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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 : 80 key moments
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.
Where things stand
On 31 October 2026, residents evacuated from Russian-occupied Oleshky reached Kyiv-controlled territory after travelling through Russia and Belarus. The exact number arriving has not been published. The truce remains local. Washington has authorised a potential sale of 500 Patriot interceptors, with no evidence of delivery; the proposed €45 billion in EU loans for 2027 remains subject to adoption.
Confirmed
Kyiv suspends freight traffic with separatist-held areas
On 15 March 2017, Ukrainian authorities decide to suspend freight traffic across the contact line with separatist-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk.
The decision follows an activist-led railway blockade and separatist authorities’ seizure of businesses. Exceptions are provided for humanitarian deliveries.
The measure formalises an economic rupture between Kyiv-controlled territory and areas outside its control. It should not be confused with a blanket closure of all crossings for people.
Fighting leaves Avdiivka without power, water and heating
On 29 and 30 January 2017, fighting around Avdiivka damages water and electricity infrastructure, leaving residents without heating in midwinter.
UNICEF documents infrastructure damage and risks to children. On-site reporting describes residents seeking hot meals, blankets and assistance.
Power cuts prevent water pumping and affect heating. The humanitarian crisis is established; these observations do not identify which side fired every shell.
On 18 December 2016, heavy fighting resumes between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists near Svitlodarsk, north of Debaltseve.
OSCE observations and contemporary investigations describe intense artillery fire. Each side blames the other for starting the battle; their military casualty claims do not establish an independent comprehensive toll.
The escalation comes three months after the disengagement agreement and shows fighting continuing despite attempts to stabilise the contact line.
Agreement provides for disengagement in three Donbas areas
On 21 September 2016, the Trilateral Contact Group concludes a framework agreement in Minsk for disengagement of forces and equipment in eastern Ukraine.
The arrangement initially covers Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. The OSCE is to monitor withdrawals, subject to safe access to the areas concerned.
This is a commitment to implement, not proof of complete withdrawal on signing day. Access restrictions and continuing gunfire complicate verification.
Nadiya Savchenko returns to Ukraine in an exchange with Russia
On 25 May 2016, Ukrainian soldier and lawmaker Nadiya Savchenko returns to Kyiv after a Russian pardon, while Alexander Alexandrov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev are sent back to Russia.
Archive portrait of Nadiya Savchenko from a January 2015 broadcast; this is not a photograph of her release. — Inter / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. Capture d’archives de janvier 2015, recadrage préexistant ; aucune modification supplémentaire.
The two Russians had been convicted in Ukraine; Savchenko had been convicted in Russia in a case she contested. Pardons enable the reciprocal transfers.
The exchange resolves these individuals’ cases without ending the Donbas fighting or resolving the situation of other detainees.
Ukrainian forces withdraw from Debaltseve despite Minsk truce
On 18 February 2015, Ukrainian forces withdraw from Debaltseve, a strategic Donbas hub, after being encircled by separatist forces.
The departure comes six days after Minsk II was signed and after the ceasefire was scheduled to take effect. Fighting therefore continues in this sector despite the agreement.
Kyiv describes an organised withdrawal. Reporting describes losses with an uncertain toll: the troop movement is established, not a comprehensive casualty count.
On 12 February 2015, Minsk negotiations produce a new package of measures for the Donbas after talks involving Ukrainian, Russian, French and German leaders.
The framework combines a halt to fighting, withdrawal of heavy weapons and political provisions concerning separatist-held areas. The OSCE preserves the original text and Le Monde reports the talks’ outcome.
The agreement sets commitments for implementation. Its signature proves neither that fighting stopped nor that the envisaged reforms were carried out.
Ukrainian army abandons its main position at Donetsk airport
On 22 January 2015, Ukraine’s army acknowledges abandoning its main position at Donetsk airport after months of fighting against Russian-backed separatists.
Archive: Donetsk airport ruins on 24 December 2014, before the January 2015 withdrawal. Still distributed by Pravda DPR. — Pravda DPR / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. Capture vidéo du 24 décembre 2014, sans modification supplémentaire.
The terminal is devastated and the facility has lost its civilian function. January reporting describes both a military setback and a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.
Withdrawal from the main position does not mean all fighting around the site ends. This episode precedes the Minsk II negotiations in February.
On 5 September 2014, a protocol is signed in Minsk in an attempt to halt fighting in eastern Ukraine.
The OSCE publishes the document in its Russian original. It provides a framework for a ceasefire and negotiations.
Signing is a diplomatic act, separate from compliance on the ground. New talks in February 2015, reported by Le Monde, will show that this first framework did not deliver a lasting settlement.
Ukrainian withdrawal from Ilovaisk ends in disaster
On 29 August 2014, Ukrainian units try to break out of encirclement at Ilovaisk in the Donbas and suffer heavy losses during their withdrawal.
Accounts collected in early September describe an expected corridor and columns coming under fire. These contemporary testimonies alone do not establish the exact toll or the terms of the passage agreement.
An OHCHR investigation published in 2018 would document violations during the battle. Its later findings must be distinguished from information available on the day.
On 17 July 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashes near Hrabove in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people aboard.
The Dutch Safety Board’s technical report, published in October 2015, later establishes that a Buk missile warhead destroyed the aircraft. That finding came after the disaster and must not be presented as already established on 17 July.
The technical investigation explains the destruction mechanism; it is distinct from criminal proceedings concerning individual responsibility.
