The Russia-Ukraine war, which has yet to reach a meaningful conclusion despite repeated diplomatic efforts, enters its fifth year on February 24, 2026.
According to estimates, between 100,000 and 250,000 Ukrainians and 40,000 to 80,000 Russian troops have died since February 2022. Today marks the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion.
Here is how events unfolded between the two sides since February 24, 2022 —
As of now, Moscow controls nearly 20 to 25 per cent of Ukraine’s territory, including Crimea, Donbas, and Donetsk, parts of the Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions, while maintaining immense military pressure on the Kyiv regime.
February 24, 2022: Russia announces a full-scale military operation against Ukraine, launching coordinated land, air, and sea assaults against Ukrainian forces.
March 2, 2022: Russian forces take Kherson, close to the occupied region of Crimea.
March 25, 2022: Ukrainian troops push back Russian attempts to encircle Kyiv; Russia shifts focus to eastern Ukraine.
April 2, 2022: Dozens of dead bodies, including civilians and families of Ukrainian armed forces personnel, are discovered in Bucha as Russian forces withdraw.
May 21, 2022: Russian forces take control of Mariupol after fierce fighting.
September 10, 2022: Ukraine launches a successful counteroffensive against Russian forces in the Kharkiv region.
September 30, 2022: Russia announces the annexation of the Kherson, Luhansk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions.
November 9, 2022: Russian forces withdraw from Kherson city and shift focus to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
2023: Large-scale conventional offensives give way to drone and missile warfare; Russia launches hundreds of drones and missiles into Ukraine throughout the year.
May 10, 2024: Western allies allow Ukraine to use their weapons against targets inside Russia.
August 6, 2024: Ukrainian troops launch a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.
January 20, 2025: Russian forces make gains ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Russian advances continue until the US ends military support to Ukraine and demands Kyiv accept territorial concessions to settle the war. Multiple rounds of negotiations fail as Kyiv repeatedly rejects ceding land to Russia.
November 20, 2025: The US presents Ukraine with a peace plan that would see Kyiv give up more territory and recognise Russian gains.
On Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed solidarity and support for Ukraine as the war entered its fifth year.
In a post on X, she wrote, “Tonight, we adorn our European institutions with the colours of Ukraine. Two colours, carrying the spirit of courage. Two colours, burning with resistance. Four years into Russia’s full-scale war, these colours are shining brighter than ever. SlavaUkraini.”
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