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Russia–Ukraine: origins, war since 2014 and timeline

This dossier traces the Russia–Ukraine war from the seizure of Crimea and the start of fighting in the Donbas in 2014, through the full-scale invasion of 24 February 2022 and its military, diplomatic, economic and humanitarian consequences. It distinguishes recognised sovereignty, claimed annexations and actual military control. Earlier milestones explain relations between the two states since Ukrainian independence in 1991: the 1994 Budapest security assurances, the 1997 friendship treaty, the 2003 Tuzla crisis, gas disputes and the 2010 Kharkiv agreements. The suspension of preparations for the European Union agreement in November 2013 opens the Euromaidan crisis. These antecedents are distinguished from the war that began in 2014; each entry links to its sources. The timeline follows Ilovaisk, Donetsk airport, Debaltseve, the Minsk agreements, disengagement attempts, fighting and the humanitarian crisis in Avdiivka in 2017, the trade blockade, detainee exchanges and the Kerch maritime crisis. It then documents the war’s expansion, Ukrainian territorial recaptures, Bakhmut, international justice, grain, energy, external assistance and negotiations. Retrospective investigations are identified and claims remain attributed. This selection of turning points includes canonical occurrences from the archived energy dossier. It expands previously sparse years without providing an exhaustive daily record: local fighting, successive sanctions, all weapons deliveries and population displacement are not detailed. Cumulative military losses and complete territorial control remain coverage limitations.

Last updated : 3 November 202683 key moments

Symbolic illustration; not the meetings. Ukrainian government / Wikimedia Commons, public domain; PNG rendering. — Gouvernement ukrainien / Wikimedia Commons — domaine public, drapeau, rendu PNG.

Where things stand

By the morning of 3 November 2026, Ukrainian authorities put the toll from the 2 November strikes on Komyshuvakha at 29 dead. A school was being used as an aid distribution point. Searches continue and the toll remains provisional.

3 November 2026Confirmed

Ukraine: Brussels announces meeting with Washington and allies on 4 November

The European Commission announced on 3 November 2026 that it would host representatives of Ukraine, the United States, France, Germany, the UK, NATO and the World Bank in Brussels the following day.

Flag of Ukraine. — Symbolic illustration; not the meetings. Ukrainian government / Wikimedia Commons, public domain; PNG rendering. — Gouvernement ukrainien / Wikimedia Commons — domaine public, drapeau, rendu PNG.

Spokesperson Paula Pinho said the consultations would build on the Miami discussions. The announcement concerns a meeting, with no diplomatic outcome or new financing established at this stage.

Separately, US envoy Steve Witkoff announced talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations, mediated by the US, in Abu Dhabi on 10–11 November. He said post-war security and de-escalation would be discussed. Both meetings remain announced steps with unknown outcomes.

Sources 3

3 November 2026Reported information

Komyshuvakha: Ukrainian authorities raise strike death toll to 29

Ukrainian authorities raised the death toll from Russian strikes on Komyshuvakha in Zaporizhzhia region to 29 on the morning of 3 November 2026, according to Suspilne and UNN news agency. The 2 November attack hit a school being used to distribute humanitarian aid.

Rescuers continue searching the rubble. Regional authorities also report missing people; these reports should not be added to the deaths as though they constituted a final toll.

Emergency services had announced 26 deaths the previous evening, including two rescuers and four police officers. The revision to 29 was reported the following morning. The toll remains attributed to Ukrainian authorities and may change as victims are identified; the consulted sources do not establish a final independent count.

Sources 3

2 November 2026Confirmed

Ukraine and Russia report hacks of emergency alert apps

Ukrainian and Russian authorities reported cyberattacks against their emergency alert apps overnight on 1–2 November 2026. In Ukraine, false messages included warnings of a nuclear threat.

The Ukrainian app was temporarily suspended after unauthorised interference, according to its official channel. The air force said there was no radiation threat corresponding to the notifications.

Russia’s Emergency Ministry also reported false alerts. The two countries’ announcements do not independently identify those responsible or establish coordination between the incidents.

Sources 3

1 November 2026Reported information

Kstovo: Russia reports industrial damage after drone attack

An industrial site in Russia's Kstovo district sustained significant damage in a drone attack overnight into 1 November 2026, according to Nizhny Novgorod governor Gleb Nikitin. Ukrainian sources identify a Lukoil refinery, but that identification has not been independently confirmed.

Panorama of Kstovo's industrial area in 2007. — Kstovo industrial area, 29 August 2007. Archive image; it does not show the attack. Vmenkov, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, unchanged. — Vmenkov / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ — 29 août 2007, sans modification.

The governor says more than 100 drones were destroyed and reports no casualties in a preliminary assessment. Those figures remain attributed to Russian authorities. He refers to emergency repairs and possible disruption to heating and hot water.

AFP reports that Russian authorities did not specify the damaged enterprise's activity. War-monitoring channels and Ukrainian media say the Kstovo refinery was hit. These reports must be distinguished from the Russian announcement, which does not name the site.

The sources consulted do not establish the extent of damage to the refinery or its production level after the attack. A complete shutdown has not been confirmed.

Sources 3

31 October 2026Confirmed

Oleshky evacuees reach Ukrainian-controlled territory

Residents of Oleshky, a Russian-occupied town in the Kherson region, reached Kyiv-controlled territory on 31 October 2026. Reuters and RBC-Ukraine covered their arrival in the Chernihiv region at the Belarusian border.

St Michael’s church in Oleshky in 2016. — Oleshky, April 2016. Archive image; not the town’s current condition or the evacuation. Dmytro Petishkin, CC BY 4.0, resized. — Dmytro Petishkin / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ; 17 avril 2016 ; redimensionnement.

The evacuees travelled through Crimea and the Russian town of Anapa, then flew to Belarus before continuing into Ukraine. Relatives and aid teams welcomed them, with medical care to be provided according to need.

Their return took place under a humanitarian truce limited to the Oleshky area. Residents could choose to leave for Ukrainian- or Russian-controlled areas, or remain in the town. Ukrainian authorities have not published the exact number evacuated and arriving on the Ukrainian side; statements about more than 750 departures should not be treated as that arrival tally.

Sources 4

30 October 2026Reported information

Washington approves possible sale of 500 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine

The United States approved a possible sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 MSE interceptors to Ukraine on 30 October 2026, estimated at $2.1 billion. The authorisation does not mean the missiles have been delivered.

Launch of an older Patriot PAC-2 missile. — Archive illustration of a PAC-2; neither the PAC-3 MSE missiles in the authorised sale nor a delivery to Ukraine. U.S. Army, public domain. — U.S. Army / Wikimedia Commons — domaine public, photographie d’archives d’un PAC-2, date de prise de vue inconnue, sans modification.

According to the notification cited by Inside Defense and Le Parisien, financing is to involve allies including Canada, Germany and Norway, as well as Ukrainian national funds financed through the European support loan. No US funding is committed.

The notification gives no schedule. Volodymyr Zelensky welcomes the decision but warns that deliveries could start several years later and calls for a response to immediate needs. The timetable therefore remains separate from sale authorisation.

Sources 3

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