Timeline of Russian Invasion of Ukraine

IRIA Staff - February 25, 2022

After months of tensions and military buildup along its eastern borders, Russia launched a large-scale invasion into Ukraine on February 24. The invasion was carried out through aerial attacks and land forces. Several Ukrainian cities including the capital Kyiv were bombed during the invasion that forced many civilian residents to seek refuge in bomb shelters or leave the city altogether.

The invasion started at dawn with Russian forces crossing the Ukrainian borders from Crimea, a southern region in Ukraine that has been under Russian control since its annexation in 2014. The first signs of a border disruption and military movement occurred around 4:00 a.m. local time, almost an hour before Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the ‘military operation’.


Here is how the events unfolded on February 24, 2022:

Crimea (4:00 a.m.) - The first military advancement has been reported to occur in Kalanchak, Crimea. Since its annexation in 2014, Crimea is seen to be one of the easiest paths for the Russian military to invade mainland Ukraine. Some ground forces were seen crossing the borders at the Chogar border.

Kremlin (5:00 a.m.) - Russian President Vladimir Putin untimely made a public announcement in which he stated that under the continuation of the Kyiv genocidal regime, he has decided to conduct a ‘special military operation’ in the Donbas region of Ukraine. He repeatedly stated that we do not plan to impose anything by force, and we are not going to target civilians during the course of this special military operation. However, he also warned that whoever interferes to create a threat for Russia, would face consequences that have never been experienced in history before.


Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a “special military operation” in Ukraine. (Image Credit: RIA Novosti)


Kharkiv (5:07 a.m.) - As soon as the announcement of the special military operation was made by the President of Russia, several military attacks were reported from the northern border. The northeastern city of Kharkiv became the first Ukrainian city to face long-range artillery attacks from the Russian border laying ground to a large-scale invasion that would follow all day.

The strikes quickly started to spread all across the northeastern region of Ukraine. The initial attempts of the Russian invasion started from three sides; southern, eastern, and northeastern regions. Some of the largest eastern and northeastern cities including Mariupol, Dnipro, Odesa, and Kramatorsk were under severe attack and reported huge blasts before sunrise. One of the major international airports at Boryspil in the outskirts of Kyiv was also under attack. Soon after, aerial strikes were also reported to disrupt the operations at Ivano-Frankivsk airport, which is countries largest airport. All the attacks were targeted towards the military installations at the airport.

Kyiv (6:00 a.m.) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared in a minute-long recorded informal speech to convey a message to the Ukrainian people and President Putin. During his speech, he stated that he is in contact with U.S. President Joe Biden and he has been assured that the U.S. is rallying international support for Ukraine. He also stated that “the West is with us.” During the speech, he formally declared martial law across the country. Around the same time, it was reported that Russian troops were invading Ukraine from the Belarusian border in the northern regions of the country which is closer to the capital Kyiv.

Lviv (7:00 a.m.) - Lviv is the largest northwestern city in Ukraine that was expected to be one of the safest cities in case of a Russian invasion. People from all around Ukraine flocked into Lviv during the past few weeks amid the increasing tensions and threats of a Russian invasion. Around 7:45 a.m. in the morning, war sirens went off in Lviv causing a great deal of chaos among the residents. People lined in front of banks to withdraw cash and flocked grocery stores to hoard materials. Thousands of people from Kyiv and adjacent cities took roads to move towards the western region causing a traffic jam on highways.

Kyiv (8:00 a.m.) - The Ukrainian President Zelensky appeared in a televised speech where he claimed that Russia has broken several international agreements by invading Ukraine in a ‘cunning way’. He compared President Putin to Hitler from World War II. Later on, the Ukrainian government’s official Twitter account also tweeted a photo where President Putin is depicted to be appreciated by Hitler for his invasion of Ukraine.


Photo of Russian President Putin depicted to be appreciated by Hitler for his invasion of Ukraine.
(Image Credit: Ukrainian government's official Twitter account)


During his televised speech the Ukrainian President stated, "From today our countries are on opposing sides of world history. Russia is on the side of evil, but it depends on the Russian people.” He appealed to the people of Russia to make efforts to stop the war by stating, "The people of Russia will have to choose which path each of them takes. Everyone in Russia who has not lost their honor, they have time to come out and protest this war.”

Warsaw (8:15 a.m., Ukraine local time) - Poland urged the NATO alliance to immoderately intervene in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš also urged the NATO members to immediately implement an Article. 4 consultation meeting. NATO Article 4. meeting is called when any of the member states feels its territorial integrity or political independence is in danger.

Kharkiv (12:00 p.m.) - More attacks were heard in the Kharkiv, Odesa, and Mariupol. Ukrainian authorities announced that more than 40 soldiers and 10 civilians have been killed in the attacks. Ukrainian authorities also claimed to have taken down five Russian aircraft and one helicopter, however, Russian authorities denied such claims.

Washington (5:00 p.m., Ukraine local time) - U.S. President Joe Biden condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and warned the Russian President to face consequences for his actions. He stated that “President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering. Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its Allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way. The world will hold Russia accountable.” President Biden carried on to state that the U.S. and its allies have planned out “full-scale” economic sanctions against Russia after its “unprovoked and unjustified” invasion of Ukraine.


Armored personnel carrier of the 92nd separate mechanized brigade of Ukrainian Armed Forces near Klugino-Bashkirivka village, in the Kharkiv region on January 31, 2022. (Image Credit: Sergey Bobok/AFP)


New York (9:00 a.m., Ukraine local time) - The UN security council held an emergency meeting in New York amid the evolving situation. Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Nations Sergiy Kyslytsya directly questioned Russia's representative in his speech. “Your President declared war on Ukraine. You declared the war. It is the responsibility of this body to stop the war.”

Since Russia’s first advancement towards Ukraine, the NATO alliance member states, have been announcing their economic sanctions against Russian companies and individuals. The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced to immediately put a halt to the Nord Stream II project, which is a gas pipeline project to connect Russia and Central Europe.

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