When and why did Russia invade Ukraine and what's happening now? The conflict explained as one-year anniversary marked
Friday marks exactly a year since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, sending hundreds of thousands of troops into the country.
The war began as tensions escalated following weeks of fears over a Russian invasion. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia had positioned almost 200,000 troops on the country's borders ahead of the full-scale attack.The two countries have a complex relationship and were both part of the Soviet Union until its break-up at the end of the Cold War. From 1991, Ukraine has been an independent nation state.
When Mr Putin sent troops to invade Ukraine last year, he was confident he could take over the country in just a matter of days. But that plan failed, and now a vast amount of the current fighting is centred around the battle for the east of Ukraine. While Mr Putin is determined to achieve his goals, Ukraine and its allies are standing firm on preventing Russia from ending up with any of its land. But with the weather and ground conditions improving in Ukraine, the conflict is braced for a Russian spring offensive and subsequent counter by Kyiv’s military in the coming weeks and months.
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