Russia Invades Ukraine: As it Unfolded
Dusk falls on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, after the first day of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Russian troops were advancing on the city. Photo: Brendan Hoffman/ New York Times
In the early morning hours of Thursday, Feb. 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” with the aims of demilitarization and “denazification” in Ukraine, in an address to his nation. Within the hour, the largest attack on a sovereign European nation since World War II was underway.
Ukrainians in cities across the country were awoken by the sounds of explosions and air raid sirens of which many have not been sounded since the last world war. Shelling and missile strikes characterized the beginning of invasion, and Ukraine was surrounded on three sides; the attacks came from the north, east, and south, and took place on the land, air, and sea. As of late Thursday, there were at least 57 reported Ukrainian casualties. There are reports on both sides claiming to have destroyed the others’ aircraft and military equipment as well.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy encouraged his fellow citizens to fight for the freedom of their country, even promising weapons to those who want them. Zelenskyy also encouraged Russians to protest against the war; thousands of Russians took to the streets in defiance of the invasion, and hundreds were subsequently arrested.
These tensions can be traced back to the Soviet Union. The eastward expansion of NATO, an alliance created to counter the Soviets, has long been troubling for President Putin, who contends that Western aggression is an existential threat to Russia. Relations have been especially strained between Russia and Ukraine since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. In December 2021, Putin presented NATO with a list of demands, including that Ukraine would never become a part of the alliance.
Although the invasion was by no means a surprise, the strength and speed with which it came caught Ukrainians who still hoped for a diplomatic resolution off guard. It followed the decrees signed by Putin earlier in the week, recognizing the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as sovereign “People’s Republics,” and Moscow’s subsequent order of troops into the areas. A build-up of Russian troops on the border has been escalating since October 2021, with American and Ukrainian officials estimating up to 190,000 troops stationed in or near Ukraine. It is estimated that more than 100,000 Ukrainians have already fled their homes. Some have crossed the border into neighboring Moldova, Romania, and Poland.
Due to the ongoing use of military equipment, as well as the risk of intentional targeting and misidentification of aircrafts, Ukraine announced the closure of its airspace to civilian flights on Thursday. The country has also been facing continuous cyber attacks rendering bank and government websites useless, including a new form of “wiper” attack that wipes data from the devices it infects.
Just before 9 p.m. local time on Thursday, Ukrainian officials reported the seizure of the Chernobyl nuclear plant by Russian forces after fierce combat. The site has been prone to radiation leaks despite being sealed off following the meltdown of a nuclear reactor in 1986. Reports from a Ukrainian official claim that Russian shelling hit a radioactive waste repository, and that radiation levels increased. According to an unnamed senior American intelligence official, the United States believes Russian forces at Chernobyl were aiming to push to Kyiv, about 80 miles south of the nuclear plant.
A map depicting the locations of Russian air attacks in Ukraine, as of 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24. Ukrainian officials confirmed that the country has been attacked from the north, east, and south. Photo: Times Reporting; Ukrainian Officials, via The New York Times
Zelenskyy instituted martial law and cut diplomatic ties with Moscow, turning to global leaders to protect the sovereignty of Ukraine. “We started putting together an anti-Putin coalition. I have already urged global leaders to slam Putin with all possible sanctions, offer large-scale defense support and close the airspace over Ukraine for the aggressor,” the president said in a statement on Thursday. “Together we must save Ukraine, save the democratic world, and we will do it.”
Putin warned against any action of retaliation in his early morning speech, stating, “Now a few important, very important words for those who may be tempted to intervene in the ongoing events. Whoever tries to hinder us, or threaten our country or our people, should know that Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead you to consequences that you have never faced in your history.”
President Zelenskyy urged world leaders to block Russia from the SWIFT system, a critical financial network connecting thousands of banks around the globe, but leaders like Biden were apprehensive due to the colossal economic implications such a move might hold for Europe and the West.
In the immediate aftermath of the beginning of the Russian invasion, oil prices soared and stocks plummeted, both before swinging in the opposite direction later on in the day as different measures were explored by world leaders. Britain and the United States are two countries that moved to impose serious economic sanctions on Russia, but there are concerns over how they might have adverse effects on European access to Russia’s oil and natural gas.
This is a developing story, and the next few days will unveil the path forward, for both Ukraine and Russia, through the global response to Russian aggression.