Russia closes airspace over St Petersburg airport. Check reason

February 2022

On February 24, Putin orders tens of thousands of Russian troops to enter Ukraine from the north, east, and south as part of what he calls a “special military operation.” Russian forces advance on Kyiv, hoping for an immediate victory, but are ultimately compelled to leave.

​February 24: Antonov airport battle: The Russians’ first significant victory was the seizure of the Antonov airfield, a significant cargo airport located just north of Kyiv. But things didn’t turn out the way Moscow had hoped.

Russian soldiers were surrounded inside the airport and had no chance to quickly call in reinforcements. The airport was so badly damaged by the time Ukrainian troops left the area that Russia was unable to use it for supply. During the conflict, the Antonov An-225, the largest plane in the world, was damaged.

​March 2022​

In the first 24 hours following the military assault, at least 100,000 people, according to the UNHCR, had left their homes. People waited days in line in thousands of cars at the borders to enter Poland. A wide range of agricultural exports are prohibited by Ukraine’s government as the conflict worsens the world food crisis. In March, global food prices reach a new high.

March 6: Evacuation of the Irpin Bridge: Evacuations were challenging because the main bridge over the Irpin River was destroyed by Ukrainians in an effort to stop a Russian advance. The Ukrainian authorities claim that hundreds of civilians lost their lives while trying to flee.

March 9: Attack on the Mariupol maternity hospital

A Russian missile struck a maternity hospital in Mariupol, a city in Ukraine’s southeast. Russia agreed to a 12-hour suspension of hostilities to allow refugees to flee, but the attack still took place.

March 16: Bombing of the Mariupol theatre

One of Russia’s most heinous acts against civilians was the bombing of the Drama Theater in Mariupol. According to Ukrainian officials, 1,300 people were taking refuge in the theatre in the middle of the city, which had been under invasion for weeks at that point. Authorities estimated that day’s death toll at 300.

April 2022

In a missile attack on a train station in Kramatorsk, dozens of people end up dying. It was crowded with elderly, children, and women who were attempting to flee the fighting.

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April 14: Sailing ship Moskva sunk: According to Ukraine, it fired anti-ship cruise missiles at the Moskva, causing a fire that set ammunition on storage ablaze. Russia laid the blame on an unidentified fire. Whatever the cause, Russia suffered its biggest wartime naval ship loss in forty years with the loss of the guided-missile cruiser.

May 2022

May 17: Defenders of the Mariupol Steel Plant: The expansive Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol became yet another representation of Ukrainian resistance against a much more powerful foe. Before finally giving up in May, the plant’s defenders withstood weeks of relentless Russian bombardment. According to Ukrainian officials, the fighters’ tenacious defence of the complex had stalled Russian forces and stopped them from capturing the farther-western city of Zaporizhzhia.

June 2022

At least 16 people are killed when Russian missiles strike a crowded mall in the city of Kremenchuk. Additional financing totaling $1.49 billion was approved by the World Bank to assist in covering public sector employees’ salaries. The European Union’s decision to phase out Russian oil in part, according to Russia, was likely to cause instability in the world’s energy markets and was a “self-destructive” move. By the end of the year, EU leaders have agreed in principle to reduce their reliance on Russian oil by 90%.