Russia-Ukraine war: Key moments, one year on

In the first 24 hours following the military assault, at least 100,000 people, according to the UNHCR, had left their homes. People waited days in line in thousands of cars at the borders to enter Poland. A wide range of agricultural exports are prohibited by Ukraine's government as the conflict worsens the world food crisis. In March, global food prices reach a new high.

March 6: Evacuation of the Irpin Bridge: Evacuations were challenging because the main bridge over the Irpin River was destroyed by Ukrainians in an effort to stop a Russian advance. The Ukrainian authorities claim that hundreds of civilians lost their lives while trying to flee.
March 9: Attack on the Mariupol maternity hospitalA Russian missile struck a maternity hospital in Mariupol, a city in Ukraine’s southeast. Russia agreed to a 12-hour suspension of hostilities to allow refugees to flee, but the attack still took place.
March 16: Bombing of the Mariupol theatreOne of Russia's most heinous acts against civilians was the bombing of the Drama Theater in Mariupol. According to Ukrainian officials, 1,300 people were taking refuge in the theatre in the middle of the city, which had been under invasion for weeks at that point. Authorities estimated that day's death toll at 300.

In a missile attack on a train station in Kramatorsk, dozens of people end up dying. It was crowded with elderly, children, and women who were attempting to flee the fighting.
​April 14: Sailing ship Moskva sunk: According to Ukraine, it fired anti-ship cruise missiles at the Moskva, causing a fire that set ammunition on storage ablaze. Russia laid the blame on an unidentified fire. Whatever the cause, Russia suffered its biggest wartime naval ship loss in forty years with the loss of the guided-missile cruiser.

May 17: Defenders of the Mariupol Steel Plant: The expansive Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol became yet another representation of Ukrainian resistance against a much more powerful foe. Before finally giving up in May, the plant's defenders withstood weeks of relentless Russian bombardment. According to Ukrainian officials, the fighters' tenacious defence of the complex had stalled Russian forces and stopped them from capturing the farther-western city of Zaporizhzhia.

At least 16 people are killed when Russian missiles strike a crowded mall in the city of Kremenchuk. Additional financing totaling $1.49 billion was approved by the World Bank to assist in covering public sector employees' salaries. The European Union's decision to phase out Russian oil in part, according to Russia, was likely to cause instability in the world's energy markets and was a "self-destructive" move. By the end of the year, EU leaders have agreed in principle to reduce their reliance on Russian oil by 90%.

Russian forces take Lysychansk in their quest to take over eastern Ukrainian province of Luhansk.

A southern counter-offensive is launched by Ukrainian forces around Kherson, the sole land entry point to Crimea. Targets include a Crimean air base, Russian supply routes, and ammunition storage facilities.

September 1: Russian forces leave the region of Kharkiv: Large areas of territory were reclaimed by the Ukrainian military in eastern Ukraine in September after a fierce counteroffensive, which forced Moscow to try and characterise the hasty retreat as "regrouping." But in a sign of just how severe things were for Russia, a number of prominent Kremlin supporters, including Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who provided thousands of fighters to the offensive, publicly criticised the military.

September 21: Russia begins its partial mobilisation: On September 21, Putin declared Russia's first mobilisation since World War II, following a string of humiliating losses in Ukraine. Unusual for Russia, the contentious draught led to protests and a flight of men of fighting age from the nation.

October 8: Bridge attack in Crimea: Another significant setback for Moscow came when an explosion severely damaged the only bridge spanning the Crimean Peninsula from Russia.In 2018, four years after Russia forcibly annexed Crimea from Ukraine, Putin officially opened it.

October 10: Kyiv blackout: Russia launched the first of several waves of missile attacks on Ukraine's vital energy infrastructure, ushering in a new phase of the conflict. Moscow started attacking Ukrainian power plants with missiles, artillery rounds, and drones made in Iran, leaving large parts of the nation without water and electricity.

November 12: Liberation scenes in Kherson: Given that Kherson was the only Ukrainian regional capital that Russian forces had taken control of, Moscow's hasty retreat from the west bank of the Dnipro River was another big boost for Kyiv. Just a few weeks prior to the withdrawal of his troops, Putin himself had formally proclaimed Kherson to be Russian territory.

December 21: Zelensky at the White House: To meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House and to address the US Congress, Zelensky travelled to Washington, DC. It was Zelensky's first international trip since the start of Russia's invasion, and it was a significant trip. Biden administration said it was sending Ukraine nearly $2 billion in additional security assistance, including a cutting-edge new Patriot air defence system, just before Zelensky's arrival.

January 25: Germany agrees to deploying tanks to Ukraine: Germany and the US in coordinated efforts announced that they will send advanced battle tanks to Ukraine - a big step in the coordinated effort by the West to provide heavy weapons to Kyiv. Germany had earlier refused to send the Leopards unless the U.S. put its Abrams tanks on the table. The tanks will help Ukraine’s forces to launch new offensives and curb casualties, according to military commanders.

Feburary 20: Biden travels to Kyiv: Joe Biden paid a surprise visit to Kyiv, his first since Russia's all-out invasion. The US president remembered speaking with Zelensky over the phone as Russian forces rolled in while he was standing next to him. "Kyiv is still there one year later. Ukraine is present. Democracy endures," said Biden. "The world stands with you, the Americans stand with you." Biden's visit, according to Zelensky, "moved Ukraine closer to victory."