Detail - 2022

February 24, 2022 - Full scale invasion of the soveriegn nation of Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian troops entering from the west, north, and south causes mass migration from Ukraine, and propels western nations, including the United States, to send hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian and military aid to the non-NATO country.



It was unknown at the time, but it should have been forecasted. With the Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, at the time of Russia's invasion of Ukraine's Crimea in 2014 alongside President Obama, right after the close of Russia hosting the Winter Olympics, a strong response did not come. Some would comment feckless was their response. Now Biden was President and his response, which should have come as no surprise in 2022. was so weak, that within three years, this attack would prompt the largest war in Europe since World War II. And that is very potent point, and it is horrible to write. Biden did, to his credit, start sanctions against Russian banks and their rich businessmen.

The Russian attack on February 24, 2022, was strong and swift. It had come from many directions; north, west, and south. Yes, there had been signs for weeks that the Russian Government under Vladimir Putin was massing troops on the border, and even within Ukranian territory, i.e. Luhansk and the Donetsk. By land, sea, and air, Putin's troops pushed toward Kyiv, bombing twelve cities, including the capital, Odessa, and Kharkiv, the second largest and closest to their attack region. By sunset, Russian troops had occupied the Chernobyl Nuclear Site. There was every intention to march straight into Kyiv and topple the government; Putin arrogantly called for an immediate surrender. Occupying Chernobyl was not a good sign; Putin had already hinted at nuclear war. At first, military targets and airports were attacked. It would spread to residential neighborhoods and hospitals from Kyiv to Mariupol.

The Ukranian Army was outgunned, but fierce. They strengthened two lines of defense to thwart the initial invasion. On day one, forty Ukranian soldiers were killed. There would be many more on both sides. The United States and NATO, of which Ukraine was not a member and one supposed reason for Putin's invasion was to stop that forever, had already bolstered troops in Poland, Romania, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, but stated there would be no boots on the ground of Ukraine or Russia. Seven thousand more troops were committed to close NATO nations.

There were protests in the streets of Russia against the aggression, but thousands meant nothing in a dictatorship. They were quickly tamped down, with Russia propoganda on state television brainwashing much of the Russian populace into thinking that Ukraine had been an aggressor and must be defeated.

To the rest of the world who knew little about the comedian turned President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he came out strong and visited the front lines often. His references to the media that the invasion invoked a Hitleresk cunning lay down a gauntlett, perhaps overstated, but none the less of equal danger to the citizens of Ukraine. Hundreds of thousands of Ukranian citizens began to flee west toward cities like Lviv; before too long, many of the women and children of the country would go further, as refugees in Poland, Romania, and Austria.

The Homostel airport near Kyiv was attacked by thirty-four Russian helicopters and briefly held; Ukranian troops shot down three and recaptured the airport. In Sumi, Ukraine had one of its best attacks, destroying fifteen Russian tanks with Javelin anti-tank missiles supplied by the United States, although nearby cities were heavily surrounded by Russian forces. Henichevak was captured. The Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant met the same fate. In Kherson to the south, Ukranian forces made a fervent stand.

Responses of World Political Leaders Within Days of Invasion

"We are not putting down arms. We will be defending our country, because our weapon is truth, and our truth is that this is our land, our country, our children, and we will defend all of this," stated President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, adding one day later, when the United States offered him transportation to leave Kyiv. "I need ammunition, not a ride."

"I have decided to conduct a special military operation ... to protect people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide ... for the last eight years. And for this we will strive for the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine. And to bring to court those who committed numerous bloody crimes against civilians, including against citizens of the Russian Federation," Vladimir Putin.

"President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering," U.S. President Joe Biden. "America stands up to bullies. We stand up for freedom. That's who we are. Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war. And now he and his country will bear the consequences."

"You are using a typical Western media question method of using the word "invasion." China is closely monitoring the latest situation. We call on all sides to exercise restraint to prevent the situation from getting out of control," China spokesman Hua Chunying.

"There will be dark days ahead. But Putin will learn the same lesson as Europe's tyrants of the last century: that the resolve of the world is harder than he imagines and the desire for liberty burns stronger than ever. The light will prevail," British politican Kier Starmer.

"(WAR) was unleashed to cover up the robbery of Russian citizens and divert their attention away from the country's internal problems," jailed Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny.

"There is still time for good will, there is still space for negotiation, there is still room to exercise a wisdom that prevent's partisan interests from prevailing, that protects everyone's legitimate aspiractions and spares the world from the folly and horrors of war. We believers do not lose hope for a glimmer of conscience in those who hold the destinies of the world in their hands," Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

"The events of last night mark a turning point in the history of Europe. We will respond to this act without weakness, with cold blood, determination and unity," French President Emmanuel Macron.

"Shorty after 4 o'clock this morning I spoke to President Zelenskyy of Ukraine to offer the continued support of the UK because our worst fears have now come true and all our warnings have proved tragically accurate. President Putin of Russia has unleashed war in our European continent. He has attacked a friendly country without any provocation and without any credible excuse. Innumerable missiles and bombs have been raining down on an entirely innocent population. A vast invasion is underway by sea and by air," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Photo above: Mariupol Hospital Russian bomb damage, 2022, Ukraine Defense Department. Courtesy Wikipedia Commons C.C. 4.0. Photo below: Russian column in Bucha destroyed by Ukranian forces, 2022, Ukrinform TV / Ukrainian Armed Forces. Courtesy Wikipedia Commons C.C. 3.0. Info source: "President Zelenskyy's Most Powerful Speeches: 20 Quotes that Shaped Ukraine's Fight for Freedom," 2024, Audrey MacAlpine, united24media.com; "Russia Invades Ukraine: Political, Military Leader's Reactions," 2022, Reuters.com; "What World Leader Were Saying on February 24, 2022 - Tweets from the Past," 2025, Kyiv Post; "Prime Minister's Address to the Nation on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine: 24 February 2022," 2022, gov.uk; "Day One of Russia's Invasion," 2022, Carole Landry, New York Times; "As It Happened, The First Days of the War, February 22, 2024," 2022, Harvard University; Wikipedia Commons.

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