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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 : 81 key moments
Flag of Ukraine.
Symbolic illustration; does not depict the cyberattack. Ukrainian flag, public domain. — Gouvernement ukrainien / Wikimedia Commons — domaine public, drapeau, rendu PNG.

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

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.

Flag of Ukraine.
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.

Sources 3
Reported 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
Confirmed

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
Reported 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
Reported information

Commission proposes €45 billion in Ukraine loans for 2027

The European Commission proposed on 30 October 2026 the allocation of the remaining €45 billion of the European loan for Ukraine for 2027. The arrangement still requires adoption by the Council of the EU before disbursements.

The Berlaymont in Brussels.
Commission headquarters, May 2016. Archive illustration. almathias, CC0. — almathias / Pixabay / Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0 https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ — 7 mai 2016, sans modification.

The proposal earmarks €31.7 billion for defence industrial capacity and up to €13.3 billion for budget support. The latter would be split equally between the Ukraine Facility and macro-financial assistance.

This envelope is the second half of the €90 billion loan programme covering 2026 and 2027. It is therefore not a new €45 billion grant on top of that programme.

Budget funding is subject to conditions including the rule of law and anti-corruption measures. The Commission plans to prepare payments from early 2027 following Council adoption: the announcement does not establish that a payment has already been made.

Sources 3
Reported information

Dnipro: Ukrainian authorities report at least 14 killed in station strike

At least 14 people were killed and 14 injured in a drone strike on a railway platform in Dnipro on 29 October 2026, Ukrainian authorities said. They attribute the attack to Russia.

Platforms at Dnipro’s main station, May 2021. Archive illustration; neither the strike nor its aftermath is shown.
Platforms at Dnipro’s main station, May 2021. Archive illustration; neither the strike nor its aftermath is shown. — Toss12 / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ; 14 mai 2021, sans modification.

Railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia says a commuter train and a passenger train were at the targeted platform. The regional governor reports that six of the injured are in serious condition, including an 11-year-old child.

Reuters and AFP separately report the attack and the Ukrainian statements. The casualty count remains a provisional toll attributed to the authorities. The strike comes while a humanitarian truce limited to Russian-occupied Oleshky in Kherson region does not apply to Ukraine as a whole.

Sources 4