On 24 February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the commencement of a so-called "special military operation" in Ukraine, ostensibly to "demilitarise" the nation.
However, moments after his announcement, Russia unleashed a full-scale invasion by land, air, and sea, with pre-dawn bombardments targeting multiple Ukrainian cities.
The assault, unprovoked and unprecedented in scale, shattered decades of European stability and plunged the region into a brutal conflict, marking the beginning of a war that would have profound geopolitical consequences.
