Putin launched his invasion as a blitzkrieg that still seems unending a year later.
Euskaraz irakurri: Inbasioak lehen urteurrena bete du, Errusiaren erasoaldi handi baten susmoen artean
The Russian invasion of Ukraine This Friday, February 24, marks its first anniversary with the epicenter of battles in the Donetsk region and amid suspicions of an imminent new major offensive by Russia.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces have been able to recapture areas in several regions in the east and south of the country in recent months. waiting to receive the Leopard tanks of his allies.
Since the beginning of the fight more than 8,000 civilians were killed in Ukraine, according to the UN Human Rights Office, which also reports some 13,287 civilian injuries.
Video: Ane Irazabal reports the night of February 23, 2022 on suspicions of an imminent start of the Russian invasion. These suspicions came true just hours later, on the morning of the 24th.
The offensive, which Russian President Vladimir Putin called a “special military operation”, It was planned as a blitzkrieg which aimed to take all of Donbas and advance to the capital Kyiv within a few days to remove Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky from power.
However, Ukraine’s military response and its Western allies’ support for Kiev has frustrated the expectations of the Russian leadership, which has seen its army suffer heavy casualties and have relied heavily on a bombing strategy. of progress on the ground.
The invasion began with a massive offensive by land, sea and air attacking more than a dozen cities, including the Kiev area, with a landing in the city of Odessa and with Russian troops crossing the border at several points. .
Within hours of the invasion, Russian forces seized the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, while troops deployed to the 2014-annexed Crimean peninsula entered Ukrainian territory from the south. In the last days of February 2022, Russian forces turned their attention to Kiev, prompting Ukrainian authorities to call on citizens to arm themselves to fight “the occupiers”.
For example, Russian troops managed to capture areas in the south, in the Kherson and Melitopol regions, as well as in Kharkov, Chernigov and the Kiev region, while progress was made in the Donbas region. However, this advance was slowed by the resistance of the Ukrainian armed forces, reinforced by the mobilization decrees signed by Zelensky.
The Ukrainian army began to mount a series of territorial advances from July, taking advantage of the concentration of Russian troops in the Donbas, and recaptured areas through offensives on several fronts east of the Dnipro River. The advance allowed Ukrainian forces to push Russia away from Mykolaiv and push the troops from Moscow to Kherson, while also succeeding in liberating several areas in the Kharkov region.
While the situation remained in this dynamic throughout the summer, September marked the collapse of the Russian frontline due to a surprise offensive that led Russia to withdraw from the city of Izium, which was recaptured by Ukraine on 10 September. authority over almost the entire Kharkov region.
Putin, for his part, replied with a “partial mobilization” for the losses on the battlefield and the annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia.
Despite this, Ukrainian forces took the strategically important city of Liman on 1 October and accelerated their advance into the south of the country, a two-front counter-offensive that eased Russian pressure on these parts of the country.
Adding to these setbacks was Russia’s announcement that it was withdrawing to the left bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson, allowing Ukraine to recapture part of the city, which had been a key point in Russia’s efforts to capture the country’s southern coast. to unite.
With the arrival of winter, the front lines remained relatively static, in a trench warfare that has led scholars to draw parallels to World War I.
However, Russia has made progress in recent weeksincluding the capture of the city of Soledar in January and an approach to Bakhmut.
The offensive, backed by mercenaries from the Wagner Group, has prompted Ukraine to order the immediate evacuation of Bakhmut, fearing another large-scale offensive by Russia to coincide with the first anniversary of the war.
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Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
