainian militia". Jerusalem Post.
^Wearden, Graeme (3 March 2014). "Ukraine crisis sends stock markets sliding; Russia's MICEX tumbles 11% – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
^ a bChua, Ian (3 March 2014). Pullin, Richard (ed.). "Yen holds ground as Ukraine jitters keep risk at bay". Reuters. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
^"What is Russia doing in Ukraine, and what can West do about it?". CNN. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
^Tim Sullivan (4 March 2014). "Putin: troops to bases; warning shots in Crimea". Associated Press. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
^Dreibus, Tony (3 March 2014). "Wheat, Corn Prices Surge on Ukraine Crisis". The Wall Street Journal.
^Jolly, David (17 March 2014). "Markets Worldwide Brush Off Crimea Vote". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
^Elliott, Larry (17 March 2014). "Market reaction suggests sanctions over Crimea are slap on the wrist for Putin". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
^"German economy hammered by Russian sanctions". CNBC. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
^ a b c"IRI Ukraine pre-election poll shows strong opposition to Russian aggression, support for Kyiv Government" (Press release). International Republican Institute. 14 October 2014. Archived from the original on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
^Bershidsky, Leonid (6 February 2015). "One Year Later, Crimeans Prefer Russia". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2022. Eighty-two percent of those polled said they fully supported Crimea's inclusion in Russia, and another 11 percent expressed partial support. Only 4 percent spoke out against it.
^"Sotsial'no-politicheskiye nastroyeniya zhiteley Kryma" Социально-политические настроения жителей Крыма [Socio-Political Moods of Crimean Residents] (PDF). GfK Ukraine (in Russian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2018. 82% крымчан полностью поддерживают присоединение Крыма к России, 11% – скорее поддерживают, и 4% высказались против этого. Среди тех, кто не поддерживает присоединение Крыма к России, больше половины считают, что присоединение было не полностью законным и его нужно провести в соответствии с международным правом [82% of Crimeans fully support the annexation of Crimea to Russia, 11% rather support it, and 4% were against it. Among those who do not support the annexation of Crimea to Russia, more than half believe that the annexation was not completely legal and should be carried out in accordance with international law]
^"Poll: 82% of Crimeans support annexation". UNIAN. 4 February 2015. A total of 82% of the population of the Crimea fully support Russia's annexation of the peninsula, according to a poll carried out by the GfK Group research institute in Ukraine, Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda reported on Wednesday. Another 11% of respondents said that they rather support the annexation of Crimea, while 4% were against it.
^O'Loughlin, John; Sasse, Gwendolyn; Toal, Gerard; Bakke, Kristin M. (12 February 2021). "A new survey of the Ukraine-Russia conflict finds deeply divided views in the contested Donbas region". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
^Antonova, Natalia (5 September 2014). "Putin walks a tightrope as evidence mounts of Russians dying in Ukraine". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
^"Dozens Arrested at Moscow Anti-war Protest". Voice of America. 2 March 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
^"Russian anti-war protesters detained in Moscow". Agence France-Presse. 2 March 2014. Archived from the original on 4 May 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
^Demirjian, Karoun (21 September 2014). "Russian peace march draws tens of thousands in support of Ukraine". The Washington Post. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
^"Ukrainians want to stay and fight, but don't see Russian people as the enemy. A remarkable poll from Kyiv". European Leadership Network. 14 March 2022.
^"Survey: the majority of Ukrainians have a positive attitude towards Georgia". The Odessa Journal. 4 March 2024. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024. Respondents most frequently expressed positive attitudes towards Lithuania (91%), Latvia (90.5%), the United Kingdom (90%), Germany (89%), Estonia (89%), Canada (88%), the United States (87%), France (86%), the Czech Republic (86%), Poland (86%), the Netherlands (83%), Moldova (81%), Japan (74%), Georgia (72%), Israel (65%)...Negative attitudes were most commonly expressed towards Russia (95% of respondents had a negative attitude), Belarus (87%), Iran (82%), China (72.5%), and Hungary (59%).
^"Attitude to foreign countries, international organisations and politicians, and Ukraine's accession to the European Union (January, 2024)". Razumkov Centre. 28 February 2024. Archived from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
^"Russia outlines plan for 'unfriendly' investors to sell up at half-price". Reuters. 30 December 2022.
^"Russians with Ukrainian Relatives Trust Their TVs More Than Their Family". Newsweek. 12 May 2022.
^"'Pure Orwell': how Russian state media spins invasion as liberation". The Guardian. 25 February 2022.
^"Russians in the dark about true state of war amid country's Orwellian media coverage". CNN. 3 April 2022.
^"In Russia, opinion polls are a political weapon". openDemocracy. 9 March 2022.
^Yaffa, Joshua (29 March 2022). "Why Do So Many Russians Say They Support the War in Ukraine?". The New Yorker.
^Dickinson, Peter (6 April 2023). "Anti-war Russians struggle to be heard". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
^"Putin Quietly Signals He Is Open to a Cease-Fire in Ukraine". The New York Times. 23 December 2023.
^Papachristou, Lucy (26 February 2024). "Rights campaigner calls Russia 'fascist' in court". Reuters.
^Ebel, Francesca (27 February 2024). "Russian activist from Nobel-winning organization gets prison term". Washington Post.
^"Biden: Putin is a 'butcher'". Reuters via YouTube. 26 March 2022.
^"War in Ukraine: U.S. dramatically upgrades its aid package to Kyiv". Le Monde. 29 April 2022.
^"Ukraine gets over $12 billion in weapons, financial aid since start of Russian invasion- Ukraine's PM". Reuters. 5 May 2022.
^Fram, Alan (11 May 2022). "House approves $40B in Ukraine aid, beefing up Biden request". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022.
^Pallaro, Bianca; Parlapiano, Alicia (20 May 2022). "Four Ways to Understand the $54 Billion in U.S. Spending on Ukraine". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
^ a b"New weapons for Ukraine suggest preparation for closer combat" washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
^ a bSnyder, Timothy D. (22 April 2022). "The War in Ukraine Has Unleashed a New Word". The New York Times Magazine. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
^"Biden compares Putin to Hitler as he makes the case for continued aid to Ukraine in SOTU address". Yahoo!, The New Voice of Ukraine. 8 March 2024.
^McCurry, Justin; Roth, Andrew (13 September 2023). "Kim Jong-un offers Putin 'full support' in Russia's 'sacred fight' with west". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
^"Iran agrees to supply missiles as well as drones to Russia". The Guardian. 18 October 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
^Nissenbaum, Dion; Faucon, Benoit (24 April 2023). "Iran Ships Ammunition to Russia by Caspian Sea to Aid Invasion of Ukraine". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
^"British Defense Ministry: Russia loses 40 armored assault vehicles a day in Ukraine". Meduza. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
^Parfonov, Hlib (9 November 2022). "Grouping of Russian Units in Belarus Continues to Swell". Eurasia Daily Monitor. 19 (167).
^"North Korean ammo will stretch Russia's supply, but with clear limits and drawbacks". NPR. Associated Press. 7 September 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
^"Ukraine war: What support is China giving Russia?". BBC News. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
^Kerr, Simeon; Foy, Henry; Politi, James; Fleming, Sam; Schwartz, Felicia (1 March 2023). "West presses UAE to clamp down on suspected Russia sanctions busting". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
^Cotterill, Joseph (12 May 2023). "US accuses South Africa of supplying arms to Russia". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
^South African army general in Moscow days after country accused of sending weapons to Russia (News). France 24. Retrieved 28 June 2023 – via YouTube.
^"Security Council Fails to Adopt Draft Resolution on Ending Ukraine Crisis, as Russian Federation Wields Veto". United Nations. 25 February 2022.
^"Ukraine: Vote on Draft Resolution". Security Council Report. 25 February 2022.
^Nichols, Michelle (27 February 2022). "U.N. Security Council calls rare General Assembly session on Ukraine". Reuters. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022.
^ a bBorger, Julia (2 March 2022). "UN votes to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and calls for withdrawal". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
^"UN General Assembly, including Israel, votes overwhelmingly to condemn Russia". The Times of Israel. 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
^"Human Rights Council to establish Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine". UN News. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
^"With 143 Votes in Favour, 5 Against, General Assembly Adopts Resolution Condemning Russian Federation's Annexation of Four Eastern Ukraine Regions". United Nations. 12 October 2022.
^ a bMcDermott, Roger N. (2016). "Brothers Disunited: Russia's use of military power in Ukraine". In Black, J.L.; Johns, Michael (eds.). The Return of the Cold War: Ukraine, the West and Russia. London: Routledge. pp. 99–129. doi:10.4324/9781315684567-5. ISBN 978-1-138-92409-3. OCLC 909325250.
^"Ukraine v. Russia (re Crimea) (decision)". European Court of Human Rights. January 2021. The Ukrainian Government maintains that the Russian Federation has from 27 February 2014 exercised effective control over the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol ... There was sufficient evidence that during the relevant period the respondent State [Russia] had exercised effective control over Crimea.
^Sasse, Gwendolyn (2023). Russia's War Against Ukraine. Wiley & Sons. p. 2004. Russia's war against Ukraine began with the annexation of Crimea on 27 February 2014. On that day, Russian special forces without any uniform insignia appeared in Crimea, quickly taking control of strategic, military and political institutions.
^"'Няша' Поклонська обіцяє бійцям 'Беркута' покарати учасників Майдану". www.segodnya.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 3 February 2022.
^"7683rd meeting of the United Nations Security Council. Thursday, 28 April 2016, 3 p.m. New York". Mr. Prystaiko (Ukraine): ... In that regard, I have to remind the Council that the official medal that was produced by the Russian Federation for the so-called return of Crimea has the dates on it, starting with 20 February, which is the day before that agreement was brought to the attention of the Security Council by the representative of the Russian Federation. Therefore, the Russian Federation started – not just planned, but started – the annexation of Crimea the day before we reached the first agreement and while President Yanukovych was still in power.
^"Спікер ВР АРК вважає, що Крим може відокремитися від України". Українська правда (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 3 February 2022.
^"Russia's Orwellian 'diplomacy'". unian.info. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
^"Putin describes secret operation to seize Crimea". Yahoo News. 8 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
Further reading
Bowen, Andrew (2017). "Coercive Diplomacy and the Donbas: Explaining Russian Strategy in Eastern Ukraine". Journal of Strategic Studies. 42 (3–4): 312–343. doi:10.1080/01402390.2017.1413550. S2CID 158522112.
Marples, David R. ed. The War in Ukraine's Donbas: Origins, Contexts, and the Future (2022) excerpt
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Russo-Ukrainian War.
_-_EN_01.png/1280px-RU_and_UA_forces,_2014.02_(February)_-_EN_01.png)
_-_EN_01.png/1280px-RU_and_UA_forces,_2014.03_(March)_-_EN_01.png)
_-_EN_01.png/1280px-RU_and_UA_forces,_2014.04_(April)_-_EN_01.png)
_(27843153986).jpg/1280px-Anti-terrorist_operation_in_eastern_Ukraine_(War_Ukraine)_(27843153986).jpg)
_01.jpg/1280px-Putin,_Macron,_Merkel,_Zelensky_(2019-12-10)_01.jpg)
.jpg/1280px-Russian_forces_near_Ukraine,_2021-12-03_(crop).jpg)
.jpg/1280px-Bucha_main_street,_2022-04-06_(0804).jpg)
.jpg/1280px-Missile_strike_on_a_humanitarian_convoy_in_Zaporizhzhia,_2022-09-30_(02).jpg)
.jpg/1280px-Deputy_Secretary_Sherman_Meets_With_the_NATO-Russia_Council_(51815888987).jpg)
.jpg/1280px-2CR_returns_home_to_Vilseck_(16999448822).jpg)
.jpg/1280px-P20220326AS-2014_j2_(52036398865).jpg)
_01.jpg/1280px-Kim_Jong-un_and_Vladimir_Putin_(2023-09-13)_01.jpg)
