Shayanne Gal/Insider
- The invasion of Ukraine continues, leading to thousands of Ukrainian and Russian casualties.
- Russia’s invasion has been repelled in the region around Kyiv.
- Insider’s live blog of the invasion will cover developments as they happen.
Russian forces are retreating and pulling out of the region around Ukraine’s capitol, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
The invaders have substantial troop presences across the country, however a number of reported counteroffensives have taken back areas that were previously under Russian control. Ukrainian success Northwest and East of Kyiv has taken regions previously that were under Russian control and re-established Ukraine’s position.
Ukraine is situated in eastern Europe. The initial Russian attack came from the South, in Crimea, from the East, in Russia, and from the North, in Russia and Belarus.
It is a strategically important country both for Russia as well as the coalition of countries in NATO. While Ukraine has substantial links to Russia, recently the country has sought to align its interests with Europe and the United States. The prospect of another NATO-aligned nation on its border was a motivating factor for Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to launch an invasion.
In 2014, pro-Russian separatists took control of parts of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine after Russian forces invaded and annexed the Crimean Peninsula. The general line of control had, prior to the invasion, stood here.
Initially, Putin recognized the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine as independent states, ordering troops there for what he claimed was a peace-keeping operation in the east of the country.
Fewer than 72 hours later, Putin launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine.
Russia is invading Ukraine from multiple directions. Over multiple months, Russia gathered its forces in Belarus, western Russia, and the Black Sea — a force the US estimated to be over 150,000 troops and with the vehicles, artillery, tanks, and field hospitals to launch a massive assault. A U.S. senior defense official told the press that about 95% of those amassed forces had been committed already.
On February 24 and 25, 2022, Russian forces drove towards Ukraine's capital city, Kyiv. There were missile strikes seen on video reports from the area, and officials reported troops were advancing toward the city of Chernihiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on February 24, 2022, that Russian forces attacked through the Chernobyl exclusion zone and had taken control of it.
Russian forces remain stalled outside the city.
The Associated Press reported Russian missile strikes across Ukraine, hitting regions that include the nation's capital of Kyiv and the country's second-largest city, Kharkiv.
There are 15 nuclear reactors inside Ukraine that are spread across four power stations.
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