European troops in Ukraine do not evoke the NATO agreement. No Way.

Editorial content and music by The Singing Editor.
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The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014, after Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, which ousted pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. Soon after, Russia occupied and annexed Crimea, and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine began fighting the Ukrainian military in the Donbas region. Over the next eight years, the conflict saw naval incidents, cyberwarfare, and ongoing clashes. In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, marking the largest conflict in Europe since World War II. The war has led to a massive refugee crisis and tens of thousands of deaths.

The Revolution of Dignity in early 2014 was sparked by protests against Yanukovych's decision to abandon an association agreement with the European Union. As he fled Ukraine, pro-Russian protests erupted in the southeast, while Russian troops, without insignia, began occupying Crimea. Shortly after, Russia annexed Crimea following a controversial referendum. In April 2014, militants backed by Russia seized parts of eastern Ukraine, declaring the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, which led to the Donbas war. Russian forces covertly supplied separatists with troops, tanks, and artillery, preventing Ukraine from fully reclaiming the region. Although the Minsk II agreements were signed in 2015 to halt fighting, they were never fully implemented, leaving the Donbas region in a state of frozen conflict.

By 2021, Russia had built up its military presence along Ukraine’s borders and in Belarus. Despite denying any plans to invade, Russian President Vladimir Putin made expansionist statements and demanded that Ukraine be prevented from joining NATO, while questioning the country’s right to exist. Early in 2022, Russia recognized the independence of the DPR and LPR.

On February 24, 2022, Putin announced a “special military operation” aimed at “demilitarizing and denazifying” Ukraine, insisting Russia had no intention to occupy the country. The invasion was met with international condemnation, and many countries imposed sanctions on Russia while providing Ukraine with humanitarian and military aid. Despite fierce Ukrainian resistance, Russia failed to take Kyiv in the early stages of the war. In August, Ukrainian forces began retaking territory in the northeast and south. In September, Russia declared the annexation of four partially occupied provinces, but this move was widely condemned internationally. Throughout 2023, both Russian offensives and Ukrainian counteroffensives led to limited territorial gains. The invasion also spurred attacks inside Russia, including a Ukrainian-backed cross-border offensive in the Kursk region in August 2024. Russia has consistently launched indiscriminate attacks on civilians far from the frontlines, prompting the International Criminal Court to investigate war crimes and issue arrest warrants for Putin and other Russian officials.