Russia entered the fourth month of the invasion of Ukraine There was no end to the fighting that has killed thousands, uprooted millions and reduced cities to rubble on Tuesday.
After abandoning its attack on the capital, Kyiv, Russia has been mounting pressure in the east and south in protest against mounting sanctions and a strong Ukrainian counter-attack by Western weapons.
Some of the major events in the conflict so far:
* February 24: Russia invades Ukraine from three fronts in its largest attack on a European state since World War II. Thousands flee.
*Russian President Vladimir Putin says it is launching a “special military operation” to demilitarize and “deny” Ukraine. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted: “Russia is on the path of evil, but Ukraine is defending itself.”
* February 25: Ukrainian forces fight Russian invaders in the north, east and south. Artillery pound Kyiv and its suburbs and authorities.
* March 1: A US official says a mile-long Russian armored column on Kyiv has been hit by logistical problems.
* Russia hit a TV tower in Kyiv and intensified long-range bombing of Kharkiv in the Northeast and other cities, which is seen as a change in Moscow’s strategy as a quick charge on the capital is expected.
* March 2: Russian forces begin a siege of the southeastern port of Mariupol, seen as critical to Russian efforts to connect the eastern Donbass region with Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula Moscow seized in 2014.
* Russian troops arrived in the center of the Black Sea port of Kherson, capturing the first large urban center.
* One million people have fled Ukraine, says the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
* March 4: Russian forces seize Europe’s largest Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. nato Rejecting Ukraine’s appeal for a no-fly zone, saying they would escalate the conflict.
* March 8: Citizens flee the northeastern city of Sumi in the first successful humanitarian corridor. UNHCR says two million have now fled Ukraine. * March 9: Ukraine accuses Russia of bombing a maternity hospital in Mariupol, burying people in rubble. Russia says Ukrainian fighters were occupying the building.
* March 13: Russia expands its war in western Ukraine, firing missiles at a base in Yavoriv, near the border with NATO member Poland.
* March 16: Ukraine accuses Russia of bombing a Mariupol theater where hundreds of civilians are taking refuge. Moscow denies this.
* March 25: Moscow signals that it is reducing its ambitions and will focus on securing gains in the east, and Ukrainian forces will go on the offensive to re-capture cities outside Kyiv.
* March 30: UNHCR says more than 4 million people have fled Ukraine.
* April 3/4: Ukraine accuses Russia of war crimes after a mass grave and close-up shots were found in the recaptured city of Bucha. The Kremlin denies responsibility and says the images of the bodies were staged.
* April 8: Ukraine blames Russia for a missile attack on a train station in Kramatorsk, which killed at least 52 people trying to flee the eastern offensive. Russia denies responsibility.
* April 14: Russia’s main battleship Moskva sinks in the Black Sea after a Ukrainian missile attack. Russia blamed the ammunition explosion. * April 18: Russia begins its eastern offensive, with Ukraine withdrawing thousands of troops in what has been described as the Battle of the Donbass, a campaign to seize two provinces and save the battlefield victory. * April 21: Putin Mariupol was declared “free” after a siege of almost two months. But there are hundreds of defenders inside the city’s sprawling Azovstal steelworks.
* April 25/26: The pro-Russian region of Moldova in Transnistria says explosions hit a ministry and two radio masts. It blames neighboring Ukraine. Kyiv accused Moscow of carrying out attacks to widen the conflict.
* April 28: Russia fired two missiles at Kyiv during the visit of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Ukraine says. The Kremlin accuses Ukraine of attacking Russian territories near the border. Two explosions are heard in the Russian city of Belgorod.
* May 1: About 100 Ukrainian civilians have been evacuated from the ruined Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, in what the United Nations says is a “safe passage operation”.
* May 7: At least 60 people are feared dead in a bomb attack on a village school in Bilohorivka, eastern Ukraine, the regional governor says.
* May 9: Putin calls on Russians to go to war in Victory Day speech, but is silent about plans for any escalation in Ukraine.
* May 10: Ukraine says its forces have recaptured villages in Russia’s north and north-east of Kharkiv, launching a counterattack that could signal a change in the pace of the war and Russia’s could jeopardize major progress. * May 12: UNHCR says more than 6 million people have fled Ukraine.
* May 13: Video from Ukraine’s military shows Ukrainian forces destroying parts of a Russian armored column as it tries to cross the Siversky Donets River in the eastern Donbass region. Reuters could not confirm the footage.
* May 14: Ukrainian forces launch a counteroffensive near the eastern Russian-occupied city of Izium, says local governor.
* May 18: Finland and Sweden formally apply to join the NATO alliance, a move that would bring the expansion of the Western military alliance Putin aimed to halt.
* May 20: Ukrainian fighters at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol surrender to Russian forces over a period of several days. On May 20, Russia says the last Ukrainian army has surrendered. Hours earlier, Zelensky said that Ukraine’s military had told the defenders that they could get out and save their lives.
After abandoning its attack on the capital, Kyiv, Russia has been mounting pressure in the east and south in protest against mounting sanctions and a strong Ukrainian counter-attack by Western weapons.
Some of the major events in the conflict so far:
* February 24: Russia invades Ukraine from three fronts in its largest attack on a European state since World War II. Thousands flee.
*Russian President Vladimir Putin says it is launching a “special military operation” to demilitarize and “deny” Ukraine. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted: “Russia is on the path of evil, but Ukraine is defending itself.”
* February 25: Ukrainian forces fight Russian invaders in the north, east and south. Artillery pound Kyiv and its suburbs and authorities.
* March 1: A US official says a mile-long Russian armored column on Kyiv has been hit by logistical problems.
* Russia hit a TV tower in Kyiv and intensified long-range bombing of Kharkiv in the Northeast and other cities, which is seen as a change in Moscow’s strategy as a quick charge on the capital is expected.
* March 2: Russian forces begin a siege of the southeastern port of Mariupol, seen as critical to Russian efforts to connect the eastern Donbass region with Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula Moscow seized in 2014.
* Russian troops arrived in the center of the Black Sea port of Kherson, capturing the first large urban center.
* One million people have fled Ukraine, says the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
* March 4: Russian forces seize Europe’s largest Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. nato Rejecting Ukraine’s appeal for a no-fly zone, saying they would escalate the conflict.
* March 8: Citizens flee the northeastern city of Sumi in the first successful humanitarian corridor. UNHCR says two million have now fled Ukraine. * March 9: Ukraine accuses Russia of bombing a maternity hospital in Mariupol, burying people in rubble. Russia says Ukrainian fighters were occupying the building.
* March 13: Russia expands its war in western Ukraine, firing missiles at a base in Yavoriv, near the border with NATO member Poland.
* March 16: Ukraine accuses Russia of bombing a Mariupol theater where hundreds of civilians are taking refuge. Moscow denies this.
* March 25: Moscow signals that it is reducing its ambitions and will focus on securing gains in the east, and Ukrainian forces will go on the offensive to re-capture cities outside Kyiv.
* March 30: UNHCR says more than 4 million people have fled Ukraine.
* April 3/4: Ukraine accuses Russia of war crimes after a mass grave and close-up shots were found in the recaptured city of Bucha. The Kremlin denies responsibility and says the images of the bodies were staged.
* April 8: Ukraine blames Russia for a missile attack on a train station in Kramatorsk, which killed at least 52 people trying to flee the eastern offensive. Russia denies responsibility.
* April 14: Russia’s main battleship Moskva sinks in the Black Sea after a Ukrainian missile attack. Russia blamed the ammunition explosion. * April 18: Russia begins its eastern offensive, with Ukraine withdrawing thousands of troops in what has been described as the Battle of the Donbass, a campaign to seize two provinces and save the battlefield victory. * April 21: Putin Mariupol was declared “free” after a siege of almost two months. But there are hundreds of defenders inside the city’s sprawling Azovstal steelworks.
* April 25/26: The pro-Russian region of Moldova in Transnistria says explosions hit a ministry and two radio masts. It blames neighboring Ukraine. Kyiv accused Moscow of carrying out attacks to widen the conflict.
* April 28: Russia fired two missiles at Kyiv during the visit of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Ukraine says. The Kremlin accuses Ukraine of attacking Russian territories near the border. Two explosions are heard in the Russian city of Belgorod.
* May 1: About 100 Ukrainian civilians have been evacuated from the ruined Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, in what the United Nations says is a “safe passage operation”.
* May 7: At least 60 people are feared dead in a bomb attack on a village school in Bilohorivka, eastern Ukraine, the regional governor says.
* May 9: Putin calls on Russians to go to war in Victory Day speech, but is silent about plans for any escalation in Ukraine.
* May 10: Ukraine says its forces have recaptured villages in Russia’s north and north-east of Kharkiv, launching a counterattack that could signal a change in the pace of the war and Russia’s could jeopardize major progress. * May 12: UNHCR says more than 6 million people have fled Ukraine.
* May 13: Video from Ukraine’s military shows Ukrainian forces destroying parts of a Russian armored column as it tries to cross the Siversky Donets River in the eastern Donbass region. Reuters could not confirm the footage.
* May 14: Ukrainian forces launch a counteroffensive near the eastern Russian-occupied city of Izium, says local governor.
* May 18: Finland and Sweden formally apply to join the NATO alliance, a move that would bring the expansion of the Western military alliance Putin aimed to halt.
* May 20: Ukrainian fighters at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol surrender to Russian forces over a period of several days. On May 20, Russia says the last Ukrainian army has surrendered. Hours earlier, Zelensky said that Ukraine’s military had told the defenders that they could get out and save their lives.