2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, marking a major escalation of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. The campaign was preceded by a prolonged Russian military buildup since early 2021, and demands by Russia to legally prohibit Ukraine from joining NATO. In the days prior to the invasion, Russia recognised the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic, followed by the incursion of the Russian Armed Forces to the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine on 21 February 2022.

At about 03:00 UTC (06:00 Moscow time, UTC+3) on 24 February, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in eastern Ukraine; minutes later, missile strikes began at locations across the country, including Ukraine's capital Kyiv. The Ukrainian Border Service stated that its border posts with Russia and Belarus were attacked. Multiple countries condemned the attack and imposed sanctions on Russia.

24 February
Shortly before 04:00 Moscow Time (UTC+3) on 24 February, Putin announced that he had made the decision to launch a military operation in eastern Ukraine. In his address, Putin claimed there were no plans to occupy Ukrainian territory and claimed he supported the right of the peoples of Ukraine to self-determination. Putin also stated that Russia sought the "demilitarisation and denazification" of Ukraine—the latter a claim that CNN called "baseless"—and urged the Ukrainian service people to lay down their arms and go to their homes. In light of a request by the Russian Ministry of Defence asking air traffic control units of Ukraine to stop flights, airspace over Ukraine has been restricted to non-civilian air traffic, with the whole area being deemed an active conflict zone by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Within minutes of Putin's announcement, explosions were reported in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa and the Donbas. Ukrainian officials said that Russia landed troops in Mariupol and launched cruise and ballistic missiles at airfields, military headquarters, and military depots in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro. Military vehicles entered Ukraine through Senkivka at the point where Ukraine meets Belarus and Russia around 6:48 a.m. local time. Video captured Russian troops entering Ukraine from Russian-annexed Crimea.

According to Ukrainian Minister of State Anton Herashchenko just after 06:30 UTC+2, Russian forces were invading via land near the city of Kharkiv and large-scale amphibious landings were reported at the city of Mariupol. At 07:40, the BBC cited other sources in saying that troops were also entering the country from Belarus. The Ukrainian Border Force reported attacks on sites in Luhansk, Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Zhytomyr, as well as from Crimea. The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed no resistance by Ukrainian border forces. The Ukrainian interior ministry reported Russian forces captured the villages of Horodyshche and Milove in Luhansk. The Ukrainian Centre of strategic communications and strategic security reported that the Ukrainian army beat off an attack near Shchastia (near Luhansk) and took back control of the town, claiming nearly 50 casualties from the Russian side.

After being offline for an hour, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry's website was restored. The Ministry claimed that it had shot down five planes and one helicopter in Luhansk. Shortly before 07:00 (UTC+2), President Zelenskyy announced the introduction of martial law in Ukraine. Later he ordered the Ukrainian Army to "inflict maximum losses" to the invaders. Zelenskyy also announced that diplomatic relations with Russia were being severed, effective immediately. Russian missiles targeted Ukrainian infrastructure, including hitting the Kyiv Boryspil airport. Ukraine closed its air space for civilian flights.

A military unit in Podilsk was attacked by Russian forces, resulting in six deaths and seven wounded. Nineteen more people were also reported missing. Another person was killed in the city of Mariupol. A house in Chuhuiv was damaged by Russian artillery; its occupants were injured and one boy died. Eighteen people were killed by Russian bombing in the village of Lipetske (Odesa Oblast).

At 10:00 (UTC+2), it was reported during the briefing of the Ukrainian presidential administration that Russian troops invaded Ukraine from the north (up to 5 km deep). Russian troops were said to be active in Kharkiv Oblast, Chernihiv Oblast, near Sumy. Zelenskyy's press service also reported that Ukraine repulsed an attack in Volyn Oblast. At 10:30 (UTC+2), the Ukrainian defence ministry reported that Russian troops in Chernihiv Oblast had been stopped, a major battle near Kharkiv was in progress, and Mariupol and Shchastia had been fully reclaimed. It was reported that 6 Russian planes, 2 helicopters and dozens of armoured vehicles were destroyed. Russia denied having lost any aircraft or armoured vehicles. Ukrainian commander in chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi published photos of 2 captured Russian soldiers saying they were from the Russian 423rd Guards Yampolsky Motor Rifle Regiment (military unit 91701). Russian airborne troops seized the Antonov International Airport in Hostomel, a suburb of Kyiv, after being transported by helicopters early in the morning; a Ukrainian counteroffensive to recapture the airport was launched later in the day.

Belarus gave its territory to Russian troops to invade Ukraine from the north: at 11:00 (UTC+2), Ukrainian border guards reported a border breach in Vilcha (Kyiv Oblast), and border guards in Zhytomyr Oblast were bombarded by MLRS (presumably BM-21 Grad). It was also reported that a helicopter without markings bombed Slavutych border guards position from Belarus. At 11:30 (UTC+2) a second wave of Russian missile bombings began on Ukraine: among the targeted cities were Kyiv, Odessa, Kharkiv and Lviv. Heavy ground fighting were reported in the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. Civil rights activists in Poland have reported an increase in the crossing of migrants from Belarus to Poland. Belarus is considered by observers to be taking orders from Russia and using migrants at the Polish-Belarus border as a weapon (see also 2021–2022 Belarus–European Union border crisis).

At 13:00 and 13:19 (UTC+2), Ukrainian border guards and Armed Forces reported two new clashes—near Sumy ("in the direction of Konotop") and Starobilsk (Luhansk Oblast). At 13:32 (UTC+2), Valerii Zaluzhnyi reported four ballistic missiles launched from the territory of Belarus in the southwestern direction. Several stations of Kyiv Metro and Kharkiv Metro were used as bomb shelters for the local population. A local hospital in Vuhledar (Donetsk Oblast) was reported to have been bombed with four civilians dead and 10 wounded (including 6 physicians). Ukrainian border guards reported that two Russian ships Vasily Bykov (Project 22160 patrol ship) and Moskva attacked and tried to capture the small Snake Island near the Danube Delta. At 16:00 (UTC+2) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces had erupted in the ghost cities of Chernobyl and Pripyat. Meanwhile, Russian troops advancing from Crimea were reported to have established control over the North Crimean Canal.

At 16:18 (UTC+2), the mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, proclaimed a curfew lasting from 22:00 to 7:00.