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2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, its neighbour to the southwest, marking the largest escalation of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War that began in 2014.
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who is the current president of Russia, a position he has filled since 2012, and previously from 1999 until 2008. He was also the prime minister from 1999 to 2000, and again from 2008 to 2012. Putin is the second-longest current serving European president after Alexander Lukashenko.
Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (Ukrainian: Володимир Олександрович Зеленський, pronounced [woloˈdɪmɪr olekˈsɑndrowɪdʒ zeˈlɛnʲsʲkɪj]; born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician, former actor and comedian who has been serving as the president of Ukraine since 2019. Zelenskyy grew up in Kryvyi Rih, a Russian-speaking region in southeastern Ukraine.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; French: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between UK, 27 European countries and 2 North American countries. Established in the aftermath of World War II, the organization implements the North Atlantic Treaty that was signed on 4 April 1949.
The Russo-Ukrainian War is an ongoing war primarily involving Russia, Belarus, and pro-Russian forces on one side, and Ukraine on the other. Armed conflict initially began in February 2014 in the wake of Euromaidan, centred on the status of Crimea and parts of the Donbas, which are internationally recognised as part of Ukraine.
Ketanji Brown Jackson (born September 14, 1970) is an American attorney and jurist serving as a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since 2021. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Miami, Florida, Jackson attended Harvard University for college and law school, where she served as an editor on the Harvard Law Review.
Russia (Russian: Россия, tr. Rossiya, pronounced [rɐˈsʲijə]), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world by area, covering over 17,125,191 square kilometres (6,612,073 sq mi), and encompassing one-eighth of Earth's inhabitable landmass.
The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), was a socialist state that spanned Eurasia during its existence from 1922 to 1991. It was nominally a federal union of multiple national republics; in practice its government and economy were highly centralized until its final years.
Kyiv ( KEEV) or Kiev ( KEE-ev; Ukrainian: Київ, romanized: Kyïv, pronounced [ˈkɪjiu̯] (listen)) is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021 its population was 2,962,180 making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.
Anna Sorokin (Russian: Анна Сорокина; born 23 January 1991) is a convicted con artist and fraudster. Between 2013 and 2017, Sorokin pretended to be a wealthy heiress under the name Anna Delvey. In 2017, she was arrested after allegedly defrauding banks, hotels, and acquaintances in the United States for a total of $275,000.
The Ghost of Kyiv (Ukrainian: Привид Києва, romanized: Pryvyd Kyyeva) is an urban legend as the nickname given to an unconfirmed MiG-29 Fulcrum flying ace who is credited with shooting down six Russian planes in the Kyiv Offensive on 24 February 2022. It is unlikely that the Ghost of Kyiv is a real flying ace, but their status was credited as a major morale boost for the Ukrainian population.
Elden Ring is an action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The game, directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, was made in collaboration with fantasy novelist George R. R. Martin, who provided material for the game's setting. Elden Ring was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 25, 2022.
Snake Island, also known as Serpent Island or Zmiinyi Island (Romanian: Insula Șerpilor; Ukrainian: О́стрів Змії́ний, romanized: Ostriv Zmiinyi; Russian: Змеиный, romanized: Zmeinyy), is an island belonging to Ukraine located in the Black Sea, near the Danube Delta, with an important role in delimiting Ukrainian territorial waters.
Lyudmila Aleksandrovna Ocheretnaya (Russian: Людмила Александровна Очеретная, formerly Putina, Путина, pronounced [lʲʊdˈmʲiɫə ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvnə ˈputʲɪnə], née Shkrebneva, Шкребнева; born 6 January 1958) is the former wife of Vladimir Putin, who is the current President and former Prime Minister of Russia.
Russia and Ukraine have had no formal diplomatic relations since 24 February 2022. The Russian Federation and Ukraine are currently in a state of war: the Russo-Ukrainian War began in 2014 following the Russian annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine across a broad front.
Vitali Volodymyrovych Klitschko (; Ukrainian: Віта́лій Володи́мирович Кличко́ [wiˈtɑl⁽ʲ⁾ij woloˈdɪmɪrowɪtʃ klɪtʃˈkɔ]; born 19 July 1971) is a Ukrainian politician and former professional boxer. He currently serves as Mayor of Kyiv and head of the Kyiv City State Administration, having held both offices since June 2014.
2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis
In March and April 2021, Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian military to begin massing thousands of personnel and equipment near its border with Ukraine and in Crimea, representing the largest mobilization since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. This precipitated an international crisis and generated concerns over a potential invasion.
Olena Volodymyrivna Zelenska (née Kiyashko; Ukrainian: Олена Володимирівна Зеленська (Кіяшко); born 6 February 1978) is a Ukrainian architect, screenwriter, and the current First Lady of Ukraine. Her husband, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is the president of Ukraine. In December 2019, Zelenska was included in the list of the 100 most influential Ukrainians by Focus magazine, taking 30th place.
Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko (Ukrainian: Петро́ Олексі́йович Пороше́нко, pronounced [peˈtrɔ olekˈs⁽ʲ⁾ijowɪtʃ poroˈʃɛnko]; born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as President of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2009 to 2010, and as the Minister of Trade and Economic Development in 2012.
Relations between Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) started in 1992. Ukraine applied to begin a NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) in 2008. Plans for NATO membership were shelved by Ukraine following the 2010 presidential election in which Viktor Yanukovych, who preferred to keep the country non-aligned, was elected President.
Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation
In February and March 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. This event took place in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity and is part of the wider Russo-Ukrainian conflict.
Casualties of the Russo-Ukrainian War
Casualties in the Russo-Ukrainian War included six deaths during the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, and thousands of deaths of civilians and military forces during the war in Donbas and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical third worldwide large-scale military conflict after World War I and World War II. The term has been in use since at least as early as 1941. Some apply it loosely to limited or more minor conflicts such as the Cold War or the War on Terror.
Azov Special Operations Detachment (Ukrainian: Окремий загін спеціального призначення «Азов», romanized: Okremyi zahin spetsialnoho pryznachennia "Azov"), often known as Azov Detachment, Azov Regiment (Ukrainian: Полк Азов, romanized: Polk Azov), or Azov Battalion (until September 2014), is a right-wing extremist and neo-Nazi Ukrainian National Guard unit, based in Mariupol, in the Azov Sea coastal region.
Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, and historically Byelorussia, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Covering an area of 207,600 square kilometres (80,200 sq mi) and with a population of 9.
Cleopatra VII Philopator (Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ; 69 BC – 10 August 30 BC) was queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler. A member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, she was a descendant of its founder Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian Greek general and companion of Alexander the Great.
List of military engagements during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
This is a list of military engagements during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine encompassing land, naval, and air engagements as well as campaigns, operations, defensive lines and sieges. Campaigns generally refer to broader strategic operations conducted over a large territory and over a long period.
List of states with nuclear weapons
Eight sovereign states have publicly announced successful detonation of nuclear weapons. Five are considered to be nuclear-weapon states (NWS) under the terms of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). In order of acquisition of nuclear weapons these are the United States, the Soviet Union (now Russia), the United Kingdom, France, and China.
Gangubai Kathiawadi is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language biographical crime drama film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and produced by Jayantilal Gada and Bhansali. The film stars Alia Bhatt as the titular character while Shantanu Maheshwari, Vijay Raaz, Indira Tiwari and Seema Pahwa play pivotal roles with Ajay Devgn featuring in an extended cameo appearance.
The following notable deaths occurred in 2022. Names are reported under the date of death, in alphabetical order. A typical entry reports information in the following sequence: Name, age, country of citizenship at birth, subsequent nationality (if applicable), what subject was noted for, cause of death (if known), and reference.
The Russo-Georgian War was a war between Georgia, Russia and the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The war took place in August 2008 following a period of worsening relations between Russia and Georgia, both formerly constituent republics of the Soviet Union. The fighting took place in the strategically important Transcaucasia region.
Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (Ukrainian: Віктор Федорович Янукович, pronounced [ˈwiktor ˈfɛdorowɪtʃ jɐnʊˈkɔwɪtʃ] (listen); Russian: Виктор Фёдорович Янукович; born 9 July 1950) is a Ukrainian politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 until he was removed from office in the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution.
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (Russian: Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, IPA: [ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf]; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician serving as deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev served as president from 2008 to 2012 and as prime minister from 2012 to 2020. Medvedev was elected president in the 2008 election.
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (also transliterated as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka; born 31 August 1954) is a Belarusian politician who has been serving as the president of Belarus since the establishment of the office on 20 July 1994, making him the longest serving and longest current serving European president.
The Battle of Chernobyl was a military confrontation in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone between the Russian Armed Forces and the Ukrainian Armed Forces, starting on 24 February 2022, during the first day of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian forces, who invaded from the country of Belarus, seized the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant area by the end of that day.
The Battle of Antonov Airport, also known as the Battle of Hostomel Airport, was a battle which took place on 24 and 25 February 2022, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Two waves of Russian forces attacked Antonov Airport in Hostomel. The first wave, consisting of Russian paratroopers, landed on 24 February and briefly occupied the airport before being defeated.
The Bible (from Koine Greek τὰ βιβλία, tà biblía, 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other faiths. It appears in the form of an anthology, a compilation of texts of a variety of forms, originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek.
Valimai (transl. Strength) is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by H. Vinoth, and produced by Boney Kapoor under Bayview Projects LLP in collaboration with Zee Studios, as co-producer and distributor. The film stars Ajith Kumar, Karthikeya, Huma Qureshi and Gurbani Judge. The film score is composed by Ghibran and the songs are composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja.
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP), (Ukrainian: Чернобыльская АЭС, romanized: Chernobyl'skaya AES, lit. 'Chernobyl nuclear power plant') officially the Vladimir Lenin Nuclear Power Plant, is a closed nuclear power plant located near the abandoned city of Pripyat in northern Ukraine (Currently held by Russia), 16.
The Revolution of Dignity (Ukrainian: Революція гідності, romanized: Revoliutsiia hidnosti), also known as the Maidan revolution (Ukrainian: Українська революція 2013–2014 років, romanized: Ukrainska revoliutsiia 2013–2014 rokiv), took place in Ukraine in February 2014 at the end of the Euromaidan protests, when a series of violent events involving protesters, riot police, and unknown shooters in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv culminated in the ousting of elected president Viktor Yanukovych and the overthrow of the Ukrainian government.
Timeline of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
This timeline is a dynamic and fluid list, and as such may never satisfy criteria of completeness. Furthermore, please note that some events may only be fully understood and/or discovered in retrospect.
The Ukrainian Air Force (Ukrainian: Повітряні Сили України, romanized: Povitryani Syly Ukrayiny) is a part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force headquarters is located in the city of Vinnytsia. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, many aircraft were left on Ukrainian territory.
Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances
The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances refers to three identical political agreements signed at the OSCE conference in Budapest, Hungary on 5 December 1994 to provide security assurances by its signatories relating to the accession of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
The Donbas or Donbass (UK: , US: ; Ukrainian: Донба́с [donˈbɑs]; Russian: Донба́сс [dɑnˈbɑs]) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in south-eastern Ukraine, some of whose territory is occupied by separatist groups in the course of the Russo-Ukrainian War: the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic.
Bheemla Nayak is a 2022 Indian Telugu-language action drama film directed by Saagar K Chandra from a screenplay written by Trivikram Srinivas. It is a remake of the 2020 Malayalam film Ayyappanum Koshiyum by Sachy. Produced by Suryadevara Naga Vamsi of Sithara Entertainments, the film stars Pawan Kalyan, Rana Daggubati, Nithya Menen and Samyuktha Menon.
The Donetsk People's Republic (DPR or DNR; Russian: Донецкая Народная Республика, tr. Donetskaya Narodnaya Respublika, IPA: [dɐˈnʲetskəjə nɐˈrodnəjə rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə]) is a self-proclaimed breakaway state located in Ukraine, formed on 7 April 2014. The capital city and largest city within the DPR is Donetsk.
The post-Soviet states, also known as the former Soviet Union (FSU), the former Soviet Republics and in Russia as the near abroad (Russian: ближнее зарубежье, romanized: blizhneye zarubezhye), are the 15 sovereign states that were union republics of the Soviet Union; that emerged and re-emerged from the Soviet Union following its dissolution in 1991.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly known as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of the Russian Federation. They are divided into the Ground Forces, Navy, and Aerospace Forces. There are also two independent arms of service: Strategic Rocket Forces and the Airborne Troops.
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union (1988–1991) was the process of internal political, economic and ethnic disintegration within the USSR which resulted in the end of its existence as a sovereign state. It was an unintended result of General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev's effort to reform the Soviet political and economic system, in an attempt to end the "Era of Stagnation".
Moldova ( (listen), sometimes UK: ; Romanian pronunciation: [molˈdova]), officially the Republic of Moldova (Romanian: Republica Moldova), is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. Additionally, the unrecognised state of Transnistria lies across the Dniester on the country's eastern border with Ukraine.
Euphoria is an American teen drama television series created and written by Sam Levinson for HBO. It is loosely based on the Israeli television miniseries of the same name created by Ron Leshem and Daphna Levin. The series follows a group of high school students through their experiences of identity, trauma, drugs, friendships, love, and sex.
Inventing Anna is an American drama streaming television miniseries created and produced by Shonda Rhimes, inspired by the story of Anna Sorokin and the article in New York titled "How Anna Delvey Tricked New York's Party People" by Jessica Pressler. The series was released on Netflix on February 11, 2022. Julia Garner stars as Anna Sorokin, the title character.
Religion in Ukraine is diverse, with a majority of the population adhering to Christianity. A 2018 survey conducted by the Razumkov Centre found that 71. 7% of the population declared themselves believers. About 67. 3% of the population declared adherence to one or another strand of Orthodox Christianity (28. 7% of the Kyiv Patriarchate, 23.
NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) maintains foreign relations with many non-member countries across the globe. NATO runs a number of programs which provide a framework for the partnerships between itself and these non-member nations, typically based on that country's location. These include the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and the Partnership for Peace.
Georgia (საქართველო, Sakartvelo; IPA: [sɑkʰɑrtʰvɛlɔ] (listen)), officially the Republic of Georgia from 1990 to 1995, is a transcontinental country located in the Caucasus, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north and east by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan.
The Moscow Kremlin (Russian: Московский Кремль, tr. Moskovskiy Kreml', IPA: [mɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ]), or simply the Kremlin, is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by Russian ruling dynasty of Rurikids. It is the best known of the kremlins (Russian citadels), and includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers.
The FGM-148 Javelin is an American man-portable fire-and-forget anti-tank missile fielded to replace the M47 Dragon anti-tank missile in US service. It uses automatic infrared guidance that allows the user to seek cover immediately after launch, as opposed to wire-guided systems, like the Dragon, which require the user to guide the weapon throughout the engagement.
World War I, often abbreviated as WWI or WW1, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was an international conflict that began on 28 July 1914 and ended on 11 November 1918. It involved much of Europe, as well as Russia, the United States and Turkey, and was also fought in the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia.
Vikings: Valhalla is a historical drama streaming television series created by Jeb Stuart for Netflix. It is a sequel to the History's Vikings, filmed in County Wicklow, Ireland. Set one hundred years after the events of Vikings, the series chronicles the beginning of the end of the Viking Age, marked by Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066.
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (18 December [O.S. 6 December] 1878 – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who governed the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death in 1953. He held power both as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922–1952) and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (1941–1953).
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually considered to be five or more. The concept of the "ace" emerged in 1915 during World War I, at the same time as aerial dogfighting.
Prior to 1991, Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union and had Soviet nuclear weapons in its territory. On December 1, 1991, Ukraine, the second most powerful republic in the Soviet Union (USSR), voted overwhelmingly for independence, which ended any realistic chance of the Soviet Union staying together even on a limited scale.
Ye ( YAY; born Kanye Omari West; June 8, 1977), commonly known as Kanye West ( KAHN-yay), is an American rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the early 2000s, producing singles for several artists and developing the "chipmunk soul" sampling style.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territories, 326 Indian reservations, and nine minor outlying islands. At nearly 3. 8 million square miles (9.