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After the Ukrainian [[Revolution of Dignity]] in 2014, Russia [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|annexed Crimea]], and [[Russian separatist forces in Donbas|Russian-backed separatist forces]] seized part of the [[Donbas]], in south-eastern Ukraine, prompting [[War in Donbas|an ongoing eight-year war]] in the region.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kirby |first=Jen |date=28 February 2022 |title=Putin's invasion of Ukraine, explained |url=https://www.vox.com/2022/2/23/22948534/russia-ukraine-war-putin-explosions-invasion-explained |access-date=28 February 2022 |website=Vox}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=28 February 2022 |title=Conflict in Ukraine |url=https://cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/conflict-ukraine |access-date=28 February 2022 |website=Global Conflict Tracker|publisher=Council on Foreign Relations}}</ref> Starting in early 2021, [[2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis|a Russian military buildup]] took place along the [[Russia–Ukraine border]]. The United States and others accused Russia of planning to invade Ukraine, and Russian officials repeatedly issued denials as late as <!-- THIS DATE IS NEEDED FOR CONTEXT. LEDE PRESENTS BUILDUPS STARTING FROM EARLY 2021. WITHOUT THIS DATE, WE DON'T KNOW WHEN RUSSIA DENIED - EARLY 2021? MID 2021?-->20 February 2022.<ref name="Deny"/><ref name="denials"/> During the crisis, Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]] described the [[enlargement of NATO]] after 1997 as a threat to his country's security, a claim that [[NATO]] rejected,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_111767.htm |title=NATO-Russia relations: the facts |publisher=NATO |date=27 January 2022|access-date=1 March 2022}}</ref> and he demanded that Ukraine be permanently barred from joining NATO.<ref name="Wiegrefe 2022">{{cite news |last=Wiegrefe |first=Klaus |date=15 February 2022 |url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/nato-s-eastward-expansion-is-vladimir-putin-right-a-bf318d2c-7aeb-4b59-8d5f-1d8c94e1964d |title=NATO's Eastward Expansion: Is Vladimir Putin Right?|work=Der Spiegel |issn=2195-1349 |access-date=28 February 2022}}</ref> Putin expressed [[Russian irredentist]] views,<ref>{{cite news |date=26 February 2022 |title=Russia's invasion of Ukraine |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |url=https://www.economist.com/briefing/2022/02/26/russias-invasion-of-ukraine |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=26 February 2022 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220226/https://www.economist.com/briefing/2022/02/26/russias-invasion-of-ukraine |archive-date=26 February 2022 |issn=0013-0613 |quote=Though the target of Mr Putin's tirade on February 21st was Ukraine, the former Soviet republics now in NATO, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, have cause for alarm over his irredentism.}}</ref> and questioned Ukraine's [[right to statehood]].<ref name="Putin Ukraine statehood">{{cite magazine |last=Perrigo |first=Billy |date=22 February 2022 |title=How Putin's Denial of Ukraine's Statehood Rewrites History |url=https://time.com/6150046/ukraine-statehood-russia-history-putin/ |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=28 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/02/22/putin-says-he-does-not-plan-to-restore-empire-a76519 |title=Putin Says He Does Not Plan to 'Restore Empire' |website=[[The Moscow Times]] |date=22 February 2022|access-date=2 March 2022}}</ref> Before the invasion, attempting to provide ''[[casus belli]]'', Putin accused Ukraine of committing [[genocide]] against [[Russian speakers in Ukraine|its Russian-speakers]]; the accusation was widely described as unfounded.<ref name="VPadd"/><ref name="HinAle"/>
On 21 February 2022, Putin recognised the [[Donetsk People's Republic]] and the [[Luhansk People's Republic]], two [[List of states with limited recognition|self-proclaimed states]] controlled by pro-Russian separatists in Donbas.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hernandez |first=Joe |date=23 February 2022 |orig-date=22 February 2022 |others=Photograph by Aleksey Filippov ([[Agence-France Presse]]) via [[Getty Images]] |title=Why Luhansk and Donetsk are key to understanding the latest escalation in Ukraine |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/02/22/1082345068/why-luhansk-and-donetsk-are-key-to-understanding-the-latest-escalation-in-ukrain |access-date=28 February 2022 |website=[[NPR]] |publisher=National Public Radio, Inc}}</ref> The next day, the Russian [[Federation Council (Russia)|Federation Council]] unanimously authorised use of military force, and Russian soldiers entered both territories.<ref name="Hodge 2022"/> On 24 February, about 05:00 [[Eastern European Time|EET]] (UTC+2), Putin announced a "special military operation", allegedly to demilitarise and "[[Denazification|denazify]]" Ukraine.<ref>{{cite news |title=Russia's Putin authorises 'special military operation' against Ukraine |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russias-putin-authorises-military-operations-donbass-domestic-media-2022-02-24/ |work=[[Reuters]] |date=24 February 2022|access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref> Minutes later, missiles struck places across Ukraine, including [[Kyiv]], the national capital. The [[
The invasion received [[International reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|widespread international condemnation]], including [[International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War|new sanctions imposed on Russia]], triggering [[2022 Russian financial crisis|a Russian financial crisis]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chernova|first1=Anna|last2=Cotovio|first2=Vasco|last3=Thompson|first3=Mark |date=28 February 2022 |title=Sanctions slams Russian economy |work=CNN |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/28/business/russia-ruble-banks-sanctions/index.html |access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref> According to the [[UN High Commissioner for Refugees|United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]], [[2022 Ukrainian refugee crisis|a refugee crisis across Europe]] was created, with more than one million Ukrainians fleeing the country during the first week of the invasion.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Akbarzai |first1=Sahar |last2=Landwehr |first2=Jennifer |date=2 March 2022 |others=Photograph by Hannibal Hanschke ([[Getty Images]]) |title=1 million refugees have fled Ukraine in a week, UN says |url=https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-03-02-22/h_085a6dc9035cfa03a2ab888e96f58b25 <!--|url-status=live--> |access-date=3 March 2022 |website=[[CNN]] |publisher=[[WarnerMedia]]}}</ref> [[Protests against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|Global protests]] are taking place; [[2022 anti-war protests in Russia|protests in Russia]] are being met with mass arrests, and the Russian government significantly increased repression of independent media.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Morin |first1=Rebecca |last2=Subramanian |first2=Courtney |last3=Collins |first3=Michael |last4=Garrison |first4=Joey |last5=Groppe |first5=Maureen |date=24 February 2022 |title=World leaders condemn Russian invasion of Ukraine; EU promises 'harshest' sanctions – live updates |work=[[USA Today]] |publisher=[[Gannett]] |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/02/24/russia-ukraine-invasion/6920609001/ |url-status=live |access-date=24 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224110055/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/02/24/russia-ukraine-invasion/6920609001/ |archive-date=24 February 2022 |issn=0734-7456}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Stewart |first1=Briar |last2=Seminoff |first2=Corinne |last3=Kozlov |first3=Dmitry |date=24 February 2022 |title=More than 1,700 people detained in widespread Russian protests against Ukraine invasion |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/russia-protest-arrests-1.6362938 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224193201/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/russia-protest-arrests-1.6362938 |archive-date=24 February 2022 |access-date=24 February 2022 |website=[[CBC News]] |publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> Some companies have started to [[2022 boycott of Russia and Belarus|boycott Russia and Belarus]]. Various countries gave [[List of foreign aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War|humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine]].<ref name="Al-Jazeera-2022-02-28"/> Citing new sanctions and "aggressive statements", Putin placed [[Russia's nuclear forces]] on high alert, increasing tensions between [[Western world|the West]] and Russia by increasing fears of a [[nuclear war]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Heintz |first1=Jim |last2=Isachenkov |first2=Vladimir |last3=Karmanau |first3=Yuras |last4=Litvinova |first4=Dasha |date=27 February 2022 |others=Reporting by Ellen Knickmeyer, Eric Tucker, Robert Burns and Hope Yen ([[Washington D.C.]]); Francesca Ebel, Josef Federman and Andrew Drake ([[Kyiv]]); Mstyslav Chernov and Nic Dumitrache ([[Mariupol]]) |title=Putin puts nuclear forces on high alert, escalating tensions |url=https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-business-europe-moscow-2e4e1cf784f22b6afbe5a2f936725550 |access-date=3 March 2022 |website=[[AP News]] |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |location=[[Kyiv]]}}</ref>
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