Crisis Chronology

RUSSIA

12/09/2024

Russia says it will grant Assad asylum.

12/09/2024

Russia says it will grant Assad asylum.

12/08/2024

Assad flees the country, issuing a statement that he is resigning. He is thought to be in Russia. Rebels enter Damascus and declare that they are in control of the country. Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and turn its functions over to a transitional government.

12/08/2024

Assad flees Syria, issuing a statement that he is resigning. He is thought to be in Russia. Rebels enter Damascus and declare that they are in control of the country. Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and turn its functions over to a transitional government.

12/02/2024

Syrian forces regroup with support from Russia and Iran.

12/01/2024

Syrian rebels gain more territory despite attacks by Russian air forces.

11/30/2024

Russia carries out airstrikes on rebels in and around Aleppo, as it has done in previous days, but they are relatively limited due to the war in Ukraine. The Syrian army announces a temporary withdrawal from Aleppo.

11/30/2024

Russia carries out airstrikes on rebels in and around Aleppo, as it has done in previous days, but they are relatively limited due to the war in Ukraine. The Syrian army announces a temporary withdrawal from Aleppo.

11/29/2024

Rebel forces affiliated with the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) enter Aleppo in the biggest offensive against the government since rebels were forced out of Aleppo in 2016. The weakening of Hezbollah in the war with Israel, forced the organization to move troops out of Syria. Similarly, both Iraq and Russia have reduced their arms supply to Hezbollah, weakening their forces in Syria. Meanwhile, Turkey – the main supporter of the rebels – has gained advantage. Having northern Syria hhin rebel hands also reduces immigration from Syria in Turkey.

11/29/2024

Rebel forces affiliated with the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) enter Aleppo in the biggest offensive against the government since rebels were forced out of Aleppo in 2016. The weakening of Hezbollah in the war with Israel, forced the organization to move troops out of Syria. Similarly, both Iran and Russia have reduced their arms supply to Hezbollah, weakening their forces in Syria. Meanwhile, Turkey – the main supporter of the rebels – has gained advantage. Having northern Syria hhin rebel hands also reduces immigration from Syria in Turkey.

04/06/2024

Ukraine under increasing pressure as Russia continues attacks in the east and the US has still not authorized new funding.

03/21/2024

Russia attacks Ukraine power facilities in continuing newly heavy bombardment.

02/28/2024

Transnistria asks Russia for protection, raising fears that Russia will invade Moldova.

02/23/2024

US imposes 500 new sanctions on Russian companies and individuals in response to the death of Alexander Navalny.

02/16/2024

Russian media report that Alexei Navalny has died in prison. Social media showing video of a healthy Navalny said to have been filmed on 2/15

02/13/2024

Russia places Estonia prime minister on wanted list for destroying Soviet-era monuments.

01/01/2024

Russia mounts one of its largest drone attacks, on major cities throughout Ukraine.

12/25/2023

Navalny located in Siberian prison camp.

12/23/2023

Heavy drone attacks by Russia on Ukraine, especially Kyiv. Russis is also attempting to destroy Ukrainian infrastructure and heating before winter.

12/23/2023

US and EU considering using frozen Russian assets to fund the war in Ukraine.

12/11/2023

Alex Navalny no longer available for contact in Russian prison system.

12/05/2023

US continued funding of Ukraine war effort is in doubt. Ukrainians fear that reduced funding would force them into a defensive posture.

12/01/2023

Zelenskyy acknowledges that offensive did not accomplish its goals, and that the war has entered a new phase. For the most part, it is a stalemate.

11/15/2023

Ukraine reports that its forces have crossed the Dnipro River.

11/02/2023

Russia revokes ratification of the global nuclear test ban treaty.

10/24/2023

Russia makes advances near Avdviika, a town just west of Donetsk.

10/23/2023

Ukraine defending against a new Russian offensive around the city of Avdiivka.

09/26/2023

Ukraine says an attack on Sevastopol in Crimea has killed the head of the Russian Black Sea fleet.

09/24/2023

Russia bombing Ukraine infrastructure with a view to depriving the country of electricity during the coming winter.

09/17/2023

Ukraine said to have broken through defensive lines in a part of the Russian line south of Bakhmut.

09/11/2023

Ukraine said to making significant advances in the southeast.

09/05/2023

Putin said to be arranging a meeting with Kim Jong Un to negotiate weapons sales.

09/03/2023

There are reports that Ukraine has made a significant breakthrough in the southeast, having moved past both defensive lines set up by Russia.

09/01/2023

Ukraine counteroffensive is said to be stalling. Ukraine says that while the counteroffensive is not going as quickly as hoped, such obstacles are not unusual in military strategies.

08/23/2023

Prigozhin said to have died in a plane crash.

08/17/2023

Ukraine’s counteroffensive making small gains, causing concern in the western nations supporting it. Russia continues to bomb cities throughout Ukraine. Some antigovernment activity in Russia, either by insurgents or drone bombing from Ukraine.

08/16/2023

Ukraine says Russia has bombed grain storehouses in southwestern Ukraine, near the Danube River that is the border with Romania.

07/18/2023

Russia attacks Odessa and other port cities in revenge for Kerch Bridge attack.

07/17/2023

Russia refuses to renew grain deal.

07/17/2023

Kerch Bridge between Crimea and mainland Russia damaged in an attack of which Ukraine claims responsibility. The bridge is not passable by car.

07/15/2023

Ukraine offensive advancing slower than hoped and at greater expense.

07/11/2023

Prigozhin has not been seen in public for a week. There are reports that his business operations are being dismantled by the Russian government.

07/09/2023

The Kremlin reports that Putin met with Prigozhin five days after the Wagner revolt and that Prigozhin pledged his loyalty to Putin.

07/08/2023

Turkey allows Azovstal fighters to return to Ukraine, violating an agreement he had made with Russia eight months ago not to allow them to return until the war was over. It is not clear why he chose to do this, but it seems to underline Putin’s diminished power.

07/05/2023

Drone attack on Moscow airport.

07/04/2023

Multiple rumors that Russia will cause explosion at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and blame Ukrainians for it.

06/27/2023

Wagner troops are said to have turned in their weapons.

06/26/2023

Putin addresses the country in an angry tone, denouncing the insurrectionists. There are reports that Prigozhin is still wanted for arrest, but others that he is not. He has not been seen for some days.

06/26/2023

Ukraine counteroffensive moving more slowly than hoped, but still making progress.

06/24/2023

Under an agreement brokered by Belarus President Lukashenko, Prigozhin calls off his advance and says his troops will return to their former positions. The Kremlin drops all “mutiny” charges against Prigozhin, who will now go into exile in Belarus. The Wagner fighters withdraw from Rostov-on-don and the other city they occupied in Russia. Those who participated in the rebellion will be pardoned, while the rest will be permitted to become contract fighters for the Russian army.

06/23/2023

Multiple reports, all unconfirmed, of Wagner soldiers moving into Russia after Prigozhin accuses the Russian military of attaching his troops and calls for a revolution against the military. Russian government opens a criminal case against him.

06/23/2023

Some regular army troops are said to be siding with Wagner, which has advanced to within 200 kilometers of Moscow by simply driving up the main highway. They were not attacked either on land or by air. The Ministry of Defense has put security forces on high alert. Putin orders the military to destroy the Wagner forces, calling their mobilization into Russia treason. Wagner has taken over Rostov-on-don, a major command center for Putin’s war in Ukraine, without firing a shot.

06/22/2023

Zelenskyy says that the counteroffensive is moving more slowly than hoped, but that it will continue.

06/22/2023

Tactically important bridge to Crimea is seriously damaged. Russia accuses Ukraine of the attack.

06/21/2023

Putin says he is stationing nuclear weapons in Belarus.

06/06/2023

Contradictory reports of Ukraine counteroffensive beginning and whether Russia is halting it. Insurgents in Russia near the Ukraine border continue to succeed with hit-and-run forays.

06/06/2023

Major dam, the Nova Kakhovka, in southern Ukraine is seriously damaged, causing disastrous flooding in Kherson. Both sides blame the other, but the dam collapse is a humanitarian crisis for Ukraine.

05/29/2023

Drone attack on Moscow.

05/28/2023

Kyiv massively attacked by missiles and drones. Most are intercepted by air defenses.

05/22/2023

Anti-government uprising in Russian city of Belgorod. Two groups, one calling itself the Liberty of Russia Legion and the other the Russian Volunteer Corps, entered Russia from Ukraine, but it is not clear whether they are Ukrainian or Russian citizens.

05/15/2023

Ukraine says it has shot down the missiles, including so-called hypersonic missiles, of an intense Russian attack against Kyiv. The ability to attack hypersonic missiles is an important step forward for Ukraine, neutralizing one of Russia’s strongest weapons.

05/15/2023

Russia says that it has taken Bakhmut, but Ukraine disputes that Russia has complete control and seems to be aiming to encircle the city.

05/11/2023

Counteroffensive may have begun as Ukraine regains some territory around Bakhmut.

05/10/2023

Prigozhin says that Russian troops have abandoned positions near Bakhmut and continues to criticize Russian military. 5

05/08/2023

Prigozhin retracts withdrawal after receiving promises of more ammunition.

05/07/2023

Prigozhin announces that the Wagner Group will leave Bakhmut, having not received enough ammunition to fight successfully. There is debate over what this public spat with the Ministry of Defence means.

05/02/2023

Conflicting reports of situation in Bakhmut, although Ukraine is determined to hold on to western districts and perhaps regain territory there in new offensive.

05/01/2023

Russian President Putin is warned that if he travels to South Africa for the August BRICS economic summit, under the warrant for arrest for war crimes issued by the International Criminal Court. There is discussion of him attending virtually.

05/01/2023

Anticipating Ukrainian counteroffensive in Donbass and perhaps elsewhere, Russia steps up air attacks on Ukrainian cities and logistics. Russia is said to have built extensive entrenchments throughout eastern Ukraine and especially around Crimea, but even within the borders of Russia near Ukraine as well.

04/30/2023

Leader of Wagner Group Prigozhin announces that he may have to move some troops out of Bakhmut unless the Russia provides more ammunition. Such a public announcement is unusual in Russian politics and as far as possible observers are studying the situation within the Russian higher military and political circles.

04/29/2023

First Russian missile attack on Ukraine cities in some weeks. Perhaps as a result of Ukraine’s possible new offensive.

04/27/2023

Russian attacks Ukraine with heaviest bombardment in weeks.

04/24/2023

Ukraine launches sea drone bombing attack on Russian navy port in Sevastapol, Crimea. Russia says no damage was done.

04/24/2023

Russia continues to make small gains in Bakhmut, but Ukraine holds on to some positions. Ukraine may also be mounting a counteroffensive.

04/17/2023

Brazil foreign minister meets officially with visiting Russian foreign minister. Da Silva makes suggests that both the US and Russia decided to go to war in Ukraine and the US should stop “stimulating” the fighting. US protests such comments strongly.

03/26/2023

Russia says it will station nuclear weapons in Belarus.

03/24/2023

There are reports that the Russian offensive in Bakhmut has stalled and Ukraine is planning an offensive in response.

03/20/2023

Chinese President Xi begins state visit to Russia and President Putin, showing support for Russia’s war in Ukraine while also calling for an end to fighting and a start on negotiations. A recent US report said that China is shipping arms and ammunition to Russia.

03/19/2023

Russia President Putin visits Mariupol in Ukraine.

03/17/2023

International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Russian President Putin, for transporting Ukrainian children out of the country.

03/15/2023

Ukraine continues to forestall Russia from occupying Bakhmut.

03/14/2023

International Criminal Court to open cases of war crimes against Russia.

03/12/2023

Battle for Bakhmut continues, with heavy losses on both sides.

03/09/2023

Russia attacks Ukraine with hypersonic missiles, which Russia describes as revenge for an attack inside Russia by a far-right Russian nationalist group opposed to the war in Ukraine.

03/07/2023

Yevgeny Prigozhin, creator of the Wagner Group that has been at the forefront of Bakhmut battle, increasingly asserting himself.

03/02/2023

Russia near capture of strategic town of Bakhmut.

02/27/2023

Algeria and Russia discuss strengthening their military cooperation.

02/25/2023

Russia suspends some oil exports to Poland.

02/24/2023

China issues a peace plan for Ukraine. It calls for an end to fighting, renewed peace talks, an end to sanctions on Russia, and no use of nuclear weapons. Ukraine hopes to prevent this plan, advantageous to Russia, from being brought up at the UN.

02/23/2023

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang meets with Russian President Putin, affirming their shared interests without specifics. Putin says that Chinese President Xi will visit later in the year.

02/21/2023

Russia withdraws from New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

02/18/2023

The US says that that China is considering providing arms to Russia and warns against doing so. China condemns the remarks and says the US has no right to interfere in such decisions anyway.

02/16/2023

A senior official in the BND, Germany’s foreign intelligence service, is arrested for espionage with Russia. This arrest follows that other suspected Russian operatives in the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Poland and Slovenia as western countries mount an offensive against Russian espionage.

02/13/2023

Russia has started a new offensive in eastern Ukraine.

02/05/2023

EU bans importation of Russian diesel fuel and other refined products.

02/02/2023

Austria expels four Russian diplomats.

02/01/2023

Russia making steady small gains of territory in Donetsk.

01/26/2023

Russia launches new wave of missile and drone attacks on Ukraine.

01/25/2023

Poland formally asks Germany for permission to transfer Leopard-1 tanks to Ukraine.

01/25/2023

Both US and Germany reported to agree to send Leopard and Abrams tanks to Ukraine. There is widespread opinion that the decision shows a broader desire to support the Ukraine war effort for the long term.

01/23/2023

Estonia tells Russian ambassador to leave and Estonia does the same in solidarity. Russia responds in kind. Rising tensions about Ukraine are fueling most of the actions.

01/22/2023

EU sends mission to Armenia to try to ease tension about blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh by some Azeris. Russia criticizes the effort as increasing tensions.

01/22/2023

German FM Baerbock says that Germany will not block Poland sending Leopard-1 tanks to Ukraine. The Germans still insist they will not send their tanks until the US agrees to send M-1 Abrams tanks, which the US says are not feasible for Ukraine because they use jet fuel. This turned out not to be correct.

01/18/2023

Continuing resistance from Germany about sending its own Leopard-1 tanks to Ukraine. It says that it will only send Leopards if the US sends its Abrams battle tanks. Denmark says it will send Patriot missiles to Ukraine.

01/17/2023

There are reports that new military chief Gerimasov was ordered to conquer all of Donetsk by the end of March. Putin has ordered the armed forces to increase by 1.5 million soldiers. There are also reports that there will be an attack on the western Ukraine city of Lviv, which would require more a diversion of Ukraine forces. A joint Belaraus-Russia military exercise begins on 1/16 and is scheduled to last until 2/1.

01/16/2023

Russian attack on civilian apartment building in Kharkiv.

01/14/2023

UK agrees to send fourteen main battle tanks to Ukraine. There is a general debate on the continent about sending more modern tanks to Ukraine.

01/11/2023

Gen. Valery Gerasimov replaces Sergey Surovikin as head of the war in Ukraine. Surovikin was in charge for only three months. Gerasimov initially opposed the invasion of and war in Ukraine, but his appointment may have more to do with politics. Recently, during the Russian advances in Ukraine around Soledar, the Wagner Group has made its role in the success overt, and its founder and head, Yevgeny Prigozhin (known as “Putin’s chef”), is close to Surokvikin. Prigozhin is also close with Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadryov, who also commands troops in the Ukraine war and has been openly critical of the Russian military execution in Ukraine. Gerasimov, however, is strongly tied to the Kremlin chain of command, so Putin may be reasserting the primacy of the established Russian military over the more maverick military warlords.

01/10/2023

Armenia has refused to host military drills by the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a Russian-led alliance of post-Soviet countries, in an announcement that reflects Yerevan’s growing tensions with Moscow.

01/09/2023

Russia making some gains in the east. Ongoing struggle in Bakhmut, where there are large mines and tunnels that can shelter armaments, and the town of Soledar, which has large salt mines.

01/08/2023

The ceasefire, raggedly observed, has no effect on the war.

01/06/2023

Russia begins 36-hour unilateral ceasefire, from midday 1/6 to evening 1/7, for Orthodox Christmas. Ukraine dismisses the suggestion of a corresponding ceasefire, saying it is a “cynical” ploy to give Russia a chance to rest and re-equip its troops.

01/03/2023

Outrage among Russian hardliners calling for resignations or firings of those responsible for Makiivka.

01/02/2023

Ukraine strikes ammunition site and troop billet in Makiivka in Donetsk. Estimates of deaths range from the 60s to 300s.

12/29/2022

Russia launches one of its largest missile attacks on Ukraine.

12/28/2022

Meeting with Putin in Russia, Kazak President Tokayev declines to commit to a Russian proposal for a natural gas union with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Russia. The meeting, however, is an attempt to mend ties caused by Kazakhstan's opposition to the Russian annexation of territory in Ukraine.

12/26/2022

Ukraine calls for a UN summit meeting for peace in 2/23.

12/25/2022

Putin says that he is willing to negotiate with all parties involved with Ukraine, but that others are refusing to do so. Western observers believe he is hoping for a pause in fighting that will let his army recover.

12/22/2022

12/21/22. Former Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev meets with Chinese leader Xi. Xi urges Russian President Putin to negotiate and offers to mediate between Ukraine and Russia.

12/22/2022

Putin says he will continue the war until his goals are reached.

12/21/2022

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy address joint meeting of US House of Representatives and Senate. US provides new anti-air missiles to Ukraine. Zelensky addresses US congress. Russia says US is fighting a proxy war.

12/20/2022

Russia and China hold joint naval exercises.

12/19/2022

Russia continues savage bombing of Ukraine infrastructure.

12/14/2022

Armenian parliamentarians of the governing coalition accuse Russia of fomenting a new war with Azerbaijan and criticize the conduct of Russian peacekeepers. There is a new crisis due to the Lachin blockade.

12/13/2022

Azerbaijanis who call themselves environmentalists blockade the Lachin corridor, the only route from Armenia in the renegade province of Artsakh. The protestors say they are opposed to mining in Nagorno-Karabakh; the protest blocks Karabarkh motorists. Artsakh officials report that Azerbaijan has blocked the flow of gas to Artsakh through Armenia.

12/11/2022

US warns that Iran has become an extensive military supported of Russia.

12/11/2022

Russian attacks destroy power for Odesa, and some believe power will not be restored until 2023.

12/06/2022

Hungary blocks further EU aid to Ukraine.

12/05/2022

Ukrainian drones bomb two air bases deep inside Russia, the Engels air base and the Ryazan military base. At least one attack was coordinated with forces close to the base. Russia says that there was minor damage. Ukraine does not officially acknowledge launching the attacks. Russia responds with massive bombing of Ukrainian cities.

12/02/2022

EU, G7 agree to cap Russian oil imports at $60 a barrel, as a further sanction on Russia for invading Ukraine, to come into effect on 12/5/22. There is doubt that the cap will have much effect, since China, India and others are still buying Russian oil at its price, among other reasons. Russia says it will not accept the cap and warns of retribution, and that it will not affect their conduct of the war.

12/02/2022

Heavy fighting around Bakhmut, although it has little strategic value anymore. Otherwise, there has been little change in the lines, at least in part due to the winter weather.

12/01/2022

US President Joe Biden says that he is willing to discuss war negotiations with Russian President Putin, although no negotiations can proceed without Ukraine’s approval. Russia responds with reservations to Biden’s statement, repeating that Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian territory must be recognized, which Ukraine will never accept. However, there does seem to be some increased inclination to negotiations.

11/28/2022

Uzbekistan refuses to enter into Russian proposal for a natural gas union between Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.

11/28/2022

Fierce battles over the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. Russia makes some advance.

11/25/2022

Some power restored in Ukraine. Russia increases bombing of Kherson in an attempt to retake the city.

11/24/2022

Total blackout in Ukraine due to Russian shelling. There is no electricity or heat in the country.

11/23/2022

Moldova loses power due to Russian shelling of Ukrainian infrastructure.

11/21/2022

Russia shells frontlines heavily.

11/20/2022

Shelling dangerously near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Ukraine continues to advance in the south. Russian attacks near Donetsk repelled.

11/19/2022

Polish military chief says that Russia is escalating military preparation on border with NATO.

11/19/2022

Zelenskyy offers terms of negotiation, including repatriation of Crimea and reparations for the destruction Russia has caused in Ukraine.

11/18/2022

Nordstream leaks determined to be sabotage by a Swedish investigation.

11/16/2022

Russian bombardment causing severe energy shortages and blackouts across Ukraine.

11/16/2022

Russia falls into recession with a 4% contraction in the third quarter of 2022. That is one point less than the second quarter decline. The first quarter showed some growth.

11/15/2022

Russia hits Ukraine with about 100 missiles, the largest attack so far. Military observers believe that Russia is running low on missiles.

11/15/2022

Missile explodes in Poland, just over the border from Ukraine. Poland and others fear that it was an attack by Russia. However, by the next day, most announce that it seems more likely that it was a Ukrainian anti-missile defense missile that went off course. Ukraine disputes this.

11/14/2022

Turkish President Erdogan urges peace negotiations in the war in Ukraine. US head of CIA William Burns meets with Russian head of the SVR foreign intelligence service in Turkey. There are also reports that US National Security advisor Jake Sullivan has had discussions with Russian counterparts.

11/11/2022

Ukrainian troops enter Kherson City. The Russian retreat is taken as a major defeat.

11/10/2022

Ukraine advancing in Mykolaiv Oblast and in Kherson Oblast.

11/08/2022

Russian military orders evacuation of Kherson. Ukraine remains skeptical that it could be a trap.

11/03/2022

Russia expected to remove troops from the west bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson. Fighting has become a struggle over small advances. It may be that Russia has decided to fall back to a line of control across eastern Ukraine.

11/02/2022

Russia renews grain shipping agreement after talks with Turkey.

11/02/2022

US accuses North Korea of hiding shipments of weapons to Russia for the war in Ukraine.

11/01/2022

Iran reported to be sending short-range missiles to Russia.

10/31/2022

Convoy of grain ships moves past Russian fleet. One barge is fired upon. Most nations urge Russia to return to the grain deal. Wheat prices jump 6%.

10/30/2022

Russian fleet in Sevastpol is hit with massive drone attack. Some ships are damaged.

10/29/2022

Russia says it will not renew grain shipping agreement with Turkey because of the attack on the fleet in Sevastapol. Ukraine says that it was not a signatory to this agreement and is therefore waiting for Turkey’s response.

10/26/2022

Russia continues to attack Ukrainian infrastructure, causing continued widespread power outages as winter settles in in Ukraine.

10/26/2022

Russia reported to be undermining pro-Western government in Moldova by giving huge sums of money to politicians who will support Russia, fomenting protests, and controlling some media outlets. US Treasury Department sanctions multiple individuals associated with the effort.

10/25/2022

Battle for Kherson continues. Russians seem to have evacuated civilians from Kherson City, but the military remains dug in. Ukraine has destroyed all bridges across the Dnipr River.

10/23/2022

Russia says that Ukraine has a “dirty bomb” that it is planning to explode, most likely an attempt to provide cover for its own explosion of a tactical nuclear weapon.

10/22/2022

Russian attacks on Ukraine infrastructure continue, causing widespread power outages. Russia is evacuating from Kherson City and is thought to be planning a withdrawal of troops, although Ukrainian intelligence says this is a feint and Russia is actually bringing in more troops. Ukraine warns that Russia has mined a dam near Kherson City that it could explode and flood the region, making it impossible for Ukrainian forces to pursue departing Russians.

10/21/2022

US confirms presence of Iranian military drone trainers in Crimea and says that Iran is now fighting with Russia in the war in Ukraine.

10/21/2022

Turkey President Erdogan says Putin is “more open” to negotiations regarding Ukraine.

10/20/2022

Putin says that if the UN investigates whether Iranian drones were used in Ukraine, Russia might stop cooperating with the UN.

10/19/2022

Putin declares martial law in illegally annexed regions of Ukraine.

10/19/2022

Residents of Kherson to be evacuated ahead of advance of Ukrainian forces and possibly in preparation for the destruction of the power plant. Many of them are Russian officials or nationals but some may be victims of forced deportation of Ukrainians. Ukraine says that Russian warnings of Ukrainian bombings of Kherson is “fake news.” Russian commander admits that the situation is “tense” for his forces.

10/18/2022

Russia continues bombing Ukraine, targeting key infrastructure. Ukraine says that 30% of its power stations have been destroyed.

10/18/2022

Ukraine breaks diplomatic ties with Iran because it has supplied Russia with armed drones. Iran denies this, but most in the West believe it is true. Certainly at least some of the drones were built in Iran.

10/13/2022

Turkey’s President Erdogan and Russian President Putin. However, there is no official result except in regard to Turkey providing more gas for Europe.

10/12/2022

Putin offers to resume gas delivery through the parts of the Nord Steam I pipeline that were not damaged. Germany rejects the offer as an attempt by Russia to leverage Europe against Ukraine, saying that Russia has shown it is not a reliable partner.

10/12/2022

UN condemns Russia attempt to annex parts of Ukraine by a vote of 143-5. Belarus, Nicaragua, North Korea, Russia, and Syria voted no. Thirty-five countries abstained from the vote, including China and India.

10/11/2022

Russia continues bombarding Ukrainian cities.

10/11/2022

Putin continues to urge Lukashenko to join the war in Ukraine. Lukashenko moves some troops in what he calls a defensive posture, suggesting the Ukraine is going to invade Belarus. Ukraine says this is nonsensical. Russia sends Ukrainian drones to Belarus and fires missiles from Belarus. Moldova protests that the missiles crossed its airspace.

10/11/2022

NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg calls for increased air defense aid to Ukraine.

10/10/2022

Russians bomb Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, mostly with drones, in retaliation for the Kerch Strait attack.

10/08/2022

Kerch Strait Bridge linking Crimea to the mainland is hit by explosions that rip out one section of the bridge and set a train on fire. The bridge of one Putin’s signature constructions.

10/06/2022

US President Biden cautions against wider nuclear war if Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine. He does now, however, mean to suggest a change in US policy.

10/05/2022

Ukraine continues advances in the east and the south.

10/05/2022

OPEC+ countries (including Russia) agree to reduce oil output amid falling prices. Western countries object that this will support Putin’s financing of the war in Ukraine.

10/05/2022

EU imposes new sanctions on Russia after its sham annexation of Ukrainian territories.

10/04/2022

Zelenskyy signs a decree barring negotiations with Russia.

10/04/2022

Russian front lines in Kherson collapsing across a wide area.

10/03/2022

Ukrainian army follows up on recapture of Lyman and presses further south.

10/03/2022

Many of the Russians mobilized for combat in Ukraine are sent home, deemed unfit for duty. Putin recently acknowledged that “mistakes” were made in calling up the new conscripts.

10/03/2022

After Putin’s speech reiterating his willingness to use nuclear weapons in some situations, there is widespread concern about his intentions. Most intelligence community believe that the use of even small, tactical nuclear weapons has uncertain results and is unlikely to produce much change on the battlefield.

10/02/2022

Russians lose Lyman, a crucial rail hub for Donetsk, and part of the territory Russia falsely claimed to annex on 9/30.

09/30/2022

Russia formally annexes Ukrainian territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Only Russian allies recognize this as factual and legal.

09/30/2022

US announces new round of sanctions on Russian and Belarussian officials and other individuals.

09/29/2022

Finland announces that it will not accept Russian tourists.

09/29/2022

Fourth leak in Nord Stream pipelines. Putin calls for investigation into “international terrorism.”

09/28/2022

Russian occupiers of Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Kherson formally ask for annexation by Russia.

09/27/2022

Norway raises its emergency preparedness around its offshore oil and gas facilities in the North Sea, in response to the leaks in Nord Stream 1 and 2, though to be Russian sabotage.

09/27/2022

Another leak is discovered in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. Increasingly, Russia is suspected of sabotaging the pipelines as a new part of the war in Ukraine.

09/26/2022

Annexation votes concluding in Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Russia has already announced that the votes are in favor of annexation by Russia. This move is probably the tactic of saying that Ukraine is invading Russian territory if it attacks any of these provinces.

09/26/2022

President Tokayev says Kazakhstan will guarantee the safety of Russians fleeing Russia in protest against the war in Ukraine.

09/26/2022

Substantial leaks discovered in Nord Stream I, a day after a leak in Nord Stream II was discovered. Denmark and Poland suspect sabotage, but it is not clear by whom.

09/22/2022

China calls for a “ceasefire through dialogue” in the war in Ukraine, a significant shift away from support of Russia’s invasion.

09/22/2022

215 Ukrainian prisoners, including the defenders of the Azov plant are traded by a Russian who is a Ukrainian Putin ally and Putin is his daughter’s godfather.

09/21/2022

Putin orders partial mobilization of the army, calling up about 300,000 reservists to protect Russian territory, “the motherland,” as he puts it. It is not clear if this includes the recently conquered territory in Ukraine and Crimea.

09/21/2022

Large protests in Moscow against the expansion of the war effort and hundreds are arrested.

09/20/2022

Russian occupiers of Kherson and Luhansk say they will hold a referendum on joining Russia. Similar referenda in Donetsk and the Russian-held portion of Zaporizhzhia are being planned.

09/20/2022

Duma increases punishment for desertion from the military or evasion of service, and for destruction of military equipment.

09/17/2022

Russia widens attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets and infrastructure as Ukrainian army continues to advance in both the Kharkiv and Kherson regions.

09/13/2022

Reports that the elite 1st Guards Tank Army has been destroyed. It would be Russia’s biggest defeat since WWII, with thousands of troops captured. There are calls for Putin to resign and calls for complete mobilization and a war footing.

09/12/2022

Ukraine has retaken most of Kharkiv Oblast, costing Russians significant losses of soldiers and materiel.

09/12/2022

Ukraine continues advance, doubling the territory recaptured, according to Zelensky. There are reports of Russian trooping breaking ranks and fleeing the combat areas. Many thousands of troops captured.

09/12/2022

Ukraine and Russian said to be interested in discussions about a ceasefire zone around the Zaporizhzhia plant, says the IAEA.

09/11/2022

Last reactor at Zaporizhzhia shut down. There is no immediate danger.

09/11/2022

Ukraine advancing steadily in the northeast deep into territory Russia had passed through. Blackouts spreading across east, and Ukraine says the Russians are hitting infrastructure to create the blackouts.

09/11/2022

In an extremely close election today, with 95% of the vote counted on 9'12, the conservative coalition led by the Moderates, led by Ulf Kristersson, seems likely to win 175 seats to the more liberal coalition of the ruling Social Democrats, who seem on track to win 174 seats in the 349-seat parliament, the Riksdag. The very right-wing Sweden Democrat party wins its largest share, about 21% of the vote. The Social Democrats remain with largest single party, with about 30% of the vote. There are still mail-in and absentee ballots to be counted.

09/09/2022

There are reports that the Russian forces in Kharkiv are collapsing.

09/08/2022

Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania ban Russian tourists from entering their countries beginning 9/19.

09/08/2022

Ukraine breaks through Russian lines near Kharkiv.

09/07/2022

Ukrainian offensive around Kharkiv reportedly making clear advances.

09/06/2022

There are reports that the Zaporizhzhia plant is near breakdown. Shelling around the plant continues ahead of IAEA report. Two IAEA investigators remain at the plant, reportedly, as safeguards.

09/06/2022

Russia reported to be buying ammunition from North Korea.

09/06/2022

UN calls for a safety zone around the Zaporizhzhia plant.

09/05/2022

Ukrainian offensive in Kherson making incremental progress.

09/05/2022

Explosion outside the Russian embassy kills several, including one diplomat. Militant Islamist group is thought to be responsible, perhaps with intent of making the Taliban seem less trustworthy. Russia is one of the very nations to have an embassy in Afghanistan.

09/02/2022

G-7 countries approve a price cap on oil and hope to persuade other large economies to do the same as a way of choking off Russians funds for the war.

08/31/2022

EU suspends visa facilitation agreement of 2007, making it much more difficult for Russians to obtain visas.

08/31/2022

Russia cuts flow of gas in Nord Stream I “for maintenance.”

08/30/2022

EU agrees to set up training mission for Ukraine. Its base and mission are not entirely clear yet. EU still debating a ban on issuing visas to Russians.

08/29/2022

Ukraine says it is beginning offensive to retake Kherson Oblast.

08/29/2022

Inspectors from the IAEA going to Zaporizhzhia plant.

08/26/2022

Hungary issues licenses for two new nuclear reactors to be built by Russia, part of an agreement signed in 2014.

08/26/2022

Russia blocks passage of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty at the UN, objecting to its statements about military activity around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine and the dangers of Ukraine’s loss of control of the plant.

08/26/2022

Zaporizhzhia plant reconnected to the grid.

08/25/2022

Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant disconnected from the Ukrainian grid after fires around the plant interrupt its supply of electricity. Ukrainians and Russians blame each other for fighting in the area.

08/18/2022

Further explosions in Crimea. Ukraine acknowledges that it is conducting covert operations there.

08/11/2022

Latvia and Estonia leave China’s Eastern European economic group, protesting China’s support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

08/11/2022

Latvia declares Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.

08/10/2022

As Russia fortifies positions around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine, there is increasing fear there could be an explosion at the plant, which is still being run by Ukrainian technicians. There have also been missile strikes near the plant in recent days. Russia and Ukraine blame each other for that. Supply shipments of equipment for the plant have been interrupted and there have been reports of fighting between Russians and Ukrainians.

08/10/2022

As Russia fortifies positions around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine, there is increasing fear there could be an explosion at the plant, which is still being run by Ukrainian technicians. There have also been missile strikes near the plant in recent days. Russia and Ukraine blame each other for that. Supply shipments of equipment for the plant have been interrupted and there have been reports of fighting between Russians and Ukrainians.

08/10/2022

Uzbek Government says it will imprison anyone who joins Russia’s war against Ukraine.

08/09/2022

Military airport in Crimea is bombed, Ukraine’s deepest attack into territory held by Russia. There are reports that Russian soldiers are quitting or deserting and that Russia is having difficulty finding new recruits.

08/08/2022

Russia said to be facing shortages of munitions. Shelling has significantly reduced in intensity in recent days.

08/08/2022

Russia suspends New START talks because of travel restrictions on Russians by the US and other countries.

08/01/2022

Yelensky requires mandatory evacuation of Donetsk, as Russis solidifies its hold on the east. Russia continues to deport Ukrainians to Russia without passports and plans grow to hold a referendum on the independence of eastern Ukraine, to be conducted by Russia-installed rulers in towns of the area. Few see this as other than a sham vote, that will be manipulated to produce Russia’s desired outcome.

08/01/2022

First shipment of grain leaves Odesa.

07/27/2022

Ukraine says that counterattack on Kherson Oblast has begun.

07/26/2022

EU agrees on voluntary 15% decrease in use of natural gas.

07/25/2022

Russia says it will reduce gas supply to Germany.

07/23/2022

Russia attacks Odesa with missiles. Though there is little damage, it is a clear violation of the agreement, and is denounced by UN Secretary General Guterres.

07/22/2022

Ukraine and Russia sign UN-brokered deal to allow Ukraine to ship its grain from Odesa and that neither the shipments nor port facilities will be attacked. Russia receives assurances that their shipments of grain and fertilizer will not be restrained by technical financial or other constraints. The goods are not sanctioned at this time.

07/21/2022

Russia restarts gas flow in Nordstream I pipeline.

07/20/2022

EU proposes a plan to cut gas by 15% ahead of expected Russian cutoff.

07/20/2022

Syria suspends diplomatic ties with Ukraine.

07/19/2022

Foreign Minister Lavrov says that Russia is extending its aims in gaining territory in Ukraine beyond the Donbas region.

07/19/2022

Putin meets with Turkish President Erdogan and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Iran expresses support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. No progress on the shipping of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.

07/18/2022

Over recent weeks, the war in Ukraine has seen a slow advance by the Russian army to take over the entire eastern Ukraine and constant bombardment of Ukrainian-held regions. Putin is also threatening to starve the West of fuel and also wheat by restraining shipments from Ukraine.

07/11/2022

Russia halts flow of gas in Nordstream pipeline, ostensibly for maintenance work that will last for ten days.

07/07/2022

Laotian government discussing purchase of oil with Russia. The country is running out of oil and is nearing debt default.

07/04/2022

After the victory in Luhansk--taking control of Lysychansk and the Luhansk Oblast border--Putin seems to have ordered a pause in the fighting to let his troops rest and recover. Heavy shelling of Ukrainian-held cities in the east continues.

07/02/2022

Russia claims control of last Ukrainian-held city in Luhansk. Ukraine disputes this.

06/26/2022

As leaders gather at G-7 summit, Russian missiles strike Kyiv.

06/26/2022

At G-7 summit, leaders agree to block import of Russian gold.

06/25/2022

Russia says it will send nuclear-capable missiles to Belarus.

06/24/2022

EU and the US discussing how to respond to Russia’s “weaponization” of fuel delivery. Germany especially concerned that Russia will completely cut supplies.

06/24/2022

EU and the US discussing how to respond to Russia’s “weaponization” of fuel delivery. Germany especially concerned that Russia will completely cut supplies.

06/24/2022

Ukraine orders its troops out of Severodonetsk, giving Russia dominance in the Donbas.

06/23/2022

Russia criticizes Lithuania for following EU sanctions on restricting freight traffic to Russia, saying that it amounts to a blockade of the Russia territory Kaliningrad and therefore a violation of international rules.

06/16/2022

Gazprom cuts supplies to Italy by 50%. France has received no gas from the company for more than a month.

06/15/2022

Navalny moved to a maximum-security prison, Meklekhovo, known for brutality and abuse of prisoners.

06/14/2022

Russia economy regaining ground, as several countries continue to buy its oil.

06/14/2022

Russia steadily gaining control of Severodonetsk. Ukraine, running out of ammunition, appeals to the world for a substantial increase in military aid.

06/08/2022

UN warns of global food shortages unless Ukrainian wheat and oil is allowed to be exported. Turkey and Russia announce a plan to allow Russia continues to insist that sanctions be lifted because while food exports are exempt from sanctions, restrictions on its ships and banks make it impossible to deliver grain. Also that Ukraine remove the mines from shipping lanes in the Black Sea. Russia also says it will not attack shipments of food and grain, but Ukraine dismisses its promise, since so many other promises have been broken.

06/07/2022

Russia suspends deal with Japan on fishing near disputed islands. Russia’s foreign ministry says Japan failed to make payments required by fishing rights agreement. Japan disputes that judgement. Japan has sanctioned Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

06/06/2022

Putin warns of attacks on new targets if Ukraine receives advanced weaponry from the West. Foreign Minister Lavrov’s visit to Serbia is thwarted as surrounding nations refuse Russia passage through their airspace.

06/06/2022

Fierce fighting in eastern city Severodonetsk continues. It is the last Ukrainian-held city in Luhansk. Ukraine has begun to counterattack, but with limited success.

06/02/2022

OPEC-plus countries agree to lift oil production, perhaps in response to appeals from the US, which is experiencing high consumer gasoline prices that are hurting President Biden’s favorability polling. Only Saudi Arabia has the capacity to increase production, and it may not offset the decrease in Russian oil production caused by sanctions. Biden will visit Saudi Arabia, a sign of renewed rapprochement, later this month.

05/30/2022

Russia continues to make slow advances in the east, while Ukraine forces counterattack.

05/30/2022

EU bans two-thirds of the Russian oil that is being imported. However, Hungary is allowed to continue importing Russian oil indefinitely. It also acts to take Russia’s Sberbank out of the international banking communication network SWIFT and impose other sanctions.

05/29/2022

EU discussions about Russian oil embargo stall over countries that depend heavily on Russian energy, especially Hungary but also Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Inflation and projections of sluggish growth complicate the economic future.

05/24/2022

Hungarian legislature passes a constitutional amendment giving PM Orban emergency powers after he declares a “state of danger,” using the invasion of Ukraine as a reason to continue the authoritarian powers originally imposed as a result of COVID-19 that would have expired at the end of 5/22.

05/20/2022

Russia cuts gas supply to Finland, which says it will not markedly affect supply there.

05/20/2022

Russia says it is near full control of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.

05/16/2022

Soldiers begin evacuation from Azovstal plant, signalling the final conquest of Mariupol.

05/16/2022

Putin says that Sweden and Finland joining NATO are not a concern as long as NATO troops are not stationed in these countries.

05/15/2022

Swedish ruling Social Democratic party drops its opposition to joining NATO. The government is expected to apply in the coming week.

05/15/2022

There are increasing calls for Russia to allow Ukrainian wheat to be exported from ports, now all blockaded by Russia, to avoid a worldwide food shortage.

05/14/2022

Ukraine says that Russian forces are retreating from Kharkiv region.

05/13/2022

EU and US agree to address food and fertilizer security problems in the wake of disruptions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

05/13/2022

South Ossetia government, led by Anatoly Bibilov, orders a referendum on joining Russian Federation on 7/17.

05/12/2022

UN warns of global hunger crisis due to the loss of Ukraine’s crops this year and the embargoes on Russian goods.

05/11/2022

UK signs security agreements with Sweden and Finland to aid either country if it is attacked.

05/11/2022

Finnish government announces that it will seek membership in NATO. Russia vows a “corresponding symmetrical responses.”

05/10/2022

Russian missile strikes on Odesa.

05/09/2022

Putin defends the invasion of Ukraine by referring to Ukraine’s defenders as “Nazis,” though he does not say the word “Ukraine” (he does say “Kyiv”). He does not order a national call-up of troops in the annual May 9 celebration of the defeat of the Nazis in WWII.

05/09/2022

Japanese government announces new sanctions on Russia.

05/09/2022

Ukraine second offensive advancing in the north. Russian troops making slow progress, if any, in the south. Russia continues its assault on the Azovstal steel works.

05/07/2022

All women, children, and elderly evacuated from Azovstal plant.

05/05/2022

Ukraine regains some territory in the center of the country while Russia gains some villages in the east. Luhansk is bombed heavily. The last Ukrainian forces in Mariupol, in the steel works, are forcefully attacked. There is great speculation as to what Putin will say on May 9, Victory Day in Russia to commemorate the defeat of Germany in World War II.

05/04/2022

EU commission proposes banning importation of Russian oil by the end of 2022 and removing Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, from the SWIFT interbanking system. Hungary says it will vote against any sanctions that would restrict oil imports from Russia.

05/04/2022

EU pledges military defense assistance to Moldova.

05/03/2022

Russia attacks Azovstal steel plant and shells Odesa.

05/02/2022

Russia’s advance in the east seems to have slowed down.

05/01/2022

Some civilians are evacuated from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.

05/01/2022

There are continuing explosions at facilities around Russia that increasingly seem to be caused by internal resistance to the invasion of Ukraine. Russia is also facing unprecedented cyberattacks.

04/26/2022

Russia expels forty German diplomats in retaliation for a similar action by Germany.

04/26/2022

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres meets with Putin. He calls for an immediate ceasefire and evacuations from Mariupol.

04/26/2022

Russia cuts off gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria after they refuse to pay for the supplies in rubles, though contracts specify that payments are to be made in dollars.

04/26/2022

Chinese company DJI, the world’s largest drone manufacturer, suspends business with Russia and Ukraine.

04/26/2022

Russia continues to gain ground in eastern Ukraine. Heavy bombardment.

04/26/2022

Poland declares that it will have enough energy from other sources to become independent from Russia.

04/26/2022

Russia warns other countries from becoming involved in its invasion of Ukraine. With Scandinavian countries likely to apply to join NATO, Putin also warns of consequences. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov recently warned of possibility of the use of nuclear arms. There are concerns about Russia cutting off gas and oil from Europe, which shakes financial markets around the world. However, most of these warnings either lack specificity or any gain in advantage for Russia.

04/25/2022

Turkey closes its airspace to Russian planes flying to Syria for three months.

04/25/2022

Airstrikes on Ukraine military targets and transportation increase.

04/25/2022

Attacks in Transnistria region of Moldova, where thousands of Russian soldiers are based. Some suspect these are Russian false flag attacks meant to spread the war to Moldova. President Maia Sandu calls an emergency meeting of the Moldovan Security Council and says that the attacks are perpetrated by factions within Transnistria intending to increase tensions and destabilize the region.

04/24/2022

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visit Kyiv. US subsequently announces it will resume diplomatic operations in Ukraine. Austin says that US aims to impair Russian military to the point where it would be unable to invade other countries.

04/24/2022

Fires and explosions in fuel and military, and police facilities in western Russia, far from Ukraine. Russia accuses Ukraine of air attacks; Ukraine denies this. Six Russian oligarchs have been found dead since 1/22.

04/23/2022

Russia strikes at Odessa with cruise missiles. The strategy appears to be to capture the length of the southern coast of Ukraine.

04/22/2022

Russian troops make advances in the east, capturing several small cities.

04/21/2022

Putin tells military to abandon attacks on the extensive Azovstal steel plant but continue to besiege it. He declares that Mariupol is captured, although there are still military and civilian holdouts in the Azovstal plant. The city is otherwise destroyed.

04/19/2022

Russia expels 21 Belgian diplomats and 15 Dutch diplomats in retaliation.

04/18/2022

Russia begins assault on Ukrainian positions in the Donbas areas that it does not already control.

04/14/2022

As both Sweden and Finland debate applying to NATO in their legislatures, Russian prime minister Medvedev says that if they join the alliance, Russia would move nuclear weapons to the Baltic region.

04/13/2022

Presidents Duda of Poland, Giatanas Nauseda of Lithuania, Egils Levits of Latvia, and Alex Karis of Estonia meet President Zelensky in Kyiv. A request to visit bv German President Steinhauer was rejected, due to what Ukraine considers a hesitant and tepid response to Ukraine’s request for arms and supplies by Germany, and its continued acceptance of Russian oil and gas.

04/13/2022

Russians claim that they have conquered Mariupol, but the mayor of the city disputes that.

04/13/2022

Russian flagship destroyer Moskva, patrolling in the Black Sea, is severely damaged, likely precluding any attack on Odessa. Russia says a munitions fire broke out and forced its evacuation, but Ukraine claims they sunk it with underwater missiles.

04/11/2022

There are reports of a chemical weapon attack by the Russians in Mariupol.

04/11/2022

Russia is expected to mount a new offensive in the east to solidify their hold on the Donbas and perhaps extend that territory to the center of Ukraine, giving it a hold over the entire southern coast. However, Russia has been unable to take and hold most other cities they have attacked. Mariupol is now a ruin, but still technically in Ukrainian hands. Some evacuations have been allowed to take place from there.

04/11/2022

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer meets Russian President Putin, the first European leader to meet him since the start of the invasion of Ukraine. It is not clear what he can accomplish. Putin says that negotiations are at a dead end, and Russia will accomplish what it set out to do.

04/09/2022

Russians name an overall commander for the war in Ukraine, Gen. Alexander Dvornikov, known for his brutality against cilivilians as well as rebels in leading Russian forces in Syria. Previously, the forces in different regions in Ukraine had different commanders, resulting in poor coordination.

04/08/2022

Russia blocks a UN Security Council request for an investigation into the Moura massacre in Mali. The Wagner Group has been suspected of being involved in the killings. There are widespread reports of indiscriminate killings of hundreds by white soldiers in Mali, believed to be from the Wagner group that returns millions of dollars to Russia.

04/07/2022

Russia is removed from the UN Human Rights Council.

04/07/2022

Belarus President Lukashenko demands that Belarus be included in the negotiations over the war in Ukraine.

04/07/2022

Russia blocks a UN Security Council request for an investigation into the Moura massacre in Mali. The Wagner Group has been suspected of being involved in the killings.

04/06/2022

Russian troops withdraw to eastern Ukraine, possibly to prepare for a new offensive to take the Donbas. Ukraine urges citizens to leave Donbas.

04/06/2022

US and EU widen sanctions on Russian banks and impose sanctions on Putin’s two acknowledged daughters.

04/05/2022

Italy expels thirty Russian diplomats for security and “in the context of” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

04/05/2022

In a strongly worded speech to the UN Security Council, Zelenskyy criticizes the UN for not stepping in to halt the war in Ukraine or to prosecute Russian actions that are likely war crimes.

04/04/2022

German government seizes German unit of Russian oil company Gazprom and puts it in state trusteeship. The government says that Gazprom Germania was acquired by JSC Palmary and Gazprom export businesses, but that if the new owners are not from the EU and “critical infrastructures” are involved, the transfer of ownership is illegal.

04/04/2022

Widespread world condemnation of atrocities perpetrated by departing Russian soldiers in Bucha in Ukraine. EU and US consider new sanctions. US President Biden calls for Putin to face a war crimes trial.

04/03/2022

As Ukrainian troops liberate suburbs around Kyiv, they discover mass graves and indiscriminate murder of civilians, provoking accusations of atrocities and further war crimes. Russian media dismisses images and reports as fake news. Some Russian media outlining ideology that calls for the complete elimination of the Ukrainian population because they are all Nazis, in a chilling echo of German Nazi propaganda about Jews.

04/02/2022

Lithuania becomes first EU country to end all imports of Russian oil and gas.

03/30/2022

Poland says it will end import of Russian oil by the end of 2022, having already banned the import of Russian coal. Germany issues a warning about fuel shortages and encourages users to conserve.

03/30/2022

There are signs of relocation of Russian troops from Kyiv area, but most are skeptical that Russia is acting in the interests of encouraging the peace negotiations. Rather, a pause gives them a chance to regroup and resupply their troops.

03/29/2022

As Russia’s war in Ukraine continues, the Netherlands expels seventeen Russians believed to be spies, Belgium expels twenty-one, the Czech Republic one, Ireland four, and North Macedonia five. Poland, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Montenegro have also expelled Russians recently.

03/29/2022

Russia says that it will reduce shelling in and around Kyiv and Chernihiv to “boost trust” in the peace negotiations.

03/28/2022

Russia and Ukraine resume negotiations.

03/28/2022

G-7 countries reject Russia's demand that energy deliveries be paid in rubles, calling it a clear breach of the contracts.

03/28/2022

Ukraine military continues advances in the north around Kyiv, retaking a suburb, Irpin. Russia consolidates forces in the east.

03/28/2022

Ukraine says that it would accept “neutrality” as long as there are security guarantees by the West and proposes resolving the Crimea situation through bilateral negotiations over fifteen years.

03/27/2022

Ukrainian military continues to force the Russians back. In the east, Russian forces continue to move toward encircling Ukrainian military there, while elsewhere they seem to be digging in for an extended defensive posture.

03/27/2022

During a visit to Ukrainian refugees in Poland, US Pres Biden says that Putin cannot remain in power. The remark is unscripted and is quickly “corrected” by the US State Department to mean only that Putin cannot attack other countries.

03/25/2022

Russia says it has destroyed Ukraine’s largest military fuel depot.

03/25/2022

Russian military announces that its aims in Ukraine are nearly completed, and that its overall goal is to liberate the Donbas and the other military advances were solely an attempt to keep its military occupied while Russia liberated the Donbas. It is hard to reconcile this position with the shelling of Mariupol and the deportation of that city’s citizens, among many other recent Russian actions.

03/24/2022

Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners.

03/24/2022

Emergency summit meetings of NATO and EU. US and EU reach an agreement in which the US supplies the EU with liquid natural gas to reduce its reliance on Russian gas. The US calls for Russia to be expelled from the G-20 economic forum. The EU and the G-7 group impose new sanctions, on 400 Russians including members of the legislature.

03/24/2022

UN General Assembly calls for Russia to halt the war in Ukraine to allow for aid to be delivered.

03/24/2022

At emergency meeting, NATO says it will step up troop deployments in countries adjacent to Russia. The US announces new sanctions.

03/24/2022

Stock market opens in a limited way after nearly a month. Stocks fall sharply and government steps in with support measures, including $10 billion from the wealth fund when the market fully reopens, and the market gains overall. Foreign investors are banned from selling their holdings.

03/23/2022

Russia demands that “unfriendly” countries pay for oil and gas deliveries in rubles.

03/23/2022

Ukraine and Russia agree on evacuation routes out of Luhansk and a ceasefire there, but not from devastated Mariupol, which has largely been without food, water, or power for at least a week. Street fighting in Mariupol.

03/23/2022

Poland announces it will expel 45 Russians who are spies though part of the diplomatic mission. Russia says it will retaliate.

03/22/2022

Ukraine mounts offensives to retake some towns near Kyiv and push Russian forces further from the city, which continues to be bombed.

03/22/2022

After Japan sides with Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion of that country, Russia suspends negotiations on the Kuril Islands, which Russia seized at the end of World War II and were before part of Japan. While Prime Minister Fumio Yushida has long been seen as allied with former prime minister Kenzo Abe, Yushida has defied his mentor by resisting Abe’s recent calls for a harder line on national security. Yushida has strong approval ratings in among Japanese, who approve of sanctions against Russia, and there will be elections for the upper house of parliament in the summer.

03/22/2022

After Japan sides with Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion of that country, Russia suspends negotiations on the Kuril Islands, which Russia seized at the end of World War II and were before part of Japan. While Prime Minister Fumio Yushida has long been seen as allied with former prime minister Kenzo Abe, Yushida has defied his mentor by resisting Abe’s recent calls for a harder line on national security. Yushida has strong approval ratings in among Japanese, who approve of sanctions against Russia, and there will be elections for the upper house of parliament in the summer.

03/21/2022

Ukraine rejects Russian offer to surrender and allow some to leave the city, which has been largely destroyed. Kyiv is again hit by shelling. Many observers feel that the war has reached a stalemate although Russia will continue to shell cities and attempt to force Ukraine to surrender. Many citizens in captured cities such as Kherson are forced to relocate to Russia. There are reports that Russia has compiled a list of Ukrainians to be killed or forced into camps.

03/21/2022

Zelenskyy says he is open to compromise about NATO membership in exchange for security guarantees. He says he would submit any agreement to a national referendum.

03/21/2022

Navalny found guilty of fraud.

03/20/2022

Bulgaria says it will not renew its contract with Russian Gasprom when the contract expires at the end of 2022.

03/18/2022

Russian forces seem to be preparing for an attack on Odesa.

03/17/2022

Kyiv is bombed again, but Russian ground forces remain “largely stalled,” according to British military intelligence.

03/17/2022

Uzbekistan affirms Ukraine territorial integrity including the Donbas and will provide aid.

03/16/2022

Zelenskyy rejects Russia’s negotiating position of a Swiss-style neutrality for Ukraine. He calls for Ukraine security to be guaranteed by international forces. However, both sides see progress.

03/16/2022

Zelenskyy addresses US congress virtually. US provides $800 million in aid to Ukraine, and President Biden agrees with question as to whether President Putin is a war criminal, which Russia calls “unforgiveable.” Putin addresses Russia on television, attacking Russians who admire Western lifestyles.

03/15/2022

Leaders of the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovenia visit Kyiv.

03/15/2022

Russia and Iran both issue statements that the United States has removed all obstacles from the continuing negotiations on the nuclear agreement.

03/14/2022

Kyiv now being shelled. Government issues a 36-hour curfew.

03/14/2022

US and Chinese foreign ministers hold discussions. There is a report that China has already decided to send some aid to Russia, but it is not clear what.

03/14/2022

Further talks between Ukraine and Russia yield no progress.

03/13/2022

Russia strikes a training camp for international volunteers fighting in Ukraine, saying that “mercenaries” can be legitimate targets. There are foreign fighters in the camp, but they are volunteers. Russia has asked Syrians to volunteer to fight in Ukraine and says that 16,000 have responded.

03/13/2022

Russia reportedly has asked China for aid for the war in Ukraine.

03/12/2022

Russian troops make small advances, continuing to move toward encircling Kyiv.

03/12/2022

German Chancellor Scholz and French President Macron hold joint telephone call with Russian President Putin.

03/11/2022

Russia expands shelling and bombing to western Ukraine.

03/11/2022

EU commits to additional military aid to Ukraine.

03/11/2022

US bans imports of Russian goods in important sectors of their economy.

03/11/2022

In UN meeting, Russia accuses US of having biochemical weapons labs in Ukraine and possibly planning a biochemical attack. The UN find no evidence of this. There are labs in Ukraine supported by the US that have been there many years and work to neutralize viruses that could be made into biochemical weapons.

03/11/2022

Russian military in the north regrouping, possibly for an assault on Kyiv in the coming days.

03/11/2022

Nuclear talks suspended after Russia demands guarantees against sanctions imposed by its invasion of Ukraine.

03/10/2022

UK imposes sanctions on fifteen Russian oligarchs, freezing nearly £15 billion.

03/10/2022

Meeting between Foreign Minister Lavrov and President Zelensky ends with little progress.

03/10/2022

Russian parliament passes several laws in retaliation for western sanctions, including seizing the property of businesses that have stopped operation in Russia, abolishing patent rights for people from countries deemed “unfriendly` of several hundred products.

03/09/2022

Ukraine says captured, closed nuclear power plant at Chernobyl has been disconnected from the power grid, which may lead a malfunction of the cooling of nuclear fuel, “an extremely dangerous situation.”

03/08/2022

Major consumer businesses close shops in Russia: McDonald’s, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola among others. Major oil companies say they will end using of Russian oil but adhere to current contracts.

03/08/2022

Russian government announces a series of moves to help citizens during the current economic crisis caused by the sanctions. It also forbids banks to exchange dollars for foreign currency or to give out more than $10,000 in US dollars.

03/08/2022

Confusing sequence of events in which Poland unilaterally announces it will send its MiG fighters to a US base in Germany. US military says there is no airport with a long enough landing strip to accommodate them. Poland had been urged to send its fighters to Ukraine but was reluctant to have its pilots entering airspace over Ukraine.

03/08/2022

US announces that it will stop importing Russian oil and gas, which make up less than ten percent of its imports. EU announces a plan to reduce its Russian oil and gas imports by two-thirds over the course of 2022, which has yet to ratified by all countries.

03/08/2022

Russia announces new ceasefire and allows evacuation of civilians to anywhere they choose. Ukraine announces that evacuation routes are open.

03/07/2022

Russia says it will temporarily adhere to a ceasefire so that Ukrainians may be evacuated, but the evacuation routes lead to Belarus and Russia and two cities in Ukraine. Ukraine denounces this as immoral.

03/06/2022

Evacuation from Mariupol is halted for a second time due to Russian shelling. Russia indicates that it intends to advance on Odessa. Continued bombing of major cities in Ukraine suggest that Russia has given up on direct attack on these cities and instead will bomb them until they surrender.

03/06/2022

Protests in Russia continue. There are estimates that more than 4000 people have been arrested.

03/06/2022

More international companies end operations in Russia. The Moscow stock market remains closed and it is not clear when it will reopen.

03/05/2022

Evacuation from Mariupol is halted due to shelling by Russia.

03/03/2022

Ukraine says that it has reached an agreement with Russia to establish safe corridors for evacuation and delivery of humanitarian aid, backed by ceasefires.

03/03/2022

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators meet again. Reportedly a ceasefire is being discussed.

03/03/2022

Russia continues its advance in the south of Ukraine.

03/02/2022

Russia intensifies shelling of Kharkiv and says that it has taken the Black Sea port of Kherson.

03/02/2022

Reportedly, a ceasefire is placed on the agenda for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

03/02/2022

Russia admits that the economy under great stress. The country’s largest lender, Sberbank, is told to leave Europe by the European Central Bank due to the likelihood of it failing.

03/02/2022

UN General Assembly votes to demand that Russia end hostilities in Ukraine.

03/02/2022

Protests in Russia against the war in Ukraine continue despite intense repression of dissent.

03/01/2022

Russia intensifies shelling and bombing of Kharkiv, often hitting civilian buildings. Russia warns those living near two military intelligence operations in Kyiv to evacuate the neighborhood. Convoy heading toward Kyiv is now forty miles long, but slowed by logistical problems, UK intelligence reports.

03/01/2022

Moscow Stock Exchange to remain closed until 3/7/22.

03/01/2022

Lukashenko says Belarus has no plans to join the invasion of Ukraine.

03/01/2022

Turkey invokes a 1936 Montreux Convention, which allows it to limit the passage of warships through the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits and warns other countries’ warships against requesting permission to enter.

03/01/2022

NATO says that no fighter planes will be transported to Ukraine.

03/01/2022

The European parliament gives Ukraine candidate status in the EU.

03/01/2022

Russia threatens dangerous consequences for any nation that provides “lethal” weapons to Ukraine.

03/01/2022

Russia threatens dangerous consequences for any nation that provides “lethal” weapons to Ukraine.

03/01/2022

Belarus troops invade Ukraine.

03/01/2022

Russia threatens dangerous consequences for any nation that provides “lethal” weapons to Ukraine.

03/01/2022

The European parliament gives Ukraine candidate status in the EU.

03/01/2022

NATO says that no fighter planes will be transported to Ukraine.

03/01/2022

US joins Canada and several European nations in closing its airspace to Russian planes. Russia has already closed its airspace to the West, blocking routes to Asia. Most Western airlines prohibit shipments of parts and software updates to all aircraft. The Russian airlines can likely continue to fly only for two to three more weeks, and there are few places they can fly.

02/28/2022

Many international sports and arts organizations bar Russians from competing as long as the invasion continues. Major oil companies withdraw from activity in Russia.

02/28/2022

China issues a statement asserting that it is on the side of peace in regard to Ukraine, in contrast to its early support of Russia. The government has also insisted that Taiwan involves a completely different situation.

02/28/2022

China issues a statement asserting that it is on the side of peace in regard to Ukraine, in contrast to its early support of Russia. The government has also insisted that Taiwan involves a completely different situation.

02/28/2022

Ruble plunges as markets open but recovers somewhat , eventually closing at a hundred to a dollar. The Bank of Russia doubles its interest rate, to 20% to discourage borrowing and many other defensive measures are imposed to protect the economy. The Russian stock market closes for the day. Businesses around the world halt business with Russia.

02/28/2022

In negotiations, Ukraine demands an immediate ceasefire. Russia continues its attacks on major cities in Ukraine. Although there is no reported progress, the negotiators agree to meet again without specifying when. Half a million people are said to have left for other countries, mainly Poland and Romania. Russian military seems to move to a siege posture around large cities, including Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. A 17-mile long Russian convey is moving very slowly toward Kyiv.

02/28/2022

Ukraine applies for “immediate” EU membership.

02/28/2022

Switzerland freezes Russian bank accounts, its first break with its traditional neutrality.

02/27/2022

EU announces that it will send materiél to Ukraine, including fighter jets.

02/27/2022

EU announces that it will send materiél to Ukraine, including fighter jets.

02/27/2022

Ukraine files a case against Putin with the International Court of Justice.

02/27/2022

In a snap referendum, Belarus authorizes nuclear weapons to be sited within its borders. The referendum also prohibits prosecution of Lukashenko and makes him a permanent member of the upper house of parliament. Belarussian troops believed to be poised to invade Ukraine.

02/27/2022

Russia offers and Ukraine accepts the offer to negotiate, at a location on the border with Belarus. Many believe it is a ploy to buy time to allow the invasion to be more successful. Russian heavy weapons and troops have not yet reached proximate offensive positions in Ukraine, although there are multiple anecdotes of transports running out of fuel and of Russian soldiers surprised to find they are in an offensive invasion rather that just the protection of the Donbas residents. Some have surrendered. Ukraine president Volodomyr Zelenskyy has remained in Kyiv throughout and has become an international symbol of resistance and heroism.

02/27/2022

With the invasion of Ukraine going badly, Putin puts his defensive nuclear weapons on alert, accusing NATO of threatening moves, which he seems to have invented. There is increasing support to Ukraine by countries in Europe. Germany doubles its military defense budget, breaking decades of traditional reluctance to arm, and authorizes military weapons and other aid to Ukraine. Sweden moves beyond its usual non-aligned position to provide military aid to Ukraine. European nations and many others deny Russia access to their airspace for any flights. Several commercial flights are forced to return to Russia by circuitous routes. China advocates negotiations to end the war. Russia is increasingly isolated in the world, but that also increases fears that Putin, who is not acting in Russia’s best interests, will respond even more aggressively.

02/26/2022

European nations and then the US agree to deny Russia access to the SWIFT banking communication system. The denial will make it very difficult for Russian banks to access deposits in non-Russian banks around the world. It is a serious sanction that will have powerful effects on the Russian economy as well as likely the world economy.

02/25/2022

Advance Russian forces move on Kyiv. Zelenskyy remains in Kyiv.

02/25/2022

Kazakhstan refuses to recognize the eastern Ukraine breakaway regions in the Donbas and also refuses to send troops to support the invasion of Ukraine.

02/25/2022

Chinese President Xi counsels Russian President Putin to halt the fighting and negotiate. Putin says that he is willing to talk with Ukraine as long as it involves Ukraine “demilitarizing and denazifying.”

02/25/2022

A vote to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the UN Security Council fails, but Russian is the only negative vote. Surprisingly, China abstains from the vote.

02/25/2022

US, UK, and European countries impose sanctions and Valdimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and others. It is one of the very rare occasions that a head of state is sanctioned.

02/25/2022

NATO calls up its Rapid Response Force of 40,000, sending them to the eastern NATO countries in the event of any spillover of the war in Ukraine.

02/25/2022

Zelenskyy announces that Russia will try to take Kyiv imminently, but that he and his government are remaining there. Russian forces are reportedly moving more slowly than they planned, and Ukraine reports that 2800 Russian soldiers have died, along with numerous armed transports, jets, and armaments.

02/24/2022

Russia invades Ukraine

Russia invades Ukraine beginning with bombing attacks on then ground force advances from several points around the country. Russia says it has destroyed Ukraine airbases, although there are reports of Russian jets brought down. Ukraine institutes martial law, promises to arm all citizens and breaks diplomatic ties with Russia. Ukraine asks Turkey to close the Bosphorus and Dardenelles straits. World leaders condemn the invasion, but there is nothing that can stop it. The post-World War II international order is ended.

02/24/2022

Western nations impose additional sanctions on Russia and Russians, including secondary sanctions against companies that deal with others that deal with Russia. The aim is to cut Russia off from materials it needs for its weapons.

02/23/2022

Ukraine declares state of emergency and calls up reservists. This day becomes memorialized as the beginning of the war.

02/23/2022

Ukraine declares state of emergency and calls up reservists. This day becomes memorialized as the beginning of the war, although Russia doesn’t invade until the early morning of the next day.

02/22/2022

UK imposes sanctions on Russian banks and individuals.

02/22/2022

Germany freezes the Nordstream 2 gas pipeline, Chancellor Scholz says that the government will ensure that the pipeline, which is completed, is never certified.

02/21/2022

Shelling in on border with Donbas region intensifies. Putin says he has made no plans for a summit meeting with Biden and tells a group of ministers assembled that there is no way ahead in discussions about Ukraine.

02/21/2022

Putin officially recognizes Luhansk and Donetsk as independent republics, violating the Minsk II agreement and possibly providing a pretext for invading them or invading Ukraine proper. In a rambling speech to the Russian nation, he declares that Ukraine has always been a part of Russia and suggests that other Eastern European countries should never have been allowed to break away from the Soviet Union.

02/20/2022

Russia and Belarus extend military drills. NATO says that Russia is preparing a “full-scale attack” on Ukraine.

02/20/2022

As relayed by French Pres Macron, US Pres Biden agrees in principle” to a summit with Russia Pres Putin as long as there is no further invasion of Ukraine. US intelligence believes that orders have been transmitted to Russian commanders in the field.

02/19/2022

Donetsk and Luhansk mobilize entire military and call on citizens to take up arms. Russia holds nuclear missile drills. Ukraine President Zelenskyy, at Munich Security Conference, calls on the West to support Ukraine for its own interests as well as international order. He receives a standing ovation, but little concrete response.

02/18/2022

Intense shelling on border of eastern territories with the rest of Ukraine. Russian media reporting that Ukraine is going to invade Donetsk. Russia doing everything short of war to provoke military response from Ukrainian military, without success so far.

02/18/2022

Head of Donetsk People’s Republic says that Russia is ready to accept evacuees from the region, a possible signal that invasion is imminent.

02/17/2022

US President Biden says that he is convinced that Putin has decided to invade Ukraine.

02/17/2022

At UN Security Council meeting, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken details false flag attacks and deceptive provocations Russia could use as a pretext to invade Ukraine. There is heavy shelling on the border between western Ukraine and the Russian-backed provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk. A kindergarden in Luhansk is attacked with a rocket, but that clearly came from pro-Russian forces. Russia expels the US deputy ambassador.

02/16/2022

US and NATO both say that Russia continues its buildup of troops on the Ukraine border rather than any drawdown.

02/16/2022

US President Biden warns public that war in Ukraine would be stressful for US citizens.

02/16/2022

Russia warns that Ukraine will invade Donetsk, a very unlikely possibility, but possibly an attempt to set up an excuse for invading Ukraine or Donetsk, given the resolution passed by the Russian Duma on 2/15. Russian EU ambassador says there will be no invasion of Ukraine in February or March.

02/16/2022

Cyberattacks on Ukrainian military, defense ministry, and major banks.

02/15/2022

Russian parliament passes motion for Putin to declare provinces of eastern Ukraine Luhansk and Donetsk independent countries.

02/15/2022

Russia says that some troops are pulling back from the Ukraine to their permanent bases, but drills are continuing. They also say that troops will leave Belarus when those drills are finished. Other reports say that troops are training weapons on Ukraine.

02/15/2022

German Chancellor Scholz discusses Ukraine with Putin.

02/14/2022

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov urges Putin to let diplomacy about Ukraine crisis continue and Putin agrees.

02/12/2022

US orders Kyiv embassy personnel to evacuate. UK withdraws all troops from Ukraine.

02/11/2022

While diplomatic missions continue with little progress, Russia is said to be increasing its troop strength on Ukraine borders. US recommends that Americans in Ukraine leave the country (but not diplomatic personnel).

02/08/2022

Russian war games in Belarus begin. They will last ten days, and Putin says the troops will be withdrawn when the games are finished.

02/07/2022

French President Macron discusses Ukraine situation with Russian President Putin. Little change is expected from these talks, but Putin says there is a basis in them for future negotiations. Macron has been vocal about the need for the EU to have its own foreign policy and defensive posture.

02/06/2022

US military says that Russia has 70% of the support it needs for a full invasion of Ukraine.

02/03/2022

US says that Russia may use any strategy to create a false-flag operation that necessitates its invasion of Ukraine.

02/03/2022

Belarus says that a Ukrainian drone entered its airspace and was shot down.

02/03/2022

China announces full support for Russia about NATO expansion.

02/03/2022

Turkish President Erdogan visits Kyiv and offers to mediate situation with Russia.

02/02/2022

US deploys 3000 troops to Germany, Poland, and Romania.

02/02/2022

Russia shells border checkpoint in Donbass region of Ukraine.

02/01/2022

Russian President Putin, speaking for the first time about the Ukraine crisis, says the West has ignored Russia’s security concerns.

02/01/2022

UK, Poland, and Ukraine join in a mutual defense pact.

01/31/2022

UN Security Council to meet to discuss Ukraine situation. There are vituperative exchanges between Russia and western countries, especially the United States. Both sides accuse the other of fomenting war. US Secretary of State Anthony Blink and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to meet again.

01/28/2022

French President Macron and Russian President Putin discuss the situation in Ukraine by phone. US and Russia also continue discussions. Many believe that Putin will not take any military action until after the Olympics in China are over, mid-February. US President Biden to meet with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to discuss increasing natural gas shipments to Europe to compensate for possible cutoff of shipments by Russia, a key worry of Europeans about any military response to Russian aggression in Ukraine. US subsequently name Qatar a major non-NATO ally, giving it special military and economic privileges.

01/27/2022

Russia denies that it wants war with Ukraine and asserts that it will not invade nor start a war. Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says that that are some aspects of the NATO response that could provide further discussion, although not on the main issue, the expansion of NATO.

01/26/2022

NATO responds to Russian demands by saying that there will be no restrictions on NATO’s acceptance of new members, but that NATO has no aggressive designs on Eastern Europe or Russia. It offers points for negotiation on weapons, military exercises, and deployment of troops.

01/25/2022

Ukrainian leaders attempt to calm the public, portraying Russian threat as endemic to Ukrainian life. Macron and Scholz announce that they believe the situation can be resolved through diplomacy.

01/25/2022

French President Macron and German PM Scholz discuss unified EU reaction to the Ukraine situation.

01/25/2022

Ukrainian leaders attempt to calm the public, portraying Russian threat as endemic to Ukrainian life. Macron and Scholz announce that they believe the situation can be resolved through diplomacy.

01/23/2022

US and UK have drawn down residents in the Ukraine embassy, as Biden suggests that Russia will invade Ukraine in some way in the coming days. US and others sending matériel to Ukraine. NATO putting troops standby alert.

01/22/2022

UK says that intelligence suggests that Russia will attempt to install a puppet ruler in Ukraine.

01/21/2022

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meet to discuss Ukraine. Russia repeats that it has no desire to invade Ukraine.

01/18/2022

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrives in Ukraine for talks. The US has alienated the EU foreign policy arm by excluding them from talks, such that the EU is playing no real role in the crisis. Germany is resisting sanctions involving the SWIFT banking communications system, restrictions on Nord Stream 2, and further arms transfers to Ukraine.

01/17/2022

German ruling coalition split on Nord Stream 2 future. The Greens want to hold off allowing it until Russia backs down on its threat to Ukraine. The SPD, however, wants to leave the pipeline out of the discussion because Germany needs a steady supply of natural gas.

01/14/2022

Russia demands a response from US and NATO about its demands, causing increased concern that it will invade Ukraine.

01/13/2022

Ukrainian government websites attacked cybernetically. Some believe Russian actors were responsible.

01/10/2022

US and Russian officials hold talks, including about Ukraine. Since Russia’s demands involve NATO, the Ukranian government has been left out of these discussions and is pursuing its own negotiations with Russia. Talks have little overall effect, and even the goals of Russia are not clear, although reining in any expansion of NATO or any military support to Eastern European countries seems fundamental. Putin is keeping everyone unsure whether he will invade Ukraine or not, which gives him maximum leverage in negotiations.

01/03/2022

China, France, Russia, UK, and US issue statement pledging not to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and to ensure no nuclear war is ever fought.

12/30/2021

In further discussions between Presidents Putin and Biden, Russia continues to insist on guarantees that NATO refrain from any military activity or alliances in Eastern Europe and Ukraine, and that Russia with “eliminate unacceptable threats” if NATO does not respond to these demands. Russia says it will not allow negotiations to last a long time.

12/28/2021

Court orders closing of human rights group Memorial because it violates the “foreign agent” law.

12/21/2021

Western nations continuing to bolster support for Ukraine with defensive weaponry and threats of economic sanctions against Russia if it invades Ukraine.

12/20/2021

EU ends training mission in Central African Republic over the country’s acceptance of Russian mercenaries.

12/17/2021

Russia issues a list of demands to the West about former Soviet Union countries. They are unlikely to be accepted, and it is unclear what Putin hopes to gain from this.

12/17/2021

Bank of Russia raises interest rates to combat inflation.

12/10/2021

Continuing tensions over Ukraine as Russia maintains large military force on the border. US President Biden warned Russian President Putin that any military action would engender severe economic sanctions. Putin demands veto on Ukraine joining NATO as well as other demands.

11/29/2021

Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the UK begin talks to restore the JPCOA. Iran continues to require lifting of US sanctions before substantive talks can begin, but says it seeks a “fair deal.”

11/16/2021

Outbreaks of fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia as a Russia-brokered ceasefire is imposed.

11/15/2021

Amid rising tensions between Russia and the West, including crises in Ukraine and Belarus, a German agency withholds certification of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline. The agency requires an operating company that conforms to German law. The pipeline was built by the Swiss-based Nord Stream 2 AG.

11/15/2021

NATO warns Russia against aggression in Ukraine as Russian troops build up on the border.

11/12/2021

Russia says it will not cut natural gas supplies to Europe.

11/11/2021

Mali foreign minister says the government may ask Russia for help because the “very existence of the Malian state is under threat.”

10/28/2021

Massive surge in COVID-19 cases forces a complete lockdown of schools, businesses, and all non-essential services.

10/27/2021

Ukraine advances in disputed Donbas region, and Russia criticizes Ukraine’s deployment of a Turkish attack drones.

10/27/2021

Moldova declares state of emergency amid rising gas prices after Russia cuts it natural gas supply after discussions about renewing the contract.

10/20/2021

Russia and Taliban hold discussions, but Russia does not formally recognize the Taliban government of Afghanistan.

10/18/2021

Russia suspends its NATO office in retaliation for the expulsion of Russians accused of spying.

10/12/2021

Russia rejects Japan’s claim to four islands between the two countries, the islands Japan calls Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai.

10/06/2021

Iran and Russia hold discussions. Iran says that it is looking for closer relations with Russia and with China.

10/05/2021

Russian oil company Gazprom cuts oil supplies to EU via Belarus and Poland by 70% and via Ukraine by 20% to counter US-German plan to reduce EU dependence on Russia for energy.

09/29/2021

Turkey and Russia agree to work together on weapons and energy, although they are in conflict about various foreign policy issues.

09/27/2021

Hungary signs natural gas deal with Russia, to be supplied through Serbia and Austria, which will deprive Ukraine of substantial income from transit payments.

09/19/2021

Third and final day of voting for the Duma. United Russia will win with about 45% of the vote, after a relentless campaign by the government against the remaining opposition. It retains a majority vote in the Duma with 324 of 450 seats, 19 fewer than in the last seating.

09/12/2021

Russia and China independently promise humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. UN plans conference on aid.

08/10/2021

China and Russia hold large military exercises.

08/09/2021

Increased fighting in Daraa threaten to unravel Russian-imposed truce in Syria.

07/19/2021

Wildfires widespread across Siberia, in part due to unusual hot summer. In some areas, the permafrost is melting, posing a threat to the taiga, an important source of food and income.

06/23/2021

US, UK, and France accuse Russia of sending mercenaries to fight in the Central African Republic and that they have committed atrocities.

06/23/2021

Russia says that it fired on a British warship and a Dutch one when they entered territorial waters near Sevastapol in Crimea, where a Russian naval base is stationed. The UK says its ship was not fired on and that Russia was conducting naval exercises at the time.

06/17/2021

Russian mercenaries said to be aiding military and participating in indiscriminate killings in the search for Seleka members in the Central African Republic.

06/10/2021

Russia to supply Iran with advanced satellite surveillance system.

06/07/2021

Navalny is returned to prison after recovering from his hunger strike.

04/22/2021

Russia moving troops away from the border with Ukraine, saying its training exercises are finished.

04/20/2021

Russia continues troop buildup on border with Ukraine.

04/19/2021

Navalny is moved from prison to the hospital, still on a hunger strike. His doctor is denied permission to visit him.

04/16/2021

Russia says it will expel 10 diplomats in retaliation for US moves.

04/15/2021

US expels ten Russians officially diplomats, but likely spies, in addition to sanctions on multiple individuals and other organizations.

04/07/2021

Russia says that the entry of Ukraine into NATO would intensify fighting in Donbass.

04/06/2021

Putin signs new law that allows him to run for two more terms.

04/06/2021

Ukraine asks NATO to provide a pathway to membership, which is difficult for NATO. Russia has moved more troops to the border with Ukraine, although most observers do not think an invasion is likely.

03/31/2021

Ukraine says Russia is massing troops on its border and that Russia-backed forces are escalating ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine. Russia accuses Ukraine of escalating tensions.

03/02/2021

US imposes some sanctions on Russians in response to the imprisonment of Navalny, but not on Putin.

02/21/2021

Navalny’s last appeal is denied.

02/11/2021

Russia says that it ready to end diplomatic ties with the EU if the EU imposes sanctions as a result of Navalny imprisonment.

02/02/2021

Navalny sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for probation violations.

01/29/2021

Putin signs renewal of START treaty as agreed with the United States.

01/23/2021

Protests across Russia over Navalny arrest and trial. Hundreds are arrested.

01/22/2021

Russia charges Navalny with violating the terms of hihs suspended sentence in a 2014 embezzlement conviction, which could mean up to 13.5 years in jail. Navalny’s wife is also detained.

01/18/2021

Navalny returns to Russia and is immediately arrested. A court rules that he may be held for thirty days. International criticism of the arrest is widespread.

12/29/2020

Government demands that Navalny return to Russia immediately or be jailed for violating the terms of his suspended sentence.

12/12/2020

News agency Reuters reveals that agencies of the US government were cybernetically broken into, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Departments of Defense, Treasury, Commerce, and the National Institutes of Health. The Russian spy agency, the FSB, is believed to be behind the attacks, so the objective is thought to be informational rather than an attack, as might have been the objective if the military intelligence service, the GRU, were behind it.

11/24/2020

The peace agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh leaves Azerbaijan in control of its whole border with Iran. Iran is unhappy with the deal because Israel and Azerbaijan share intelligence, The deal also allows Turkey access to the Caspian Sea. Russia’s support of its ally Armenia seems half-hearted, giving Turkey more room to maneuver in the Middle East.

11/18/2020

Turkish parliament approves troop deployment to Nagorno-Karabakh.

11/09/2020

Armenia reluctantly agrees to end the war in mediation with Russia. With Russian support Azerbaijan was steadily gaining ground.

11/09/2020

Armenia reluctantly agrees to end the war in mediation with Russia. With Russian support Azerbaijan was steadily gaining ground.

11/09/2020

Cases of COVID-19 continue to surge, as Russia has more than 1.8 million cases.

10/28/2020

Turkey and Russia increasingly fighting proxy wars – in Syria, Libya (fighting now halted) and Nagorno-Karabakh.

10/27/2020

Government mandates mask-wearing and restricts hours of bars and restaurants due to COVID-19 pandemic.

10/26/2020

Russian airstrike in northern Syria kills dozens of rebels supported by Turkey.

10/13/2020

Fighting continues. Iran warns Armenia and Azerbaijan against allowing a spread of the fighting and also offers to mediate. Iran has a substantial Azerbaijani minority, much larger than its Armenian minority and has asserted that Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijani territory. However, it is concerned about Azeri links with the US and with Israel. Turkey also offers support for Azerbaijan.

10/10/2020

Armenia and Azerbaijan agree to a short humanitarian ceasefire in talks brokered by Russia. It is not an agreement for peace talks and both sides immediately accuse each other of breaking the truce.

10/09/2020

Russia reports a record number of new cases of COVID-19.

10/09/2020

Armenia and Azerbaijan agree to negotiate in Moscow.

09/22/2020

Turkey now has about 15,000 troops in Idlib to counter Syrian and Russian attack.

09/16/2020

Putin offers Lukashenko a $1.5 million loan, but his support seems restrained. He affirms that Lukashenko plans constitutional changes.

09/14/2020

Opposition claims victory in several regional elections, especially in Siberia.

09/14/2020

Protests In Belarus continue. Pres Lukashenko travels to Russia to meet with Putin.

09/09/2020

In response to the poisoning of Navalny, EU and Germany reconsidering the construction of the Nord-2 natural gas pipeline from Russia.

09/07/2020

Navalny wakes up from induced coma. German doctors have said that he was poisoned with something similar to Novichok, often used for assassinations of opposition figures in Russia.

09/04/2020

Government announces that COVID-19 trials have produced an antibody response with mild side effects. Russia now has more than 1,000,000 cases and nearly 18,000 deaths.

09/01/2020

COVID-19 cases pass one million, with more than 17,000 dead.

08/31/2020

Russia expels three Slovak diplomats to reciprocate for Slovkia expelling three Russian diplomats on 8/11 for alleged espionage.

08/27/2020

Government shuts down the internet. Russia warns protestors that Russia has formed a security force to restore order in Belarus if the situation becomes uncontrollable.

08/24/2020

German doctors say that Navalny was poisoned, but that his life in not in danger.

08/23/2020

Russian doctors allow Navalny to be flown to Germany for treatment. He is in a medically induced coma. Some say that the Russians waited until the poison would no longer be detectable.

08/21/2020

Navalny said by Russian doctors to be in a coma but not poisoned.

08/20/2020

Alexei Navalny falls ill on tour in eastern Russia. He is said to have been poisoned.

08/11/2020

Russia declares that its COVID-19 vaccine is a success.

08/11/2020

Slovakia expels three Russians for espionage.

08/01/2020

Russia says that it has finished clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine, and will start a mass vaccination program in October.

07/21/2020

UK report says that the government ignored evidence of Russian meddling in the Brexit vote.

07/18/2020

About 50,000 people take part in a second Saturday protest rally in Khabarovsk, Russia, against the arrest of Governor Sergei Furgal on charges of involvement in multiple murders 15 years ago, which Furgal denies. The protests, which also reflect the simmering discontent with the Kremlin’s policies, are the largest ever in Khabarovsk, a city of 590,000. The police didn't interfere with the rally. Protests are also taking place in Vladivostok and Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

07/16/2020

The UK, US, and Canada accuse Russia of attempting to steal research on a COVID-9 vaccines cybernetically.

07/10/2020

Russia and China veto a UN resolution to continue aid to Syria via Turkey. A second resolution passes after removing one of the two access points for aid, as demanded by Russia.

07/02/2020

Constitutional referendum approved

Election commission says that constitutional amendments have been approved with 78% of the vote in favor.

07/01/2020

Constitutional reforms pass overwhelmingly, giving Putin the opportunity to rule until 2036.

06/25/2020

Beginning of voting on constitutional reforms. The voting will last until 7/1.

06/25/2020

Beginning of voting on constitutional reforms. The voting will last until 7/1.

06/22/2020

US and Russia hold talks on arms control. China abstains from participation.

06/01/2020

Vote for constitutional reform is set for 7/1.

05/29/2020

Russia reports largest rise in COVID-19 deaths. It now has about 390,000 cases and 4400 deaths.

05/29/2020

Russia reports largest rise in COVID-19 deaths. It now has about 390,000 cases and 4400 deaths.

05/24/2020

The Wagnar Group, Russian mercenaries, leave Hiftar’s military in Libya.

05/24/2020

Russia takes its fighter jets out of Libya as Hiftar’s forces continue to lose ground.

05/24/2020

Russia takes its fighter jets out of Libya as Hiftar’s forces continue to lose ground.

05/21/2020

US says it will withdraw from the Open Skies treaty, due to Russian violation of the agreement. Other countries remain in the pact, which allows for overflights to inspect for arms control violations. The US says Russia is using the flights to map key infrastructure in the US.

05/15/2020

Russian hospitals overwhelmed with COVID-19 virus patients. Russia now has about 280,000 cases and 2600 reported deaths.

05/06/2020

With the economy dropping and COVID-19 cases rising sharply, Putin’s popularity falls to 59%.

05/04/2020

A consortium of world leaders, bankers, and non-governmental organizations pledges $8 billion to develop a COVID-19 virus vaccine. Neither the United States nor Russia takes part.

05/03/2020

Russia now has more than 135,000 COVID-19 cases and 1200 deaths and seems to have no control over it spread.

04/28/2020

Russia now confirms more than 90,000 cases and 800 deaths. Hospitals increasingly overwhelmed.

04/14/2020

Putin says that COVID-19 pandemic is increasingly widespread, despite pronouncement in March that it was under control. There are now more than 20,000 cases and 10 deaths reported, but the situation may be worse. As everywhere, testing is often spotty in parts of the country.

04/14/2020

Forest fires are raging close to the abandoned Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster site.

04/14/2020

Wildfires near Chernobyl said to be extinguished.

04/12/2020

Russia and Saudi Arabia announce an agreement to reduce production. However, many financial entities say it is too little, too late, and markets fall.

04/10/2020

Mexico refuses to cut oil production to the extent agreed on by the OPEC+ group, led by Saudi Arabia and including Russia. Russia had demanded that other nations outside OPEC, including the US and Canada also cut production. The US has become the world’s largest oil producer.

04/04/2020

OPEC meeting delayed. A few hours earlier, Saudi Arabia attacked Russia for the rift between the countries on oil production.

04/02/2020

Government extends no-work order until the end of April due to COVID-19 pandemic. While the number of cases is 3500, there is some belief that the number is underreported.

03/28/2020

Government closes borders with other countries due to COVID-19 outbreak.

03/27/2020

Government declares a national holiday for 3/28 through 4/5 and closes all restaurants and shops in that period, probably in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

03/25/2020

Russia orders a week-long order to not go to work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

03/22/2020

Russia sends medical help and equipment to Italy.

03/17/2020

Constitutional Court approves all changes proposed for the referendum.

03/10/2020

Putin proposes changing the constitution to reset the presidential term limits and allow him to run for two more terms. Term limits are retained, and Putin says that there should be a change in leadership, but not now. There are other changes to presidential authority and a ban on gay marriage. The change from earlier suggested proposals may be due to Putin's close advisors worried that they will lose influence. The proposal is quickly passed by the lower house of the Duma, and the upper house will pass it on 3/14. It must be considered by the highest court and a voter referendum in April.

03/06/2020

OPEC fails to agree on supply cut. Russia also refuses to cut supply. Oil prices drop significantly, contributing to worldwide stock sell-off also fueled by COVID-19 impact.

03/05/2020

Turkey and Russia agree on a cease-fire in Idlib in Syria, to begin at midnight.

03/02/2020

Turkish Pres Erdogan announces talks with Putin on 3/5 aimed at a cease-fire in Idlib.

03/02/2020

Russia confirms its first case of COVID-19 in Moscow.

02/19/2020

Turkey Pres Erdogan warns Syria more strongly against pushing further into Idlib after talks with Russia do not produce the “desired result.”

02/11/2020

The important officials in the new Russian government include: Andrei Belousov, first deputy prime minister, generally considered a technocrat, an exponent of dirigisme – the involvement of the state in the economy. The most experienced new members are younger technocrats, less driven by ideology than pragmatism.

01/31/2020

Russia confirms its first case of COVID-19.

01/28/2020

Three far west provinces block travel to and from China due to coronovirus outbreak..

01/23/2020

Duma passes a draft of Putin’s changes to the constitution, which would make the State Council, an advisory body of regional leaders and governors, would become part of the constitution. The Duma would choose its own speaker, among other changes.

01/15/2020

Government resigns

Putin suggests parliament have more power as part of a wider set of constitutional reforms. Prime Minister Medvedev and the rest of the cabinet resign. Medvedev will be appointed to a new position as Security Council Chairman. Putin calls on Mikhail Mishustin, tax chief, to be prime minister. With Putin’s terms limited and set to end in 2024, he may be setting the stage for a stronger prime ministership that he will occupy.

01/09/2020

Russia and Turkey announce a cease-fire in Idlib.

01/07/2020

Turkey and Russia open TurkStream pipeline, which will make Turkey an energy provider to the EU. However, the two countries, while moving closer, still differ over Syria and Libya. The pipeline will also provide natural gas to Bulgaria, bypassing Ukraine.

12/24/2019

Russia claims to have made operational a hypersonic weapon that cannot be stopped by current antimissile weapons. Some experts doubt the specifics of the weapon.

12/18/2019

Pres Putin and Pres Erdogan discuss the situation in Libya. The internationally recognized Libyan government has been supported by Italy, Qatar, and Turkey. Haftar has been supported by France and some Arab countries including the UAE, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Russia has been accused of supporting Hiftar, but denies it.

12/18/2019

Pres Putin and Pres Erdogan discuss the situation in Libya. The internationally recognized Libyan government has been supported by Italy, Qatar, and Turkey. Haftar has been supported by France and some Arab countries including the UAE, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Russia has been accused of supporting Hiftar, but denies it.

12/16/2019

Russia and China propose lifting some UN sanctions on North Korea, but US demurs. The proposal may still go before the Security Council, but a US veto would stop it.

12/07/2019

US says that Russians shot down an unarmed drone over Libya.

12/06/2019

Reddit social media platform announces that confidential UK documents about post-Brexit trade negotiations between the UK and the US were leaked on Reddit by a poster believed to be a Russian source. Labour has used the documents as evidence that the Conservatives are not telling the truth about Brexit.

11/18/2019

Russia returns Ukrainian warships seized 11/18.

11/06/2019

Russia is increasingly involved in the Libyan war on the side of Hiftar. Russia has provided air support, armaments, and weapons. More recently, there is evidence that Russian snipers are fighting. Russia is following much the same pattern as it used to take control in Syria.

10/31/2019

Syrian, Turkish, US, and Russian troops now all patrolling parts of northern Syria. Fighting between Syrian and Turkish troops.

10/23/2019

Russia-Africa summit meeting held in Russia, as Russia attempts to catch up to China’s widening influence in Africa. All fifty-four African countries sent representatives.

10/22/2019

Erdogan and Putin agree to police the border zone required by Turkey. Russian military and police will ensure that all Kurdish fighters are out of the 22-mile zone, though it is not clear if that zone extends from Syria’s eastern border to its western border, a much longer zone than the US had agreed to. Turkey will retain possession of territory taken so far. They make no statements about non-combatant Kurds in the zone. The agreement also affirms the “territorial integrity” of Syria. Assad has asserted that he wants to reconquer all of the former Syria.

10/17/2019

Russian news services announces that US and Russia are resuming sharing information about cybercrime, a proposal that shocked national security officials when first suggested in 2018.

10/15/2019

Russian forces enter Syria to create a buffer between Turkish and Syrian military where possible. With Syrian support, Kurds slow Turkish advance elsewhere.

09/16/2019

Russia, Turkey, and Iran announce the formation of a commission to rewrite the Syrian constitution.

09/11/2019

Government raids Navalny’s and others’ homes and offices. There were raids in thirty-nine cities. The government says it is investigating money-laundering by Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation.

09/08/2019

In local elections in Russia, United Russia’s majority in the Moscow City Duma is substantially reduced, although it remains in the majority. Election officials barred opposition candidates from running. The Communist Party and A Just Russia increase seats, although they are considered part of the “systemic opposition,” generally loyal to the ruling government. Opposition leader Alex Navalny encouraged voters to vote for anyone who could win over a government supporter, which he called “smart voting,” and calls the election a victory for that. Turnout was low, just over 20%.

08/27/2019

Turkey and Russia meet to discuss the war in Syria, especially recent Syrian attacks on Turkish forces. They announce an agreement to “normalize” the situation without further details.

08/10/2019

Substantial anti-government protests in Moscow, interrupting the election for Duma representatives.

08/06/2019

China halts all agricultural imports from US and will buy from Russia.

08/01/2019

US officially withdraws from nuclear arms control treaty with Russia, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).

07/24/2019

Russia apologizes to South Korea for the incident.

07/23/2019

South Korean jets fire numerous warning shots at Russian reconnaissance plane on patrol on new Russia-China exercises.

07/20/2019

Large protests in Moscow against election commission’s decision.

07/19/2019

Moscow election officials bar most opposition candidates from running in the Moscow City election. The opposition protests that election officials made fraudulent decisions about the candidates’ applications.

07/12/2019

Turkey receives Russian air defense system, contrary to US demands.

06/12/2019

Russia building up troops, weapons, and aircraft in Crimea according to US intelligence.

04/25/2019

Talks between Russia, Iran, and Turkey on Syria end with no progress on the composition of a constitutional committee.

04/24/2019

Kim Jong Un meets with Vladimir Putin, the first meeting of the heads of state of Russia and North Korea. Kim says that he needs security assurances before he can continue with denuclearization.

03/24/2019

Two Russian airplanes with supplies and troops land in Venezuela.

03/03/2019

Despite failure of summit talks between North Korea and the US, US calls off annual spring military exercises with South Korea. This has long been a goal of North Korea and Russia.

03/01/2019

Two resolutions on Venezuela fail in the UN. Russia and China veto a US resolution calling for “the restoration of democracy.” A proposal by Russia that calls for a peaceful resolution to the crisis but also warns against military intervention fails to receive more than four votes.

03/01/2019

NATO increasing its naval presence in the Black Sea to counter Russian build-up there.

02/22/2019

Russia says it is investigating Moldovan Vlad Plahotniuk, the leader of the ruling center-left Democratic Party (PDM) for illegal removing money from Russia, two days before an election in Moldova. Many believe it is a poltical move againmst the pro-EU party.

02/13/2019

Belarus Pres Lukashenko meets with Putin. There is speculation that Lukashenko will allow Belarus to be absorbed by Russia, which would give them a better price for energy.

02/13/2019

Belarus Pres Lukashenko meets with Putin. There is speculation that Lukashenko will allow Belarus to be absorbed by Russia, which would give them a better price for energy.

02/02/2019

Russia announces that it will also withdraw from the INF treaty and begin production of new weapons.

02/01/2019

US announces that it will withdraw from the INF treaty because Russia is developing missiles that violate it. Europe is most concerned, since it the closest target, but others around the world criticize the move.

01/23/2019

US and other countries recognize Guaidó as the legitimate executive of Venezuela. Maduro cuts diplomatic relations with US. There are large protests in Caracas and elsewhere. Russia, China, and Turkey denounce US interference in Venezuela affairs and support Maduro.

01/03/2019

Russia charges American Paul Whelan with espionage.

12/31/2018

Russia arrests American Paul Whelan on suspicion of espionage. A Russian citizen, Maria Butini, was indicted in the US on suspicion of infiltrating the NRA to affect the 2016 election, in part of the Special Counsel probe into Russian manipulation of that election.

12/28/2018

Russia completes fence across the Crimea-Ukraine border, ostensibly to keep Ukrainians out.

12/19/2018

Ukraine says it will send warships, with international observers, back to the Kerch Strait in the Sea of Azov, though Russia continues to hold ships and crew it seized last month.

12/18/2018

Trump tweets that ISIS is defeated in Syria and therefore the US will withdraw all its troops from Syria. US security advisors and allies are dismayed. Russia and Turkey welcome the move, and some conjecture that Trump made the move after discussion with Erdogan. Others conjecture that the US may not withdraw all its troops. Syrian Kurds are left with few options for independence and will probably have to negotiate with Assad.

12/13/2018

EU extends sanctions on Russia over Ukraine invasion.

12/11/2018

Two Russian nuclear-capable bombers take part in military drills with Venezuela. The US criticizes the action.

12/04/2018

Russia denies US claims that it has violated the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces agreement with its new developments in missile technology.

11/26/2018

Russia reopens Kerch Strait for shipping but asks for UN Security Council meeting. Ukraine parliament agrees to Poroshenko’s request for martial law for three months.

11/25/2018

Russia stops and fires on Ukrainian ships in the Sea of Azov after three Ukrainian boats crossed into Russian waters.

11/11/2018

In elections in eastern Ukraine, separatist leaders Denis Pushilin in Donetsk and Leonid Pasechnik in Luhansk are easily reelected. The elections and not recognized outside of Russia and its allies.

10/29/2018

Russian finance team goes to Venezuela to discuss the economy.

10/27/2018

France. Germany. Russia. and Turkey meet to discuss Syria and agree to work toward a political process. Russia, Syria, Turkey, and Iran want the US to leave northern Syria and end its association with the YPG. Europe is angered about the US ending the nuclear and possibly destabilizing Iran’s economy and therefore nascent democratic government, and the possible increase in refugees to Europe. Assad has no interest in any change in the Syrian political structure.

10/24/2018

Putin says that if US leaves INF treaty and begins to produce new missiles and European countries buy these missiles, Russia will have to also produce new missiles.

10/22/2018

Russia continues to expand its military assistance to the Central African Republic, its largest involvement in Africa. The truce with rebels was brokered by Russia and Sudan.

10/21/2018

US says it will pull out of 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty with Russia that intended to destroy all such missiles. US Pres Obama and Trump have accused Russia of violating the treaty. US has called for a new negotiation that would include China.

10/15/2018

The Russian Orthodox Church breaks ties with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople over its agreement to recognize the autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Churches.

10/11/2018

Ukraine Orthodox Church wins the right to separate from the Eastern Orthodox Church at a three-day synod presided over by the Ecumenical Patriarch in Istanbul, seat of the global spiritual leader of roughly 300 million Orthodox Christians. There will be an an “autocephalous” (independent) Church of the Ukraine. Russian patriarchs criticize the move. Ukraine says it will help curtail Russian meddling in Ukraine affairs.

10/10/2018

Turkey says a planned buffer zone in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib has been cleared of heavy weapons as part of a deal reached between Russia and Turkey.

10/09/2018

China, Russia, and North Korea call for US to adjust sanctions against North Korea before any significant progress in denuclearization.

10/05/2018

Putin in India to sign more than twenty agreements to provide assistance in energy, space, defense, the economy. The largest is a $5 billion agreement for an air defense system that would violate US sanctions against trading with the Russian defense and intelligence sectors.

10/05/2018

Germany demands that Russia end attacks on other countries.

10/04/2018

Netherlands accuses the Russian military intelligence agency, generally still known as the GRU, of an attempted cyberattack on the Office of the Prevention of Chemical Weapons, which was investigating Russian participation in chemical weapons attacks in Syria.

10/04/2018

US accuses Russian military intelligence agency, generally still known as the GRU, of a cyberattack on the world Anti-doping agency, which was investigating biological manipulation of athletes, and releasing information about athletes in the West to gain favor for Russia.

10/04/2018

UK exposes Russian hacking attacks on Western democracies.

09/27/2018

Duma passes retirement law changes, but protests subsiding.

09/25/2018

Navalny arrested after being released and sentenced to another twenty days in jail, convicted of organizing a protest that occurred while he was in jail.

09/25/2018

Russia deploying advanced air defense system to Syria, perhaps to reassure Syria in regard to Israel, which has affirmed that it will continue to fight Iranian proxies in Syria. The US objects.

09/24/2018

EU, Russia, China, and Iran agree to create a “special vehicle” to convey payments for Iranian exports, a way of avoiding US sanctions.

09/24/2018

Government candidates in two far eastern states lose gubernatorial elections, a result ascribed largely to the unpopular pension reforms. The government has had a difficult time in far eastern elections recently.

09/17/2018

Russia and Turkey agree to create a buffer zone in Idlib to enforce demilitarization there and avoid an assault by the Syrian government.

09/10/2018

More than a thousand people arrested in protests against Putin.

09/08/2018

Russia and Syria bomb Idlib more heavily.

09/07/2018

Presidents of Russia, Turkey, and Iran meet in Teheran to discuss Syrian conflict, the assault on Idlib, the refugee problem, and those whose whereabouts cannot be identified.

08/31/2018

Leader of self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, is killed in an explosion.

08/29/2018

After a noticeable decline is his popularity, Russia Pres Putin reduces the increase in the pension age for women, from 63 years old to 60. For men, however, the age remains increased to 65.

08/29/2018

Russia masses ships off the coast of Syria in anticipation of attack on Idlib. Russia is dissatisfied with Turkey’s failure to eradicate Tahrir al-Sham, the latest incarnation of the Nusra Front, in the northeast, and the Syrian government is determined to regain all its pre-war territory.

08/28/2018

Russia prepares for largest war games, in Vostok, since the end of the Cold War. Some Chinese units will take part.

08/10/2018

US imposes new sanctions (“novichok sanctions”) on Russia for poisoning of Skripal, while Congress considers additional sanctions on Russian banks in the US. Moscow calls the latter sanctions illegal and ponders retaliation, while the ruble falls in international trading.

08/08/2018

China, Russia, and EU say that they will continue to trade with Iran despite US Pres Trump’s tweeted threat to end business with any entity that trades with Iran.

07/16/2018

Russia-US summit

At conclusion of Russia-United States summit in Helsinki, Trump accepts Putin's denial of election meddling and criticizes United States, especially the special counsel investigation of meddling, for low point in US-Russia relations.

07/16/2018

Russia-US summit

At conclusion of Russia-United States summit in Helsinki, Trump accepts Putin's denial of election meddling and criticizes United States, especially the special counsel investigation of meddling, for low point in US-Russia relations.

07/16/2018

Macedonian PM Zaev says that Greek businessmen sympathetic to Russia are paying Macedonians to commit acts of violence before the name referendum.

07/08/2018

Iranian foreign ministry official says that Iranian military advisors will remain in Syria despite Russian request to remove them.

07/08/2018

Iranian foreign ministry official says that Iranian military advisors will remain in Syria despite Russian request to remove them.

07/06/2018

Syrian rebels and Russia say they have agreed to a ceasefire in Deraa. It includes removal of government troops, surrender of weapons by rebels, and deployment of Russian military police on Jordanian border.

07/04/2018

Syria resumes bombing Deraa area after talks between rebels and Russians break down. An estimated 320,000 refugees have fled to the border with Jordan.

07/04/2018

Syria resumes bombing Deraa area after talks between rebels and Russians break down. An estimated 320,000 refugees have fled to the border with Jordan.

07/02/2018

Jordan and Russia agree to talks about attack on Deraa, Syria, which has created a new wave of immigrants to Jordan.

07/02/2018

Jordan and Russia agree to talks about attack on Deraa, Syria, which has created a new wave of immigrants to Jordan.

07/01/2018

Syrian rebel group in Deraa surrenders, following talks brokered by Jordan.

06/29/2018

EU agrees to extend sanctions on Russia.

06/27/2018

Trump and Putin agree to meet in Helsinki on 7/16.

06/23/2018

OPEC agrees to increase production, a pledge that will be fulfilled by countries with spare capacity, notably Algeria, Kuwait, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

06/23/2018

OPEC agrees to increase production, a pledge that will be fulfilled by countries with spare capacity, notably Algeria, Kuwait, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

06/21/2018

OPEC countries, plus Russia, gather to discuss output. Saudi Arabia is urging increasing production, but Iran and others object. Venezuelan production has dropped, and Iran production may be reduced by re-imposition of US sanctions.

06/21/2018

OPEC countries, plus Russia, gather to discuss output. Saudi Arabia is urging increasing production, but Iran and others object. Venezuelan production has dropped, and Iran production may be reduced by re-imposition of US sanctions.

06/13/2018

Norway asks US to double the number of troops in the country to counteract Russian buildup. The 330 Marines are scheduled to leave Norway at the end of year.

06/12/2018

Norway asks US to double the number of troops in the country to counteract Russian buildup. The 330 Marines are scheduled to leave Norway at the end of year.

06/11/2018

Russian and Ukrainian officials meet to discuss the conflict in eastern Ukraine, but the two sides are far apart.

06/11/2018

Russian and Ukrainian officials meet to discuss the conflict in eastern Ukraine, but the two sides are far apart.

06/10/2018

Chinese President Xi meets with Iran President Rouhani at the annual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Russian President Putin also meets both with Rouhani and Xi. The economic group of the SCO consists of eight full members (China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, India, and Pakistan), four observers (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia), and six dialogue partners (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Turkey). Iran is working to become a full member.

06/10/2018

Chinese President Xi meets with Iran President Rouhani at the annual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Russian President Putin also meets both with Rouhani and Xi. The economic group of the SCO consists of eight full members (China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, India, and Pakistan), four observers (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia), and six dialogue partners (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Turkey). Iran is working to become a full member.

06/07/2018

Ahead of G-7 summit, Trump suggests that Russia should be readmitted to the economic group. Russia was ousted in 3/14 because of its invasion and annexation of Crimea.

06/07/2018

Ahead of G-7 summit, Trump suggests that Russia should be readmitted to the economic group. Russia was ousted in 3/14 because of its invasion and annexation of Crimea.

06/05/2018

Qatar foreign minister dismisses reports of Saudi Arabian objections to Qatar purchasing Russian air defense system, now in negotiation.

06/01/2018

Russia and UAE conclude a declaration of strategic partnership, a first for Russia in the Gulf. The two countries share many interests and aims, and the agreement solidifies Russia’s role in the Middle East. The UAE may also be seeking Russia’s help in extricating itself and Saudi Arabia from Yemen, given Russia’s link to Iran. It is also the first anniversary of the Arab blockade of Qatar, which has attempted to improve relations with Russia.

06/01/2018

Russia and UAE conclude a declaration of strategic partnership, a first for Russia in the Gulf. The two countries share many interests and aims, and the agreement solidifies Russia’s role in the Middle East. The UAE may also be seeking Russia’s help in extricating itself and Saudi Arabia from Yemen, given Russia’s link to Iran. It is also the first anniversary of the Arab blockade of Qatar, which has attempted to improve relations with Russia.

05/31/2018

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

05/31/2018

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets with Kim.

05/30/2018

Georgia severs ties with Syria over recognition of Russian-supported Abkhazia and South Ossetia on 5/29.

05/28/2018

Russia protests Polish request for new US military base, saying it would have to reciprocate.

05/20/2018

Russia seeking increased influence in Lebanon, partly through the Eastern Orthodox Church, by calling the war against terrorism a holy war. It has revived an 1872 organization, the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (IOPS), to organize Arab Christians.

05/17/2018

Polish intelligence agency says it has stopped a group from leading cyberwarfare intending to sow discord between Poland and Ukraine to the benefit of Russia.

05/15/2018

Continuing negotiations among Iran, Germany, France, Russia, China, and the UK about continuing the JPCOA.

05/11/2018

Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin agree to meet on 5/18 to discuss the JPCOA and the withdrawal of the US from it. They also agreed to work to have other signatories remain in the agreement, especially France, the UK, and China.

04/17/2018

Duma drafting sanctions on US in response to 4/6 US sanctions.

04/17/2018

Though announced, new US sanctions on allies of Syria that supported the use of chemical weapons, primarily Russia, are delayed on Trump’s order.

04/13/2018

US, France, and the UK bomb chemical weapons and research facilities in Hama, Homs, and outside Damascus, a response to Syria’s recent chemical weapons attack on rebels and civilians in Douma, 4/7. Syria says that the facilities were evacuated before the bombing on advice from Russia. France and Russia are said to be in communication.

04/07/2018

Chemical weapons said to be used by Syrian government in Douma, a city in eastern Ghouta.

04/03/2018

Latvia, Lithunia, and Estonia ask US to send more troops and toughen air defense against Russia.

04/03/2018

Russia, Iran, and Turkey meet to discuss Syria in a continuation of what is known as the Astana process. The UN-Geneva process, supported by the US, remains stalled.

04/02/2018

Last rebel group reported to be leaving Ghouta.

04/01/2018

Russia and remaining Syrian rebels in Ghouta agree to a ceasefire.

04/01/2018

Turkish forces and Syrian allies confront US-backed Syrian forces and Kurds in Manbij in northern Syria. US to send in more forces. French Pres Macron announces that French special forces will be deployed to Manbij, a move that Turkey denounces as an invasion.

03/18/2018

Putin increases his percentage of the vote and wins easily. Turnout is moderate.

03/16/2018

Russia expels 23 UK diplomats and closes the British Consulate in St. Petersburg.

03/16/2018

Foreign minister Boris Johnson says that there is strong evidence that Pres Putin personally decided to use a nerve agent to kill Skirpal in the UK.

03/15/2018

US sanctions Russian government hackers and spy agencies for interfering in US 2016 election. Most have already been indicted by the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the election. US also says that Russia has penetrated nuclear power operations and other critical installations and could disrupt them. The announcement did not say if the hacking was ongoing.

03/14/2018

With no response from Russia about the Skirpal murder, UK expels 23 Russian diplomats, halts high-level communication with the Russian government, among other steps.

03/12/2018

UK lays blame for the murder of a former Russian double agent, Sergei Skirpal and his daughter (visiting from Moscow) on Russian government and threatens retaliation for what it calls an act of war.

03/01/2018

Putin announces weapons program to build hypersonic missiles that could evade NATO defenses using images of Florida, where US Pres Trump often stays, being bombed. The US is said to be doing similar development.

02/25/2018

Russia announces a ceasefire in Ghouta to allow civilians to leave the area, which does not reflect the terms of the UN resolution.

02/18/2018

Syria reportedly aiding Kurds in Afrin, northern Syria. fight Turkish campaign in an agreement said to brokered by Russia. Turkey opposes the move, says it will not prevent its troops from firing on the joint forces.

02/16/2018

US indicts 13 Russians and one American for meddling in 2016 election. Russian denies the charges.

02/15/2018

US and UK accuse Russia of causing devastating worldwide cyberattack NotPetya and threaten “international consequences.”

02/07/2018

US strikes Syrian government forces after they cross a deconfliction line. Subsequently, there are reports that Russians, perhaps mercenaries or volunteers, were killed.

01/30/2018

US Trump administration refusing to implement sanctions mandated by Congress against Russia, saying that the threat of the sanctions was producing the desired results.

01/28/2018

Protests in Russia against Putin. Opposition leader Alexei Navalny is detained, then released.

01/26/2018

US announces new sanctions against Russia for the takeover of Crimea.

01/17/2018

China announces large new projects in Ukraine, which may diminish US influence now that its contributions have diminished.

12/30/2017

Russia denies supplying oil to North Korea.

12/26/2017

Russia says it is establishing permanent military bases in Syria.

12/26/2017

Alexei Navalny, barred from running for president as official campaign season begins because of previous conviction, is threatened with legal action if he advocates boycotting voting in the election.

12/20/2017

Russia announces that it is pulling troops out of Syria.

12/17/2017

Venezuela signs agreement with Rosneft, Russian oil company, on gas exploration and exploitation.

12/06/2017

Russia announces that, with the Syrian Kurds, the Islamic State has been driven from the east banks of the Euphrates.

12/06/2017

Vladimir Putin announces that he will run for president in election 3/18.

12/03/2017

Russia holds combat training drills in provinces near North Korea.

11/22/2017

In discussions brokered by Russia, Iran, Turkey, and Russia agree on a plan for peace in Syria. It includes a dialogue in Russia in December that would frame a constitution for an integrated Syria and elections that could include Assad as a presidential candidate. Turkey insists that Kurds be excluded from the discussion. Iran objects to military from foreign countries, including the US, in Syria. A number of Syrian negotiators resign in protest to this outline.

11/22/2017

Israel, in discussion with Russia about Syria, demands that Iran reduce its military presence in Syria, which may include Hezbollah forces.

11/08/2017

Venezuela and Russia reach agreement on restructuring debt.

11/06/2017

Russia bars a number of Canadians in retaliation for 11/3 sanctions.

11/03/2017

Canada sanctions Russians for complicity in the death of Serge Magnitsky in 2009.

11/01/2017

Syrian opposition rejects peace talks sponsored by Russia in Kazakhstan, insisting on UN brokership. Turkey objects to inclusion of Syrian Kurds.

04/17/2015

Cameroon and Russia sign agreement to boost Cameroon military in the fight against Boko Haram.