Timeline of Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events & developments as war enters day 264

It has been 9 months since the Russia-Ukraine war began, the biggest war in the European continent since the 2nd World War.  Europe witnessed war after the 2nd World War, be it the Kosovo war, the Greek civil war, or the Bosnian war. However, none of those wars has been as significant as the Russia-Ukraine war, in terms of scale and the direct involvement of nuclear power. The background of the war goes back to the October revolution in the Russian empire, also known as the Bolshevik revolution. 

The revolution led to the end of the Russian monarchy and the formation of the Soviet Union, under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin. This was the time period of the Great War, commonly known as the 1st World War. When Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his intention to invade Ukraine, he mentioned a crucial treaty that was signed during the tumultuous year of 1918 - the treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The Soviet Union signed this treaty with Central powers, under which Russia ceded Ukraine, Finland and Baltic territories. 

Role of history in the war

During his televised address to Russians and, one presumes, to the world more broadly, Putin blamed Vladimir Lenin for the separation of Ukraine from Russia and called the treaty of Brest-Litovsk a mistake. It is pertinent to keep this context in mind to understand why Russia invaded Ukraine. The Russian civilization traces its roots back to Kyiv. Last year, the Russian President wrote an essay which gives an insight into how he views the history of Russia and Ukraine, and the role it played in the current war. “The spiritual choice made by St Vladimir still largely determines our affinity today. In the words of Oleg the Prophet about Kyiv, “let it be the mother of all Russian cities," he wrote. 

Soon after the televised address, on February 24th,  the Ukraine invasion began as Russian troops, who were amassing near the Russia-Ukraine border, began moving westwards. Since that time, a lot has changed. Kherson was the only regional capital that the Russian forces had managed to capture since the war, and now Russian forces have retreated from Kherson to the east of the Dnipro river, to set up a more realistic defensive line, taking advantage of natural barriers like rivers. Russian troops are digging multiple lines of bunkers on the east of the Dnipro river, to prevent Ukrainian forces from coming close to the Crimean peninsula. Western powers, who are supplying armaments to Ukraine, are struggling with depleting stocks. 

Here is a brief timeline, highlighting key moments of the Russia-Ukraine war - 

February - Russian forces march into Ukraine from the north, in an attempt to gain control of Kyiv and with the intention of overthrowing the Ukrainian government. Contrary to the expectations of many people, Ukrainian resistance stops Russia. Russian troops also face logistical challenges, according to an assessment by several non-Russian analysts. 

March - Russian forces move into Ukraine from the South and take control of Kherson. The goal is to gain control of Russia's Black Sea Coast, and to make Ukraine a land-locked nation. Kherson became the first and only regional capital to be captured by Russian forces. 

April - Russia begins an offensive to take control of Donetsk and Luhansk, two territories which have witnessed conflict since 2014. The majority of people in these provinces are Russian by ethnicity and Moscow believes they want to be with Russia. As a part of the new offensive, Russia launches a missile strike on Ukrainian infrastructure, which leads to 50 civilians dying, as a result of a strike on a train station in Kramatorsk. 

May - Russian forces start an operation to take control of Mariupol. Mariupol suffers heavy artillery bombing, resulting in the death of numerous civilians. After heavy urban warfare in the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works Plant, Ukrainian fighters surrender to Russian forces.

June - Ukrainian forces regain control of Snake Island, which is a tiny island in the Black Sea, near the Ukrainian port city of Odesa. Odessa is an important industrial hub as it supplies neon gas to numerous countries, which is essential in semiconductor manufacturing. After recapturing Snake Island, the morale of the Ukrainians goes up. 

July - Russia starts heavy artillery bombardment, targeting eastern Ukraine. Lysychansk, which was the last city in Luhansk under the control of Ukrainians, finally falls to Russia. Moscow attempts to gain control of Donbas but makes little progress. 

August - Ukraine finally launches its much-awaited counter-offensive. The counter-offensive was expected to be directed towards Kherson, which is in southern Ukraine, but Ukrainian forces launched a surprise counter-offensive in northeastern Ukraine, towards the Kharkiv region. Russian forces are caught by surprise and they start pulling back without putting up a fight. 

September - The surprise Ukrainian counter-offensive directed towards Kharkiv succeeds. Ukrainian forces recapture major chunks of the Kharkiv oblast, including the strategically important city of Izium, which is a key logistics hub. Russians who are following the war, feel a sense of despondency. They begin criticising the Russian military's performance. Russia starts partial mobilisation, to boost the number of soldiers at the front. 

October - After the attack on the Crimean bridge, which connects the Crimean peninsula with the Russian mainland, Russian forces start bombing cities across Ukraine. The goal of the bombardments is to damage Ukraine's critical infrastructure, such as power grids and water storage facilities. Russian forces rely on Iranian Shahed drones, to carry out the strikes, as per the analysis of western intelligence agencies. 

November - Russian forces start retreating from Kherson. General Sergey Shoygu, the Russian defence minister, states in a televised address that protecting the lives of Russian soldiers is important, adding that Kherson is not defensible. As of now, Russian forces are getting into a defensive position, and it is likely that they will remain in a defensive position, at least, until this winter. Some reports in American publications such as the Washington Post claim that the US administration is urging Ukraine to consider negotiation with Russia.