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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 : 84 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
On the afternoon of 3 November 2026, Volodymyr Zelensky raised the reported death toll from the 2 November Komyshuvakha strikes to 33. He said more than 50 people could remain under the rubble; the toll remains provisional as rescue searches continue.
Confirmed
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.
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.
Komyshuvakha: Zelensky raises reported strike death toll to 33
Volodymyr Zelensky raised the reported death toll from the previous day’s Russian strikes on Komyshuvakha in Zaporizhzhia Oblast to 33 on the afternoon of 3 November 2026. The Ukrainian president said more than 50 people could still be under the rubble.
Symbolic illustration; does not show the strikes or victims. Government of Ukraine / Wikimedia Commons, public domain; PNG rendering. — Gouvernement ukrainien / Wikimedia Commons — domaine public, drapeau, rendu PNG.
The figure replaces a toll of 29 reported on the morning of 3 November, then 31 later that morning. It remains provisional: searches continue in the damaged building, a school used for humanitarian aid and shelter according to Ukrainian authorities.
Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne documents the successive updates and reports that residents of nearby villages had come to collect aid. People potentially trapped under the rubble are not added to the number of deaths established by the authorities.
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.
Symbolic illustration; does not show the strikes. Government of Ukraine / Wikimedia Commons, public domain. — Gouvernement ukrainien / Wikimedia Commons — domaine public, drapeau, rendu PNG.
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.
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.
Symbolic illustration; does not depict the cyberattack. Ukrainian flag, public domain. — Gouvernement ukrainien / Wikimedia Commons — domaine public, drapeau, rendu PNG.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
