Calling it a “special military operation,” President Vladimir Putin of Russia launches a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, capping decades of rising tensions between the neighboring states and former Soviet republics. The invasion, which Russia expected would result in a speedy victory, evolved into the largest ground war in Europe since World War II.
Early on the morning of February 24, 2022, Russia fired missiles into Ukraine, targeting airports and military installations across the country. Lines of Russian troops, which had been amassing at the Ukrainian border for months, rolled toward major Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv.
