One Month Later — A Brief Day by Day Summary of the War in Ukraine
Today one month ago, Russia’s President Putin began war on Ukraine. In this mere month, a lot has happened. Here’s a brief summary about the first month of war.
Day One: February 24
It was early morning in Moscow when the country’s President Vladimir Putin announced that a “special military operation” was underway in Ukraine with almost 200’000 troops stationed near the border.
In appeal to the Russian leader, Ukrainian’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said, “[I]f the troops launch an attack against us, […] you take away our country, our freedom, our lives and the lives of our children, we will defend ourselves.”
Meanwhile, bombs began to explode in Ukraine.
Day Two: February 25
By the second day, Russian troops have already attacked various cities across Ukraine and partially entered Kyiv. Troops attacked more than 20 points throughout the country, according to Bloomberg.
Already thousands of Ukrainians tried to flee their home towards west amid attacks by Russian troops. U.S. President Joe Biden warned of “a dangerous moment for all of Europe.”
Day Three to Five: February 26–28
As people protested in Russia against the ongoing war, the government began to censor the country when Twitter was banned. In the following weeks, Putin signed a number of laws that restrict free speech of media and people.
Over the weekend of February 26 and 27, Russian troops made slow advance, although a lot happened logistically. That Sunday, Putin declared his nuclear forces to be in “special combat readiness.”
At the same time, Russia and Ukraine agreed to talks near Belarus, which resulted in no difference, except for Belarus providing military help to Russia.
The west meanwhile imposed increasing sanctions against Russia, affecting the country’s leaders, economy and finance.
Concerning was also the mile-long convoy of Russian vehicles that slowly, but steadily, moved toward Kyiv.
Day Six: March 1
Missile strikes hit several points in Ukraine. As war became more brutal, civilians were under increased risk of the unfolding fighting.
In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, Russian missiles hit a governmental building, as well as residential buildings. On the same day, the European Union accepted Ukraine’s wish to enter it.
Day Seven: March 2
One week after the invasion began, the first major capture through Russian troops happened. They seized southern city Kherson, north of the Russian-annexed Crimea.
While thousands of residents lacked basic needs such as clean water, Russian troops surrounded Mariupol and began to attack it. By then, cities in eastern Ukraine were largely destroyed, according to The New York Times.
In Kyiv, thousands of people fled to safety in subway stations where it was safer and warmer than above the ground.
Day Eight to Nine: March 3–4
According to the United Nations, already a million people have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the war. At the same time, more than 200 civilians reportedly died, although the actual number could be much higher.
On March 4, Russia seized the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, Zaporizhzhia, which produces about 20% of electricity in Ukraine. Henceforth, the Russian Rosatom controlled the nuclear power plant.
The humanitarian crisis continued to deteriorate. Shelling by Russian troops hindered officials to evacuate Ukrainian civilians, who barely had access to the basic needs of food, water and medicine.
Day 10 to 12: March 5–7
Despite ceasefire, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported it would resume its offensive in Mariupol, central point to building a “land bridge” in the south.
Civilians who hoped to be evacuated were under renewed fear after Russia broke ceasefire. Putin, in the meantime, warned that Ukraine may lose its statehood if leaders continue to resist the invasion.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said more than 11’000 Russian soldiers died since February 24. On the contrary, Russia said it lost only about 500 soldiers. The number of dead Ukrainian civilians surged to 364, according to the U.N.
Day 13: March 8
The U.S. and U.K. announced that they would stop importing oil from Russia.
European nations that heavily rely on Russian energy sources haven’t taken that step yet, although Germany stopped the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.
Day 14 to 16: March 9–11
In Mariupol, an airstrike hit a maternity and children’s hospital, wounding more than a dozen people. Peace talks in Turkey were without any success, just like the talks in Belarus at the beginning of the war.
However, Russia introduced sanctions against a majority of international countries, while continuing its claims about success in Ukraine. Putin carried on with mocking the Ukrainian government by referring to them as a “gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis.”
Officials in other countries already called Putin a “war criminal.” Now, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said an investigation into Russian war crimes would be necessary.
Day 17: March 12
The Kyiv Independent tweeted that intercepted phone calls showed that Russian troops in Kharkiv were ordered to shoot at civilians, among them children. These records are available online, though not in English.
In Russia, civilians became increasingly angry about their government’s decisions. In anti-war protests across Russia, police detained more than 13’000 people.
The Russian troops in Ukraine have meanwhile captured suburbs of Kyiv, through which numerous civilians died. Russians detained Melitopol’s mayor, who is gone ever since.
Day 18 to 21: March 13 to 16
While eastern Ukraine was the main target of Russia in the beginning, the western parts of the country were also under attack now, just like the capital. A residential building in Kyiv was attacked by a Russian missiles, resulting in one death and six injured people.
By now, 2.8 million people have fled Ukraine, while hundreds of thousands remaining in Ukraine had to live in poor circumstances. By March 13, 636 civilians already lost their lives.
In Mariupol, hundreds of residents searched shelter in a theater. Russian air forces dropped a bomb on exactly this theater.
What moved to the background of the conflict is the fear over a nuclear war. As for the risk of such an outbreak, Ulrich Kühn, a nuclear strategist at the University of Hamburg in Germany, told The New York Times, “The chance for nuclear weapons employment is extremely low. But it’s not zero. It’s real, and it might even increase.”
Day 22 to 25: March 17–20
In Lviv, western Ukraine, a missile hit an aircraft complex, apparently to weaken the country’s air force. Despite this, the British defense intelligence service said that Russia’s advance in the third week was “minimal.”
And yet, a strike on a marine base in Ukraine killed 40 members. In a speech, Biden explicitly called Putin a “war criminal.”
Day 26: March 21
At least eight people died in an attack on a large shopping center in Kyiv. Aside from that, various residential buildings were damaged.
Meanwhile, 80% of Mariupol was declared destroyed with 40% not being able to be restored.
Day 27: March 22
Almost one month into war, more than three million Ukrainians have fled their home, according to the U.N. More concerning is the fact that NATO and U.S. officials told CNN that Belarus could soon join Russia in the war in Ukraine.
Day 28: March 23
As mentioned above, Biden called Putin a war criminal. Now the U.S. released a statement in which they said that Russia committed serious war crimes. In the statement, Antony J. Blinken wrote, “[W]ar crimes had been committed by Putin’s forces in Ukraine. […] [T]he deliberate targeting of civilians is a war crime.
“Today, I can announce that […] the U.S. government assesses that members of Russia’s force have committed war crimes in Ukraine.”
Day 29: March 24
Exactly one month into war, the U.S. announced that it would accept 100’000 refugees from Ukraine. It also said it would impose new sanctions on Russia, other countries of the E.U. did so as well. Meanwhile, Zelenskyi asked for “unlimited military help” by NATO.
Biden wrote in a statement on the demands, “We will continue to support him and his government with significant, and increasing, amounts of security assistance to fight Russian aggression and uphold their right to self-defense.”
