Russo-Ukrainian War

The Russo-Ukrainian War, officially known as the Special Military Operation in Ukraine (SMO) and known more commonly as the Ukraine War, War in Ukraine, NATO War in Ukraine, or erroneously by mainstream media (MSM) as the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, is an ongoing proxy war between Russia and NATO that is being fought in the territory of Ukraine. The war utilizes the fascist regime in Ukraine under the leadership of Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a NATO proxy, whereas Russia is fighting the war directly.

Among the NATO powers involved in the war are the British Empire, France, Germany, and the United States (US). However, of the four countries listed, only Germany has openly declared war on Russia. Additionally, the Islamic State (ISIS), a NATO proxy active primarily in Africa and the Middle East, has been fighting against Russia on the behalf of Ukraine.

Background

Euromaidan crisis

Prior to the start of the war, tensions had been building between Russia and Ukraine for eight years over the Euromaidan color revolution in 2014 that overthrew the democratically-elected government of Ukraine. Following Euromaidan, Nazis funded by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) seized control of the country. The democratically-elected President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, was exiled to Russia following the coup. The post-Euromaidan coup government, controlled by CIA-funded Nazis, began the Donbass genocide after taking control, persecuting ethnic Russians living in the Donbass region of the country.

Russian decision to intervene

Map of Ukraine before the start of the operation

It was past 11 PM on February 23, 2022. President Vladimir Putin of Russia made a statement in front of the entire world. Russia was to begin a "Special Military Operation" in Ukraine with the goals of de-Nazifying and de-militarizing the country. If Russia could achieve both of these, it would end the Donbass genocide being perpetrated by the Ukrainian government under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A few minutes after this announcement, Putin made a statement where he said that any Ukrainian soldiers that laid down their arms and surrendered to Russia would be allowed to go about their lives in peace and would remain unharmed by the Russian operation. There was only 40 minutes until midnight by now. With 30 minutes until midnight, Putin declared that any attack against Russia would be met with "devastating consequences."

Timeline

Beginning of the Russian offensive (February 24, 2022)

At 12:00 AM on February 24, 2022, Zelenskyy declared martial law over Ukraine, stating that Russia had "delivered strikes against our military infrastructure and our border guards." Zelenskyy also further justified his declaration of martial law by alleging that explosions were "heard in many cities of Ukraine." 23 minutes later, it was reported that artillery fire was coming down upon the Ukrainian capital of Kiev and the city of Mariupol in the Ukrainian-occupied regions of the People's Republic (DPR). 15 minutes after these reports, Russia declared the closure of the airspace on Ukraine's western border and suspended all activities in the Rostov flight zone until March 2. Just 6 minutes later, it was reported that Russian troops had landed in Odessa and had crossed the border into the Kharkiv Oblast. 2 minutes following this, Russia announced that they were not to tolerate the usage of nuclear weaponry in Ukraine. NATO also reaffirmed their support for neo-Nazi military battalions that worked for the Ukrainian government. Another 2 minutes later, Ukraine closed its airspace because of the "high risk of aviation safety for civil aviation." Just 7 minutes later, at 12:55 AM, it was declared by Putin that the previously announced Special Military Operation had officially begun.

At 1:04 AM, Putin made a statement justifying the Russian operations in Ukraine because "it was necessary to immediately stop this nightmare, the genocide against the millions of people living there," by the Zelenskyy regime. 10 minutes later, civil defense sirens were being sounded in Kiev. A minute later, Russia announced the suspending of airport operations in 12 of their southern cities. 7 minutes later, several private cars were spotted leaving Kiev and several firetrucks entered the Borispol Airport. Russian forces began firing upon military infrastructure all across the country around this time, degrading much of their air defenses. Many Ukrainian border guards were also retreating or giving up without a fight. At 1:40, it was announced by the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) that they'd join the operation but wouldn't harm any civilians. 12 minutes later, fighting began on the border between between Russian-controlled Crimea and the Ukrainian-controlled Kherson Oblast. 2 minutes later, it was reported that Russia - with Belarusian support - had started making gains in the Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Zhytomyr oblasts of Ukraine. Russian troops were also, reportedly, making gains in the Ukrainian-occupied parts of the LPR. 2 minutes after that, it was reported that Russia was bombing Ukrainian military facilities.

At 2:09 AM, Russia emphasized that they had tried to persuade Ukraine to stop the Donbass genocide and resolve the conflict peacefully, an offer which Ukraine had refused. 5 minutes later, Zelenskyy announced that Russia was still attacking Ukrainian military infrastructure. 3 minutes later, Putin declared that he was confident of a "consolidated patriotic stance among all parliamentary parties and community forces." 4 minutes later, the liberal Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) declared support for Ukraine and condemned "Russia's military action against Ukraine." 13 minutes later, the LPR officially launched their first operation of the war, joining the Russian offensive with the goal of liberating the Ukrainian-occupied parts of their country. 19 minutes following this, Russian MP Leonid Slutsky stated Russia's operation was "precisely about ensuring security within the contemporary borders of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics."

At 3:09 AM, the Russian envoy to the United Nations (UN) Vasily Nebenzya emphasized to the UN that the operation was "we are not carrying out aggression against the Ukrainian people, this is against that junta, that seized power in Kiev." 5 minutes later, it was reported that Ukraine had shot down a Russian plane in Kiev, however the Russian Ministry of Defence debunked this report. 12 minutes later, Ukraine reported that a TV tower in Lutsk had been attacked by Russian forces and that Russian attacks in the Kiev Oblast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Poltava Oblast, Cherkasy Oblast, and the Lviv Oblast had set Ukrainian military depots and facilities ablaze. 3 minutes later, Ukraine request Turkey help them by blocking Russian access to the Dardanelles. Turkey did not answer this call for help. 16 minutes later, Russia reported that Ukrainian soldiers were abandoning their posts and dropped their weapons in large numbers. 10 minutes later, the United Kingdom reported that Russia was attacking headquarters and airfields in the the Kiev Oblast. 8 minutes following this, the DPR announced that the liberation of their country from Ukrainian occupation was "in progress."

At 4:04 AM, the LPR declared that the Russian operation in Ukraine was going to restore peace in the Donbass. 9 minutes later, Russia declared that Ukrainian claims about the "losses of Russian aircraft and armored vehicles" were an "absolute lie."

Timeline of operations in Ukraine and Novorossiya

January 2023

On January 11, 2023, Russian forces from PMC Wagner liberated Soledar in western Donetsk after five months of brutal fighting, capturing 400 Ukrainians as prisoners of war (POWs). Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers were left dead after the siege.

On January 14, 2023, PMC Wagner also liberated the Donetsk town of Opytnoye from Ukrainian occupation, moving inwards on Bakhmut to encircle it, which caused an escalation in the then-five-month-long Battle of Bakhmut.

On January 23, 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of PMC Wagner, published a statement calling out Ukraine and the United States for fearing both him and his organization because "they know we can kick their assess."

February 2023

By February 27, 2023, the life expectancy of Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the Battle of Bakhmut dropped to four hours.

March 2023

On March 4, 2023, Ukraine began a retreat from Bakhmut after seven months of the Russo-Ukrainian War's bloodiest fighting. The start of the Ukrainian retreat allowed PMC Wagner to victoriously enter the center of Bakhmut, effectively ending the main battle for the city. However, fighting on the western outskirts of Bakhmut continues to this day.

By March 9, 2023, Ukrainian casualties in Bakhmut had increased to 1,000 dead per day.

By March 17, 2023, the total Ukrainian soldier death count for the Russo-Ukrainian War surpassed 250,000.

International conflict

Hungary

On March 2, 2023, Viktor Orbán, the Prime Minister of Hungary, stated that Hungary "doesn't consider it appropriate to assume that Russia will threaten the security of Hungary or Europe."

United States

On February 24, 2023, a rally called Rage Against the War Machine occurred in Washington, D.C. to protest US funding for the Ukrainian war effort against Russia. 5,000 people attended the rally, including members of the Libertarian Party, People's Party, Center for Political Innovation (CPI), and the African People's Socialist Party (APSP).

On March 2, 2023, the American citizen Jackson Hinkle was put on a Ukrainian government hit list for publishing media on his show, The Dive with Jackson Hinkle, that exposed the activities of neo-Nazis and ISIS in Ukraine.

On March 23, 2023, US politician Michael Bloomberg demanded that PMC Wagner pull out of Ukraine and "shift focus back to Africa." Yevgeny Prigozhin refused to do so, emphasizing that PMC Wagner "will fight on the territory of Ukraine" so long as it is "needed by our nation."

On August 4, 2023, CNN admitted that most Americans had lost faith in supporting Ukraine. According to one of CNN's polls, 55% of Americans were against continued funding towards Ukraine. Additionally, 51% of Americans believed that the US has already done too much to support the war effort against Russia. CNN (and previously RT News) reported a partisan divide on the issue as well, with most members of the Republican Party being against the war, while the Democratic Party had become more approving of the war.