An apartment building in Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, targeted by the Russians forces on March 12, 2022. (Evgeniy Maloletka)
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It is widely believed that Russian leadership expected its all-out invasion of Ukraine to succeed within days.
Twenty days later, Ukraine still stands, and Russia has no major victories to claim. It seized only one large city and regional center, Kherson in southern Ukraine.
To force Ukraine to surrender, Russia has shelled civilians in residential areas and attacked military and civilian infrastructure, including schools, kindergartens, and hospitals all across the country. Photos of Kharkiv's wrecked downtown and a destroyed maternity hospital in Mariupol have appeared on the front pages of newspapers all over the world.
Since Feb. 24, Russia's aggression has killed thousands of Ukrainians, forced some three million to flee, and left cities and villages in ruins.
Ukrainian emergency workers carry an injured pregnant woman after Russian troops shelled a maternity hospital in Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast on March 9, 2022. The woman and her unborn baby have died. (Evgeniy Maloletka)A mass grave in Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, on March 9, 2022. According to local authorities, over 2,000 residents have been killed in the city since Feb. 24, 2022. (Mstyslav Chernov)Firefighters rescue people from an apartment building in Kyiv that was shelled on March 14, 2022. At least one person was killed and dozens were injured. (Getty Images)A woman in despair after an apartment building was destroyed by shelling in the northwestern Obolon district of Kyiv on March 14, 2022. (AFP/Getty Images)Firefighters extinguish fire at a destroyed shoe factory following an airstrike in Dnipro on March 11, 2022. (AFP/Getty Images)A burned tank and a damaged building in Volnovakha, Donetsk Oblast on March 12, 2022. The city was occupied by Russian forces after 16 days of heavy fighting. (Getty Images)Funeral ceremony held for three Ukrainian servicemen Taras Didukh, 25, Andrii Stefanyshyn, 39, and Dmytro Kabakov, 58, in Lviv on March 11, 2022. (Getty Images)A resident prays by a candle while sheltering in the basement as Russian forces move through the city on March 7, 2022 in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast. (Getty Images)Andriy says goodbye to his partner Yarina before boarding a train to Dnipro on March 9, 2022 in Lviv. As civilian Ukrainians flee to western Ukraine and abroad to escape Russia's assault, military personnel are heading east to fight. (Getty Images)Firefighters put out the fire after a Russian missile hit downtown Kharkiv on March 14, 2022. (Getty Images)The bodies of two civilians killed by Russian shelling are seen in the central park of Irpin, Kyiv Oblast, on March 10, 2022. Irpin, a suburb northwest of Kyiv, had experienced days of sustained shelling by Russian forces advancing toward the capital. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)A family walks down a stairwell pocked with shrapnel from an earlier rocket strike in Mykolayiv. The regional capital in southern Ukraine has been under frequent bombardment by Russian forces trying to advance along the Black Sea coast. (Getty Images)People walk amid destruction as they evacuate from Irpin, Kyiv Oblast, on March 10, 2022. A body of a civilian man killed by Russian forces is seen nearby. (Getty Images)A rescuer pushes a trolley with an elderly woman during an evacuation in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast, on March 8, 2022. (AFP/Getty Images)A Ukrainian soldier stands near the blown-up bridge in Irpin, Kyiv Oblast, as Territorial Defense volunteers help civilians cross the river and flee on March 7, 2022. (Volodymyr Petrov)A man stands inside his house wrecked by Russian shelling in Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast. The city has been under Russian siege for over two weeks. (Evgeniy Maloletka)
The U.S. still holds an edge in terms of military aid — its 65 billion euros ($74 billion) lead Europe by 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) — but the gap is shrinking as Washington has not allocated a new aid package since Jan. 9, still under the Biden administration.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will visit Moscow for consultations with Russian officials ahead of the second round of nuclear program negotiations, a spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry said on April 14.
Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski criticized Hungary on April 14 for being the only EU member state lacking "moral clarity" on Russia’s war against Ukraine.
"What was also discussed very clearly, and said by different member states, is that any participation in the 9th May parades or celebrations in Moscow will not be taken lightly on the European side," the European Union’s top diplomat said on April 14.
According to a copy of the bill seen by the news agency, the legislation lays out significant financial and diplomatic measures to counter Russia’s aggression.
Following the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022, the European Union has restricted energy imports from Russia, profits from which fuelled Moscow's ability to wage the war against Ukraine.
The U.K. transferred 752 million pounds ($990 million) to Ukraine under a G7 loan covered by Russian assets to buy air defense and artillery, the British government announced.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov's statement comes as Friedrich Merz, Germany's chancellor-in-waiting, suggested on April 13 that long-range Taurus missiles could be used to target strategic Russian military infrastructure.
With the incredible support of our readers and community, we raised $24,500 for Veteran Hub through the sale of over 1,000 of our “I Stand With Ukraine” T-shirts.
During an EU Foreign Ministers Council meeting, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also called on allies to strengthen Ukrainian air defenses and provide additional systems, missiles, and spare parts.
Ukraine has invited top European Union officials to visit Kyiv on May 9 in a symbolic move to counter Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual Victory Day parade in Moscow, Politico reported on April 14, citing Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent talks with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff were "extremely useful," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on April 14, according to the Russian state-owned news agency TASS.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov argued that the end of the Eastern Bloc eliminated the threat NATO was originally created to counter, yet the alliance not only persisted but also allegedly claimed a dominant role in European security.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had made the offer directly to U.S. President Donald Trump and previously raised it with former President Joe Biden's administration.
In the first quarter of 2025, developers launched just 8.1 million square meters (around 87.19 million square feet) of new housing projects — down 24% from the same period last year.
