Russia-Ukraine War 2nd Anniversary: How Did It Start and Other Things To Know About Putin's Invasion

The Russia-Ukraine war officially began on February 24, 2022. This means that Vladimir Putin's full-blown invasion has turned 2 on Saturday, Feb. 24.

But, both of the countries are seemingly in a stalemate as they can't achieve their goal: Russia can't completely invade Ukraine and Ukraine can't get rid of invading Russian forces.

(Photo : Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
A Ukrainian tank drives down a street in the heavily damaged town of Siversk which is situated near the front lines with Russia on January 21, 2023 in Siversk, Ukraine.

To understand why Russia is invading Ukraine, here are the details you need to know about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

How Russia-Ukraine War Began

Before the full-blown invasion even began, Russia and Ukraine were already in conflict more than 70 years ago, as reported by CBC. Ever since the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991, many former member countries became independent, such as Ukraine.

Numerous ex-Soviet Union members turned toward the West since they saw it as more prosperous than the Russian nation. Some of them joined new alliances, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Since 1999, Ukraine and other former Soviet Union members expressed their interest in joining NATO. BBC News stated that in 2014, a major conflict between Russia and Ukraine began after Ukrainians ousted former Ukrainian President Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych, who was aligned with Russia.

Russian Forces Spreading Around Ukraine\

(Photo : Omer Messinger/Getty Images)
A protester holds a banner reading "War Will Not Just End" as activists from the German-Ukrainian group Vitsche protest outside the Chancellery to demand increased military support from Germany to Ukraine on January 6, 2024 in Berlin, Germany.

Russia started growing its military presence around Ukraine, such as in Belarus. In December 2021, tens of thousands of Russian soldiers began hovering on the border between Belarus and Ukraine.

In 2022, Russian forces surrounding Ukraine drastically increased, which escalated fears among civilians. Prior to the invasion, it was reported that Vladimir Putin placed over 200,000 Russian forces on the Ukraine-Belarus border.

On February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin declared a "special military operation" to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine. Although the Russian president claimed that he would not occupy Ukraine by force, numerous countries described his military operations as a full-blown invasion.

Why Russia is Invading Ukraine

Military and political experts stated that there are many reasons why Russia wants to invade Ukraine. These include the following:

Vladimir Putin is worried about Ukraine completely joining NATO.
Some speculate that Putin is just using the invasion as a distraction to maintain the support of Russians.
The Russian government wants to force Ukraine to align itself with Russia.
Vladimir Putin claims that he only wants to strip Ukraine's military power.

Allies of Russia and Ukraine

Russia is prevented from completely invading Ukraine, thanks to other countries that support the European nation. But, the Kremlin is also backed by other nations. Here are the countries that support Ukraine and are in favor of Russia:

Ukraine's Allies