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Tuesday marks the 300th day of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin's latest round of aggression against Kyiv has reshaped the political, military and economic map of Europe and beyond, thrusting the continent into arguably its deepest crisis since World War II.
On the 300th day of fighting, Newsweek has selected 30 moments that have helped shape the conflict so far, in which NATO and the European Union have thrown their weight behind Ukraine as Putin and his forces struggle to break out of the quagmire.
On the battlefield
February 24: 'Thunder run'
The invasion began with Russian armored columns driving south in a "thunder run" from Belarus. But the groupings failed to reach Kyiv proper, becoming bogged down amid heavy resistance in the swamps and forests north of the capital.
A Russian helicopter-borne assault on the Antonov airport in Hostomel failed to capture the airfield, which would have served as a staging point for the final assault on Kyiv. Though Russian forces made significant gains in the south and east of the country, these initial failures around Kyiv doomed the northern invasion force, which was forced to retreat back into Belarus by April.
April 14: Moskva sunk
Russian guided missile cruiser Moskva, flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, is sunk by Ukrainian anti-ship missiles. A huge propaganda win for Kyiv and major humiliation for the Kremlin, the Mosvka was the largest Russian ship sunk since World II. Russian vessels subsequently limited their activity in the Black Sea to avoid Ukrainian coastal batteries, reducing the immediate threat of an amphibious invasion aimed at capturing the southern port city of Odesa. This caution also helped Ukraine eject Russian forces from the tiny Snake Island in July.
May 17: Azovstal surrenders
Azov Battalion and Marine troops held Mariupol's sprawling Azovstal steel plant against Russian assaults since the city was first besieged in the opening hours of the invasion on February 24. The surrender of the surviving defenders marked the end of the battle of Mariupol, in which most of the city was destroyed and tens of thousands of people are thought to have been killed. The survivors went into captivity, some later being freed in prisoner exchanges. Others remain in Russian custody, and 53 were killed in explosions at the Olenivka prisoner of war camp. Russia blamed Ukrainian artillery for the incident, while Kyiv said the explosions were an attempt by Russia to cover up evidence of prisoner executions and torture.
July 3: Lysychansk falls
Russian forces captured the city of Lysychansk in early July, which until then was the last Ukrainian-controlled city in Luhansk Oblast. It marked the culmination of Russia's grinding summer offensive, in which troops—supported by overwhelming artillery barrages—looked to cement control of the eastern Donbas region.
September 8: Breakthrough at Balakliia
In early September, Ukrainian units launched a surprise counter-offensive in the area around the city of Kharkiv, breaking the Russian lines at Balakliia and driving deep behind enemy lines, eventually liberating around 500 settlements and more than 4,500 square miles. Russian commanders had been focused on the southern front waiting for the publicly-announced counter-offensive towards Kherson. Russian lines in Kharkiv collapsed, with troops fleeing east. Within days, Moscow announced its troops had been ordered to withdraw from the Kharkiv region.
November 11: Kherson liberated
Ukrainian troops entered the southern city of Kherson on November 11. It was the largest Ukrainian city taken by Russia's invasion forces, and had long been a target of counter-offensive planners. Its liberation was the culmination of the southern fall offensive, which cleared Russian troops from the west side of the Dnieper river.
In Ukraine
February 26: 'I need ammunition, not a ride'
President Volodymyr Zelensky—widely criticized in the lead up to the invasion for downplaying the threat—became a Ukrainian hero in the opening days of the invasion. Refusing to leave Kyiv, the president posted defiant and personal videos of himself and his top officials in the streets of the capital despite the threat of assassination and capture. His reported response to a U.S. evacuation offer—"I need ammunition, not a ride"—is a made-for-TV line embodying the impressive—and for many, unexpected—fortitude of Ukraine under attack.
February 28: European Union application
While Russia framed its invasion as a defensive war against NATO, Ukraine framed its heroic and costly resistance as protection for all of Europe. Ukraine's ambition for EU and NATO membership is enshrined in its constitution, but few were hopeful of short-term progress before Russia's invasion. Moscow's aggression cemented Kyiv's Western pivot, and put fresh onus on EU capitals to take responsibility for Ukraine's future, even if membership remains far off. "Our goal is to be together with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be on an equal footing," Zelensky said upon signing the application.
April 3: Horror in Kyiv's suburbs
Ukrainian troops re-entered Kyiv's suburbs in early April after the Russian withdrawal, and discovered evidence of large-scale and calculated atrocities—still denied by Moscow despite extensive evidence. Irpin and Bucha in particular become synonymous with Russian abuses, which Ukrainian prosecutors said amount to war crimes and genocide. More than 1,300 people were killed across the Kyiv region during six weeks of occupation, the majority in Bucha, where graves are still being discovered. Similar cases of disappearances, torture, rape, and murder would be discovered across areas liberated throughout 2022.
May 31: Casualties in the east
Zelensky appealed to the world for more military assistance at the end of May as Kyiv's forces absorbed a punishing Russian offensive in the Donbas. Outmanned and outgunned on the eastern front, the president said between 60 and 100 Ukrainian soldiers were being killed daily with another 500 wounded. Ukraine, he said, was serving as the world's "defensive perimeter" against Putin and Russia.
September 30: NATO application
Buoyed by success in Kharkiv and spurred by Moscow's claimed annexations, Zelensky signed an official application for NATO membership on September 30, urging the alliance to adopt an accelerated process to admit Ukraine. Support for NATO membership is at historic highs among Ukrainian voters, and leaders in Kyiv consider it the only guarantee against future Russian aggression. With Finland and Sweden set to join the alliance in the near future despite Russian threats, Kyiv sees a golden opportunity to forge ahead too.
October 10: Infrastructure blitz
As Ukrainian troops drove deep into Russian-held territory in the northeast, Moscow opened a new missile blitz on the country's infrastructure network. The Kremlin sought to collapse the national energy grid as winter approached, hoping to force Ukraine to the negotiating table and to precipitate a new wave of migration of desperate Ukrainians into the EU. As of mid-December, around half of the country's energy infrastructure has been destroyed and the missile campaign is ongoing.
In Russia
February 24: 'No other option'
Putin announced his "special military operation" early on February 24. "Our plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories," he claimed, expressing his traditional raft of grievances with Ukraine and NATO. The president called on Ukrainian forces to surrender and claimed Moscow had been left with "no other option" but "to take decisive and immediate action." Protests began in major cities in the followings days, quickly crushed by security forces who arrested thousands.
March 25: Saving face
One month into the fighting came Moscow's first attempt to save face and publicly downgrade its war goals. Sergei Rudskoi, head of the Russian General Staff's Main Operational Directorate, said Russian forces would pivot to focus on the liberation of the Donbas region—i.e. Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts—in an apparent turn away from the initial goal of regime change.
July 22: Black Sea grain deal
In July, Russia and Ukraine agreed a deal to protect tankers exporting grain and other agricultural goods. Overseen by the United Nations and Turkey, it aimed to ease fears of famine and soaring food prices in the developing world, particularly Africa and the Middle East. Ukraine and its Western partners had accused Russia of weaponizing food shortages and exacerbating the situation through its Black Sea naval blockade, an effort to force Ukraine to negotiate concessions.
September 21: Mobilization
Putin announced a "partial mobilization" on September 21, seeking hundreds of thousands of new troops to plug the holes in Russia's collapsing front lines and reinforce his mauled invasion formations through the winter period. Putin said that some 300,000 men would be called up, but reports from inside and outside Russia suggested the real number may be higher.
Rumors of the impending mobilization order prompted mass flight from Russia. Approximately 370,000 people are thought to have fled the country in this period.
September 30: More annexations
Days after the mobilization order, sham referenda began in the partially-occupied Ukrainian territories of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk. Moscow claimed that the results showed overwhelming support among residents to be part of the Russian Federation and subsequently claimed to have annexed the regions on September 30.
October 8: Trouble in Crimea
In October, an explosion damaged the Crimean Bridge spanning the Kerch Strait separating Russia from the occupied peninsula. The bridge was the symbol of Moscow's control of the region seized in 2014, and the suspected truck bomb that temporarily closed the vital logistics route was another major humiliation for the Kremlin. The attack was the most high-profile Ukrainian strike behind Russian lines since fighting began on February 24.
In the U.S.
February 24: Deepening sanctions
On the day of the Russian invasion, President Joe Biden extended sanctions on four Russian banks and banned exports of sensitive American technologies to Russia, particularly those from the aviation, maritime and defense sectors. The Pentagon mobilized to begin rushing military aid to Ukraine and the U.S. quickly became Kyiv's main political, economic and military lifeline in its existential struggle.
March 15: First major aid package
In mid-March, Biden signed off on $13.6 billion for Ukraine, $6.5 billion of which was assigned to support U.S. military deployments to NATO's eastern flank and cover equipment transfers to Ukrainian forces. Around $4 billion of the infusion was for humanitarian use and around $1.8 billion for economic support for Ukraine's struggling economy.
April 13: American artillery
Biden authorized another $800 million in military aid for Ukraine in mid-April, which included long-range, U.S.-made M777 155mm howitzers that some Ukrainian soldiers later said changed the course of the war in Donbas. By May, the majority of the 90 guns had arrived in the country. Though only one system in a plethora of Western technology, the provision of the M777s was a turning point in Kyiv's appeal for artillery assistance, and sent a signal to other NATO allies that sending heavy artillery was acceptable. Western guns helped Ukraine get through the summer artillery duels, and were soon followed by the "game-changing" M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.
May 19: $40 billion for Ukraine
May's $40 billion aid package to Ukraine greatly expanded U.S. support as Kyiv struggled through a hot summer in the east of the country. It included $19 billion in immediate military support, $3.9 billion to sustain American forces in Europe, and $16 billion for economic support. The bill also included funds to facilitate the transfer of Soviet-made weapons like tanks and anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine by NATO allies.
November 15: Democrats hold the Senate
Ukraine featured heavily in discussions in the run up to November's midterm elections amid fears that a GOP capture of both chambers would throttle aid to Kyiv. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said there would be no "blank check" for Ukraine if the GOP triumphed, though establishment Republican figures like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) are still pushing for more foreign support for Kyiv. A better-than-expected performance by the Democrats made it less likely that the Ukraine-skeptics on the GOP fringe would be able to exert influence.
December 15: Patriots
CNN reported on December 15 that the Pentagon was finalizing the transfer of one Patriot surface-to-air missile system to Ukraine, something Kyiv has been asking for since the invasion began. Russia's cruise missile campaign has spurred more Western anti-air support, but delivering the advanced Patriot system brings U.S. backing for the country to a new level. Its delivery could prove the first of several as Kyiv looks to establish a comprehensive anti-air umbrella.
In Europe
February 28: Sanctions begin
The EU introduced fresh sanctions days after the invasion began, including banning Russian aircraft from EU airspace and airports, a ban on transactions with the Russian central bank, and individual sanctions on 26 people and one entity linked to the aggression. Within days, the bloc would also set aside around $530 million in assistance for Ukraine's armed forces, exclude several Russian banks from the SWIFT payment system, and sanction another 160 individuals.
The sanctions packages would keep coming through 2022, with the ninth package agreed in December. Among the provisions are an embargo on seaborne imports of Russian crude oil, which came into force this month, a $60 price cap on oil imported through pipelines, and an embargo on other Russian petroleum products that will come into force in February. EU nations have also been working to wean themselves off Russian gas, an effort helped by mysterious explosions rupturing both the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in September.
March 14: Refugees welcome
Almost 8 million Ukrainian refugees have fled the country since February 24, most of them taking refuge in the EU. The mass dislocation has been one of the defining elements of the war, and a major influence on public and political opinion within the bloc, deepening Kyiv's existing ties with the EU.
On March 15 the EU approved access for refugees to European healthcare and on March 16 began work on providing schooling for Ukrainian children in the EU. In April, the EU made around $18 billion in funding available to support Ukrainian refugees.
April 24: Macron wins again
French President Emmanuel Macron has been much criticized in Ukraine for his ongoing diplomatic outreach to Moscow. But the situation may have been worse for Kyiv if his challenger in spring's presidential election—far-right populist Marine Le Pen—had won the keys to the Élysée Palace. Le Pen traveled to Moscow to meet with Putin in 2017, took a $9.5 million loan from a Russian-Czech bank, and even sent out election pamphlets including a picture of her shaking hands with the Russian leader.
In April, Le Pen warned against sending weapons to Ukraine and said she would look to retain close ties with Moscow if she was victorious. Macron played on Le Pen's Moscow links in televised debates, declaring in April: "When you speak to Russia, you are not speaking to any foreign leader, you are talking to your banker."
May 6: German guns go east
In May, Kyiv won out in a fierce debate in the other EU pillar country; Germany. Berlin had been widely criticized for its hesitance to send significant military equipment to Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz fearing escalation and possible nuclear war.
But in May, after much discussion, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht signed off on the provision of seven advanced PzH 2000 howitzers. The trailblazing decision smoothed the later transfer of weapons like the MARS multiple-launch rocket system—the German version of the U.S. HIMARS—and Gepard anti-aircraft platforms, which have been used to shoot down drones. If German tanks and infantry fighting vehicles ever end up in Ukraine, Kyiv may look back on May 6's PzH delivery as the starting point.
June 23: EU candidate status
Ukraine's long—and likely bumpy—road to Brussels began with the award of official candidate status in June, a demonstration of the EU's long-term commitment to Ukraine as a member of the Euro-Atlantic community. Zelensky described the development as a "unique and historic moment," declaring: "Ukraine's future is in the EU."
September 9: Visa deal frozen
The EU Council suspended the bloc's visa facilitation deal with Russia in September amid concerns that Russians fleeing imminent mobilization might threaten social stability within the union. The suspension came into force on September 12.
Eastern nations decided to implement their own, tougher measures. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland closed their borders to Russian tourists on September 19, followed by Finland on September 30, which cut off the last remaining open direct route into the EU.
About the writer
David Brennan is Newsweek's Diplomatic Correspondent covering world politics and conflicts from London with a focus on NATO, the European ... Read more