The Russia-Ukraine conflict is rooted in centuries of contested identity, shifting rule, and colonial domination. Beginning in the 14th century, the territory now known as Ukraine was ruled by competing powers—including Poland-Lithuania and the Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires.
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The Russia-Ukraine war began on Feb. 24, 2022, when Russian forces launched a multi-front invasion. The conflict has become Europe's largest ground war since World War II, reshaping global security, energy markets, and alliances.
The award-winning documentary "20 Days in Mariupol" follows a Ukrainian AP team trapped in Mariupol during the first weeks of Russia's 2022 invasion—documenting the bombing of a hospital, mass graves, and civilians under siege. Note: graphic content.
Ukraine's east and south—largely Russian-speaking—differ from the Ukrainian-speaking west and center. These geographic, linguistic, and cultural divides have become fault lines exploited by political and military conflict since 2014.
Russia launched a massive multifront assault from Belarus, Russia, and Crimea, aiming to seize Kyiv within days. Instead, Ukrainian forces repelled the advance, halting Moscow's plans for a rapid takeover.
As of February 2026, Russian forces occupy roughly one-fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea and large parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, with front lines largely unchanged for months.
Beginning in November 2013, the Euromaidan movement saw hundreds of thousands of protesters gather in Kyiv's Independence Square after the government rejected an EU deal. Months of demonstrations and violent crackdowns culminated in President Yanukovych fleeing to Russia. Note: graphic content.
Scholars disagree on when a distinct Ukrainian identity emerged. Some trace it to Kyivan Rus, a medieval East Slavic state centered in Kyiv, while others argue that Ukrainian nationhood developed much later, shaped by centuries of foreign rule and cultural revival movements.
From the 9th to the 13th centuries, Kyivan Rus was a powerful East Slavic state centered in Kyiv. It shaped the region's language, religion, and political traditions—forming the shared cultural roots of modern-day Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus.
After centuries of division among neighboring powers, most of present-day Ukraine was absorbed into the Russian Empire by the late 1700s, marking the beginning of a long period of imperial control and cultural suppression.
In the 19th century, Ukrainian nationalism took shape through cultural revival movements and intellectual circles—even as the Russian Empire banned the Ukrainian language and sought to suppress Ukrainian identity.
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