Crisis Chronology

UKRAINE

01/01/2024

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

12/25/2023

Ukraine receives $1.34 billion from the World Bank.

12/23/2023

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

12/22/2023

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

12/15/2023

EU agrees to open membership talks about Ukraine. Hungary Prime Minister Orban leaves the room during the vote but blocks further aid to Ukraine and says he can still block Ukraine membership.

12/12/2023

Zelenskyy visits US as legislation for Ukraine war aid seems unlikely to pass US House of Representatives.

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.

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.

10/17/2023

The slow advance of the Ukraine counteroffensive is causing some countries to rethink their support of Ukraine.

09/26/2023

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

09/25/2023

Hungary President Orban says he will not support Ukraine until Ukraine restores “former rights for ethnic Hungarians on its territory.”

09/24/2023

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

09/21/2023

Poland and Ukraine agree to negotiate on grain imports and other tensions.

09/20/2023

Poland says it will not make new shipments of arms to Ukraine as tensions between the two countries build.

09/17/2023

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

09/15/2023

EU ends a ban on Ukraine grain shipments to its EU neighbors.

09/15/2023

Poland bans imports of grain from Ukraine in response to complaints by agriculture that there is a glut of grain on the market, depressing prices.

09/11/2023

Ukraine said to making significant advances in the southeast.

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.

08/17/2023

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.

07/09/2023

US President Biden says that NATO cannot allow Ukraine to join NATO until the war is resolved.

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.

06/26/2023

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

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.

06/06/2023

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.

05/21/2023

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

05/15/2023

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.

05/11/2023

UK says it will send Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine, which have a range sufficient to attack Crimea.

05/11/2023

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

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

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.

04/29/2023

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

04/28/2023

An agreement in principle is reached to restore Ukraine grain trade to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.

04/27/2023

Russian attacks Ukraine with heaviest bombardment in weeks.

04/26/2023

China President Xi and Ukraine President Zelenskyy talk by phone. Xi says a China is advocating a political end to the war. Zelenskyy says the call strengthens the relationship of the two countries.

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.

04/19/2023

Bulgaria bans imports of Ukrainian grain.

04/17/2023

Slovakia bans imports of Ukrainian food products and grain.

04/16/2023

Poland and Hungary ban imports of Ukrainian wheat and other food products from Ukraine after a surge in cheap products impacts their markets. The European Commission criticizes the move, saying that trade policy is not the purview of individual nations in the EU. The EU lifted duties on grain from Ukraine at the beginning of the war, fearing widespread famine. Ukraine’s grain flowed into these countries, but largely stayed there, lowering prices. Farmers have been protesting. Ukraine says it is willing to negotiate.

03/28/2023

Germany delivers Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

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.

03/24/2023

Slovakia delivers Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine.

03/19/2023

Russia President Putin visits Mariupol in Ukraine.

03/15/2023

Ukraine continues to forestall Russia from occupying Bakhmut.

03/15/2023

Poland says it will send fighter jets to Ukraine, the first NATO country to do so.

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.

03/02/2023

Russia near capture of strategic town of Bakhmut.

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.

02/20/2023

US President Biden travels secretly to Kyiv to meet Zelenskyy.

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.

02/01/2023

Russia making steady small gains of territory in Donetsk.

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

Several high-ranking Ukraine government officials forced to resign in corruption investigation.

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

Poland agrees to send thirty German-made tanks to Ukraine if Germany agrees to the transfer. Eventually Germany does so.

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.

12/26/2022

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

On his return from the United States, Ukraine President Zelenskyy meets with Polish President Duda .

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.

12/21/2022

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.

12/19/2022

Russia continues savage bombing of Ukraine infrastructure.

12/19/2022

Russia continues savage bombing of Ukraine infrastructure.

12/14/2022

Poland refuses to vote for EU agreement with Hungary over aid to Ukraine and aid to Hungary (and two other issues) over concerns about the minimum corporate tax rate plan.

12/13/2022

Leaders from fifty nations pledge billions of dollars in aid to rebuild Ukraine.

12/13/2022

EU agrees to reduce frozen Hungarian funds and to provide COVID-19 relief funds. In exchange Hungary votes to provide €18 billion in aid to Ukraine.

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

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

11/26/2022

Moldova loses power due to Russian shelling of Ukrainian infrastructure.

11/25/2022

Some power restored. 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.

11/21/2022

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

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

11/19/2022

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

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.

11/15/2022

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.

11/15/2022

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

11/14/2022

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.

11/04/2022

G-7 commits to rebuilding Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.

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.

10/25/2022

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

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.

10/19/2022

Putin declares martial law in illegally annexed regions of Ukraine.

10/18/2022

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

10/17/2022

EU approves new aid for Ukraine and a training mission for Ukrainian army.

10/13/2022

Turkey’s President Erdogan and Russian President Putin meet to discuss Ukraine.

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.

10/12/2022

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.

10/11/2022

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

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

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

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.

09/28/2022

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

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.

09/27/2022

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.

09/26/2022

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.

09/24/2022

Ukraine revokes accreditation of Iranian ambassador to Ukraine and orders a reduction in embassy staff because Iran 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.

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.

09/22/2022

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

09/21/2022

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.

09/20/2022

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.

09/19/2022

A missile lands near another nuclear reactor as Russia continues to attack civilian areas while Ukraine continues its advances in the east.

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.

09/14/2022

Putin’s motorcade reportedly attacked, without injury.

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

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

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

09/09/2022

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

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.

09/02/2022

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.

09/01/2022

IAEA officials enter the Zaporizhzhia plant and say they will not leave.

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

Inspectors from the IAEA going to Zaporizhzhia plant.

08/29/2022

Ukraine says it is beginning offensive to retake Kherson Oblast.

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

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.

07/21/2022

Facing a 35% to 45% decrease in GDP, Ukraine government asks creditors to delay interest payments for two years.

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.

07/04/2022

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

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

06/23/2022

EU grants Ukraine and Moldova official candidate status for admission.

06/16/2022

EU Commission recommends Ukraine for candidacy for admission to the EU.

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.

06/06/2022

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.

05/12/2022

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.

05/03/2022

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

US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visits Kyiv. She is the highest-ranking American official to do so.

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

Japan includes in its budget an aid package of 6.2 trillion yen to help people affected by COVID, inflation, and the economic downturn caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, among other challenges.

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 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.

04/26/2022

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

04/26/2022

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

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.

04/25/2022

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

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.

04/24/2022

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.

04/23/2022

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 Azovstal steel plant but continue to besiege it.

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.

04/07/2022

Russia is removed from the UN Human Rights Council.

04/07/2022

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

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

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

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

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

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.

03/27/2022

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.

03/25/2022

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

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

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

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

Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners.

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

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

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.

03/21/2022

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

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.

03/20/2022

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

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

03/17/2022

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

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.

03/16/2022

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.

03/15/2022

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

03/14/2022

Further talks between Ukraine and Russia yield no progress.

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

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

03/13/2022

More than 2.5 million Ukrainians have fled the country.

03/13/2022

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

03/13/2022

Russia strikes a training camp for international volunteers fighting in Ukraine, saying that “mercenaries” can be legitimate targets.

03/12/2022

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

03/12/2022

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

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

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

03/11/2022

EU commits to additional military aid to Ukraine.

03/11/2022

Russia expands shelling and bombing to western Ukraine.

03/11/2022

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

03/10/2022

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

03/10/2022

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

03/10/2022

Talks between Russia and Ukraine yield no progress.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

03/07/2022

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

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

03/06/2022

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

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.

03/05/2022

Evacuation from Mariupol is halted due to shelling by Russia.

03/05/2022

US representatives visit Venezuela to discuss easing of sanction to allow for importing Venezuelan oil. It is an attempt to make up losses resulting from a ban on importation of Russian oil, which the US is considering.

03/03/2022

Russia continues its advance in the south of Ukraine.

03/03/2022

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

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.

03/02/2022

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

03/02/2022

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

03/02/2022

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

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

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

03/02/2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

02/28/2022

Ukraine applies for “immediate” EU membership.

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

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.

02/27/2022

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

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.

02/27/2022

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

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

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

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

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.

02/25/2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Government 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 hours of the next day.

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.

02/22/2022

UK imposes sanctions on Russian banks and individuals.

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.

02/21/2022

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.

02/20/2022

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.

02/20/2022

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

02/19/2022

Donetsk and Luhansk mobilize entire military and call on citizens to take up arms. Russia holds nuclear missile drills. 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.

02/16/2022

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

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

02/03/2022

China announces full support for Russia about NATO expansion.

02/03/2022

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

02/03/2022

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

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

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

02/01/2022

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

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.

01/23/2022

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.

01/17/2022

Russia reduces its diplomatic personnel in Ukraine, a possible signal of impending invasion.

01/17/2022

Poroshenko returns to Ukraine to face trial for treason.

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

Ukraine 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.

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.

12/21/2021

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

12/17/2021

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.

12/10/2021

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.

11/18/2021

Belarus cuts electricity supplies to Ukraine, per contract. It may resume supplies insofar as possible.

11/15/2021

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

10/27/2021

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

10/12/2021

The EU commits to helping Ukraine with natural gas supplies.

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.

09/27/2021

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

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.

04/07/2021

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

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.

03/31/2021

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.

02/19/2021

Government sanctions pro-Russian opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk.

11/02/2020

Zelensky has asked parliament to dissolve the Constitutional Court and reinstate laws the court recently struck down, warning that IMF loans could be in doubt if the court continues. Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko described Zelensky’s proposal as a “coup d’état” designed to concentrate more power in his hands.

10/17/2020

Ukraine reports its highest number of COVID-19 cases in the pandemic.

09/17/2020

Constitutional Court strikes down provides of the law governing the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) that allow the president to appoint and remove its members, among other things. It has also declared the appointment of its head to be unconstitutional.

05/08/2020

Georgia recalls its ambassador to Ukraine after Mikhail Saakashvili is appointed chairman of the Ukrainian Executive Reform Committee.

03/04/2020

Shmygal elected prime minister

Parliament (the Verkhovna Rada) confirms Shmygal as new prime minister.

03/03/2020

Honcharuk again submits his resignation. Legislature will vote on accepting it. Deputy Prime Minister Denys Shmygal would likely replace him.

01/17/2020

Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk submits his resignation after being caught on tape criticizing Zelenskiy. However, Zelenskiy rejects the resignation, saying that the time is not right to disrupt the government.

01/16/2020

Ukraine announces investigation into the alleged surveillance of former US ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Jovanovich. The surveillance was alleged by Lev Parnas, former associated of Rudy Giuliani, who was an agent of US Pres Donald Trump. Parnas is under indictment by the US government for misrepresenting his work as a foreign lobbyist.

01/16/2020

Ukraine announces investigation into the alleged hacking of Burisma by Russia. Burisma is the energy company where Hunter Biden, the son of Joe Biden, former vice-president and a political opponent of Pres Trump, served as a board member. Trump allies believe that association implies a corrupt intent by then-vice-president Biden to remove the Ukraine prosecutor, Yuri Lutsenko. At the time Lutsenko was removed, most of the west believed him to be a corrupt and ineffective minister. However, the theory remains live in the US, especially among Trump supporters. It remains a peripheral theory around to the impeachment of Pres Trump.

01/12/2020

Mass protests calling for the government to resign after its accidental downing of the Ukrainian airplane, decrying its evasions in first reports.

01/11/2020

Iran government admits that Ukrainian airliner with dozens of Canadian passengers was shot down by an Iranian missile when it was mistaken for an American warplane.

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.

11/18/2019

Russia returns Ukrainian warships seized 11/18.

10/01/2019

Government signs agreement with separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine to allow for local elections. The agreement opens the possibility of wider-ranging talks.

09/24/2019

Democratic Party in the US House of Representatives announces an official impeachment investigation into President Trump. The initiating event was Trump urging Ukraine Pres Volodomyr Zelensky to investigate the conduct of political consultant Hunter Biden in Ukraine, as detailed in a report conducted by the government, but withheld from the House as required by law. Hunter Biden is the son of former vice president and current presidential candidate Joe Biden. Trump is said to have used the withholding military aid appropriated by the US Congress as a stick to force Zelensky to investigate. Trump has admitted that he has done so.

08/29/2019

Honcharuk elected prime minister

Parliament elects Oleksiy Honcharuk, activist and lawyer, to be prime minister.

07/21/2019

Parliamentary election in Ukraine. With about half the ballots counted, Zelensky’s Servant of the People party wins 42% of the vote, far ahead of the Moscow-oriented Opposition Platform – For Life, which wins 13%.

05/20/2019

At his inauguration, Zelinskiy calls early elections by dissolving the Verkhovna Rada (parliament), essentially defying the People’s Front and the Poroshenko government from preventing them. Zelinskiy’s Servant of the People part would have no seats in parliament until a new election.

05/20/2019

Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman resigns.

05/17/2019

Ruling coalition People’s Front withdraws from the government, forcing the formation of a new government, which must happen within thirty days. However, that will mean that Zelinskiy will miss the deadline for calling early elections, which must happen at least six months before parliament’s term expires.

03/31/2019

In voting for president, Zelenskiy takes a comfortable lead with 30% of the vote in early returns. Poroshenko has about 16% and Tymoshenko 13%. A run-off will be held on 4/21.

03/29/2019

Presidential election on 3/31. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a popular comedian, is running very strongly against Poroshenko and Tymoshenko.

01/29/2019

Poroshenko announces candidacy for president. Though his approval has fallen, he remains a strong candidate.

01/24/2019

Former Pres Victor Yanukovich is sentenced to thirteen years in prison in absentia for treason. He is thought to be in Russia.

01/22/2019

Yulia Timoshenko announces candidacy for president with the Fatherland Party. She remains a strong following and calls retaking Eastern Ukraine and Crimea and for integration with Europe and NATO, but in the past, Putin has praised her, which raises suspicions about her. She has a slight lead in polls. The election is 3/31/19.

01/14/2019

Ukraine agrees to buy combat drones from Turkey.

12/28/2018

Government ends martial law, though there is no progress on release of the ships or sailors.

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.

12/13/2018

EU extends sanctions on Russia over Ukraine invasion.

11/28/2018

Government declares martial law in 10 of the country’s 24 states for a period of one month.

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.

10/15/2018

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.

08/31/2018

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

06/11/2018

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

01/17/2018

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

12/25/2017

Ukraine and eastern separatists agree on a substantial prisoner exchange.

12/06/2017

Ukraine police try and fail a second time to arrest Saakashvili.

12/05/2017

Mikhail Saakashvili is arrested by police but quickly freed by his supporters. The police mentioned vague transgressions regarding working with a Russian to take over the government. Saakashvili was stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship when he left the country earlier this year. Ukraine during the summer.

11/21/2017

Opposition leader Mikhail Saakashvili intensifying attacks on Ukraine Pres Poroshenko.