THE RUSSIAN INVASION of Ukraine was launched one week ago.
In the days since, things have changed incredibly quickly, with huge amounts of information on the war being spread on social media.
With the fog of war, it can be difficult to pin down what exactly is happening each day. Not only are we getting essential reports on the ground from civilians, we’re also seeing some misinformation around events taking place.
There are some clear-cut events, like the Russian missile strike on the Kyiv TV tower, with multiple video sources and reporters on the ground.
The vast amount of information has made things difficult to parse – so here’s a look back at what happened during the first week of the invasion.
Day 1: 24 February
In the early hours of 24 February, just before 3am Irish time, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would be beginning a “special military operation” into Ukraine, and officially launched the invasion.
Moments after Putin’s televised address, explosions began to be heard within Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv, as Russia began missile strikes on the country’s infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had addressed Russian people several hours before the war began, appealed for Ukrainian citizens to stay at home and announced that martial law was had been brought in.
Russian troops began to move across the border of Ukraine from Belarus, where joint military exercises were held between Russia and Belarus just days before, with fierce fighting breaking out in the Chernobyl exclusion zone.
Russian forces began attacks on key Ukrainian military infrastructure, like airports and military depots, with paratroopers moving in to capture the Gostomel airport on the outskirts of Kyiv.
In an address, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine will begin arming civilians who wish to fight against the invading force, offering assault rifles to citizens.
As fighting was beginning in Ukraine, world leaders began to condemn the invasion and called for sanctions against Russia for the attack.
US President Joe Biden, in an address, said that there would be “consequences for Russia”, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for sanctions against Russia.
With fighting breaking out, Ukrainians began to flee the country towards western Europe, heading to countries like Poland, Hungary and Moldova.
It is estimated that over 100,000 people fled their homes in the first day of fighting.
As the day continued, Russian forces continued their push to capture Chernobyl, with Ukrainian officials confirming that they had taken control of the nuclear power plant which caused the disaster in 1986.
Anti-war protests began to break out in parts of Russia, with over 1,000 people being arrested in both Moscow and St Petersburg.
Late into the night, European leaders attended a European Council meeting to decide on sanctions to be deployed against Russia.
Sanctions include restrictions to the Russian financial, energy and transport sector as well as sanctions on individual Russian oligarchs, however there was criticism that they did not go far enough.
Similar sanctions were also brought in by the US, the UK and Canada, with Russian banks and sovereign debt being targeted.
Day 2: 25 February
Overnight, Zelenskyy signed a decree announcing a general mobilisation of the country’s military, with both reservists and conscripts being called up to fight.
Ukrainian men between the age of 16 and 60 are now being called up to fight and are no longer allowed to leave the country, with officials announcing that over 18,000 assault rifles were provided to civilians so far.
Zelenskyy announced that 137 Ukrainian citizens, both military and civilian, had been killed in the first day of fighting.
There were reports of gun battles and shelling in Kyiv and Kharkiv, with attacks also being noted in Kherson. A widespread shelling of cities by Russian artillery was reported.
In particular, there were clashes between the two armies north of Kyiv in the Chernihiv area.
NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg said that the Ukrainian military were putting up a fight against the Russians and that they were damaging them.
Throughout the day, Zelenskyy remainee in Kyiv despite the attacks, and warned of Russian saboteurs entering the capital city to attempt an assassination and depose him as the head of state.
That evening, he posted a video with his aides and members of his government pledging to remain in Kyiv and continue to fight back against the Russian forces.
Ukrainian forces also reported retaking the Gostomel airport outside Kyiv.
With the capture of the Chernobyl exclusion zone by the Russian military, the Ukrainian State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate said that there had been a higher than usual level of gamma radiation detected in the area.
In Europe, a second round of sanctions was announced by von der Leyen targeting 70% of Russian banks as well as the energy sector. A ban on the sale of aircraft to Russia was also announced, alongside access to technology like semiconductors as well as visas for diplomats.
A UN Security Council motion to force Russian troops to leave Ukraine was vetoed by Russia.
As the day moved on, Putin said that he was willing to send a delegation to Minsk in Belarus to initiate negotiations with Ukraine, however the Ukrainian side called for talks to be held in Poland.
At the Polish border, the government announced that the border will remain open for all Ukrainians even those who do not have any documentation.
Protests against the war in cities worldwide also continued to grow.
Day 3: 26 February
In the early hours of the morning, Ukrainian soldiers stopped a Russian attack in Kyiv as they battled against armoured units in two areas north of Kyiv.
Overnight, missile strikes hit Kyiv, with one hitting an apartment block, while Russia maintained that they were focusing on hitting Ukrainian military infrastructure.
The Ukrainian health minister said that 198 civilians had been killed so far in the conflict, including three children.
Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba called for other nations to further isolate Russia, including expelling the Russian ambassador, which Ireland and other European nations refused to do.
The UN estimated that over 120,000 refugees had left Ukraine since the attacks began.
Talks about further sanctions also began, with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi informing Zelenskyy that he is in favour of disconnecting Russia from the SWIFT banking system, which would have significant ramifications for Russian banks.
Zelenskyy backed the move, urging both Germany and Hungary – the remaining opposition – to support other European countries to remove Russia from the system.
The curfew in Kyiv was also tightened, due to continued concerns around Russian saboteurs within the city.
European countries also began sending military support to Ukraine, including Germany, who had long-standing policies of banning weapon exports to conflict zones.
Anti-tank rocket launchers, armoured vehicles and fuel were all set to be supplied to Ukraine following pleas from the country in previous days.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the invasion itself was a turning point in history and said that it was Germany’s duty to stand behind Ukraine.
Day 4: 27 February
Following calls from European countries and Ukraine, the EU, US and the UK all pledged to remove selected Russian banks from the SWIFT banking system as well as “restrictive measures” on the Russian central bank as part of a third round of sanctions.
As measures were planned, the Russian rouble continued to fall against the current sanctions.
However, the disconnection from SWIFT was not the biggest development in Europe, with the EU deciding to shatter the bloc’s norms and supply half a billion euro worth of weapons to Ukraine.
“For the first time ever, the European Union will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and other equipment to a country that is under attack. This is a watershed moment,” said von der Leyen following the announcement.
Ireland said that it would not be among the countries sending lethal aid like guns and anti-tank missiles, but that it would be supplying aid like fuel and medicine.
However, despite additional sanctions, Russia further escalated tensions by putting its nuclear forces on high alert.
In Ukraine itself, fighting continued with Russian troops entering into the city of Kharkiv, while Moscow claimed to have besieged the city of Kherson beside the Black Sea.
Zelenskyy said that the bombing of Ukrainian cities was “brutal” and that Russian forces were bombing civilian areas and infrastructure.
He also said that Ukraine had submitted an application against Russia to the International Court of Justice in The Hague for “manipulating the notion of genocide to justify aggression”.
Day 5: 28 February
On Monday,the first round of talks between Ukraine and Russia began on the Belarus-Ukraine border. However, there was no breakthrough and talks ended without a resolution, despite a promise of another round of talks to follow.
Later that day, Zelensky, alongside the Ukrainian Prime Minister and Chair of the Ukrainian Parliament, signed an application for Ukraine to formally join the EU, seeking an expedited joining process due to the invasion.
While there was backing for Ukraine to join the EU – including from Taoiseach Micheál Martin and multiple eastern European states – there were concerns raised by EU officials who said that it is not possible to expedite and that the joining process will take years.
The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine reached over 500,000, according to the UN refugee agency.
The UN, for the first time in decades, organised an emergency session of the General Assembly to hear statements on the invasion, with the Ukrainian Ambassador saying that Russia and Belarus alone are responsible for the war.
Bombings in cities like Kyiv and Kharkiv continued, with multiple air raid warnings forcing civilians into shelters.
The International Criminal Court officially opened an investigation into the alleged war crimes committed in Ukraine by Russia, with prosecutor AA Khan saying that he was satisfied that there was a “reasonable basis to believe that both alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in Ukraine”.
Russian teams were also officially kicked out of the 2022 World Cup and all other international football competitions by both FIFA and UEFA.
Day 6: 1 March
As Russian forces continued their advance into Ukraine, a massive convoy of military vehicles was spotted via satellite on its way towards Kyiv.
Intensive shelling on Kharkiv also continued, leaving ten people killed, with rockets hitting a large central square and an administrative building in the centre of the city.
In an impassioned address to the European Parliament, Zelenskyy called on the EU to further support Ukraine following the attack on Kharkiv, with his translator being unable to contain his emotion during his speech.
We have proven our strength. We have proven that, as a minimum, we are exactly the same as you. So, prove that you are with us. Prove that you will not let us go. Prove that you indeed are Europeans. And then life will win over. And light will win over darkness. Glory be to Ukraine.
There were missile strikes against the TV Tower in Kyiv, killing five people amd stopping Ukrainian channels from broadcasting.
Updated reports from Ukraine said that there were 352 civilians killed, including 14 children.
There were also reports of more than 70 Ukrainian soldiers being killed after a Russian strike on a missile base in Okhtyrka, a city between Kyiv and Kharkiv.
In Europe, a motion that aimed to fast track Ukraine’s application to join the EU was passed by 676 MEP’s with 26 abstaining and 13 voting against.
Day 7: 2 March
On the seventh day of fighting, Russian airborne troops landed in Kharkiv to reignite a battle with Ukrainian forces, as Russian checkpoints began to surround the city of Kherson.
There were reports that over 100 people were injured in a fire in Mariupol, a port city on the Sea of Azov, according to mayor Igor Kolykhayev, while Russian airstrikes destroyed two residential buildings in Borodyanka, a town 50 kilometres from Kyiv.
As attacks continued by Russian forces, concerns began to be raised by Ukrainian officials about Belarusian troops gathered in areas close to the Ukrainian border.
In a video message, Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, hit out at Russians who labelled his regime as “Nazism” and urged the world’s Jews to speak out against the war following a missile attack on a Holocaust memorial in Kyiv.
In his State of the Union speech, US President Joe Biden branded Putin a dictator as he announced that all Russian aircraft will not be permitted to enter American airspace.
Later in the day, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted on a resolution to condemn Russia and demanded the removal of troops from Ukraine immediately.
Over 875,000 refugees are reported as having left Ukraine since the war began, according to the United Nations.
As part of measures to assist those fleeing from Ukraine, the EU announced that Ukrainians would become eligible to stay and work in the bloc for an initial two years.
This bring things back up to today, where Russian forces have announced that they have captured the city of Kherson, and a second round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia is underway.
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