Russia-Ukraine War

Table of Contents

Introduction & Top Questions
The toppling of the Yanukovych government and the invasion of Crimea
The war in the Donbas
- The Russian proxy war and the Poroshenko administration
- Minsk II and the election of Volodymyr Zelensky
The Russian invasion of Ukraine
- The Russian buildup and Putin’s “special military operation”
- The Battle of Kyiv and the initial Russian advance
- The refugee crisis and evidence of Russian war crimes
International support for Ukraine
- Zelensky appeals to the West, the sinking of the Moskva, and the fall of Mariupol
- The isolation of Russia and the expansion of NATO
- Russian disinformation and the meme war
The Ukrainian counterattack
- The Ukrainian summer counteroffensive and the liberation of Kharkiv oblast
- Putin’s “partial mobilization” and the expanding role of the Wagner Group
- The attack on the Kerch Strait bridge and the liberation of Kherson
The war in 2023 and 2024
- The Battle of Bakhmut and Prigozhin’s rebellion
- Ukraine’s Western arsenal grows and Putin faces war crimes charges
- Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive and the destruction of Kakhovka Dam
- Russian advances in the Donbas and Ukraine’s offensive in Kursk
- The war in the Black Sea
Costs and casualties: the price of Putin’s war

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

Russia-Ukraine War

Russia-Ukraine War

Independence Square in Kyiv

Viktor Yanukovych

Protesters at Kyiv's Independence Square in February 2014

Ukraine crisis: Sevastopol

Donets Basin, or Donbas

Donbas; Ukraine crisis

Read Next

Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army

8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century

Battle of the Alamo from "Texas: An Epitome of Texas History from the Filibustering and Revolutionary Eras to the Independence of the Republic, 1897. Texas Revolution, Texas revolt, Texas independence, Texas history.

6 Wars of Independence

A human Inuit skull in a stone chambered cairn in Ilulissat in Greenland. These ancient graves are pre christian and are at least 2000

14 Tough Questions Answered

Discover

Middle East bee locator map

Are the Middle East and the Near East the Same Thing?

Time zone map with standard time zones and International Date Line

Why Are Some Time Zones 30 Minutes Off Instead of an Hour?

New York NY/ USA- November 23, 2018 Hordes of shoppers throng the Macy's Herald Square flagship store in New York looking for bargains on the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday.

Why Is It Called Black Friday?

Statue of Nostradamus

Nostradamus and His Prophecies

NBA Lakers Celtics Finals Kevin Garnett shooting.

10 Great Sports Rivalries

Artist interpretation of space asteroids impacting earth and moon. Meteoroids, meteor impact, end of the world, danger, destruction, dinosaur extinct, Judgement Day, Doomsday Predictions, comet

Major Mass Extinctions

Nelson Mandela, undated photo.

15 Nelson Mandela Quotes

Russia-Ukraine War: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Jun 14, 2025

News •

Putin and Trump discussed Middle East tensions, Ukraine war in phone call • June 14, 2025, 4:22 PM ET (AP)

Zelenskyy warns oil price surge could help Russia's war effort • June 14, 2025, 1:08 PM ET (AP)

Ukraine repatriates more bodies of fallen soldiers in line with an agreement with Russia • June 13, 2025, 2:09 PM ET (AP)

Russia's military casualties top 1 million in 3-year-old war, Ukraine says • June 12, 2025, 1:30 PM ET (AP)

Russian attacks kill 3 and wound 64 as drones hit Kharkiv and other parts of Ukraine • June 11, 2025, 11:33 PM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As	2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Date	2022 - present
Location	Ukraine
Participants	Russia • Ukraine

Photos and Videos

Russia-Ukraine War

Independence Square in Kyiv

Viktor Yanukovych

Protesters at Kyiv's Independence Square in February 2014

Ukraine crisis: Sevastopol

Donets Basin, or Donbas

Donbas; Ukraine crisis

How did Volodymyr Zelensky become president of Ukraine?

See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Ukraine: The Russian invasion of Ukraine

Quiz

D-Day. American soldiers fire rifles, throw grenades and wade ashore on Omaha Beach next to a German bunker during D Day landing. 1 of 5 Allied beachheads est. in Normandy, France. The Normandy Invasion of World War II launched June 6, 1944.

A History of War

List

Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army

8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century