Russian President Putin licensed “special military operations” in japanese Ukraine immediately

Russian forces fired missiles at a number of Ukrainian cities and landed troops on its south coast on Thursday, proper after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorised what he referred to as a particular army operation in japanese Ukraine.

Here is a timeline of the primary occasions in Ukraine’s political historical past because it received independence from Moscow in 1991.

1991: Leonid Kravchuk, chief of the Soviet republic of Ukraine, declares independence from Moscow. In a referendum and presidential election, Ukrainians approve independence and elect Kravchuk president.

1994: Leonid Kuchma beats Kravchuk in a presidential election deemed largely free and honest by observers.

1999: Kuchma is re-elected in a vote riddled with irregularities.

2004: Pro-Russian candidate Viktor Yanukovich is asserted president however allegations of vote-rigging set off protests in what turns into referred to as the Orange Revolution, forcing a re-run of the vote. A professional-Western former prime minister, Viktor Yushchenko, is elected president.

2005: Yushchenko takes energy with guarantees to steer Ukraine out of the Kremlin’s orbit, in direction of NATO and the EU. He appoints former vitality firm boss Yulia Tymoshenko as prime minister however after in-fighting within the pro-Western camp, she is sacked.

2008: NATO guarantees Ukraine it’ll someday be a part of the alliance.

2010: Yanukovich defeats Tymoshenko in a presidential election. Russia and Ukraine clinch a fuel pricing deal in change for extending the lease for the Russian navy in a Ukrainian Black Sea port.

2013: Yanukovich’s authorities suspends commerce and affiliation talks with the EU in November and opts to revive financial ties with Moscow, triggering months of mass rallies in Kyiv.

2014: The protests, largely targeted round Kyiv’s Maidan sq., flip violent. Dozens of protesters are killed.

February 2014: The parliament votes to take away Yanukovich, who flees. Within days, armed males seize parliament within the Ukrainian area of Crimea and lift the Russian flag. Moscow annexes the territory after a March 16 referendum which exhibits overwhelming help in Crimea for becoming a member of the Russian Federation

April 2014: Pro-Russian separatists within the japanese area of Donbass declare independence. Fighting breaks out, which has continued sporadically into 2022, regardless of frequent ceasefires.

May 2014: Businessman Petro Poroshenko wins a presidential election with a pro-Western agenda.

July: 2014: A missile brings down passenger airplane MH17 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 individuals on board. Investigators hint again the weapon used to Russia, which denies involvement.

2017: An affiliation settlement between Ukraine and the EU opens markets totally free commerce of products and companies, and visa-free journey to the EU for Ukrainians.

2019: A brand new Ukrainian Orthodox church wins formal recognition, angering the Kremlin

Former comedian actor Volodymyr Zelenskiy defeats Poroshenko in an April presidential election on guarantees to deal with corruption and finish the conflict in japanese Ukraine. His Servant of the People get together wins a July parliamentary election.

U.S. President Donald Trump asks Zelenskiy in July to research Joe Biden, his rival within the U.S. presidential race, and Biden’s son Hunter over attainable enterprise dealings in Ukraine. The name results in a failed try to impeach Trump.

March 2020: Ukraine goes into its first lockdown to curb COVID-19.

June 2020: The IMF approves a $5 billion lifeline to assist Ukraine stave off default throughout a pandemic-induced recession.

Jan. 2021: Zelenskiy appeals to Biden, now U.S. president, to let Ukraine be a part of NATO.

Feb. 2021: Zelenskiy’s authorities imposes sanctions on Viktor Medvedchuk, an opposition chief and the Kremlin’s most outstanding ally in Ukraine.

Spring 2021: Russia plenty troops close to Ukraine’s borders in what it says are coaching workout routines.

Oct. 2021: Ukraine makes use of a Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drone for the primary time in japanese Ukraine, angering Russia.

Autumn 2021: Russia once more begins massing troops close to Ukraine.

Dec. 7, 2021: Biden warns Russia of sweeping Western financial sanctions if it invades Ukraine.

Dec. 17: Russia presents detailed safety calls for together with a legally binding assure that NATO will hand over any army exercise in japanese Europe and Ukraine.

Jan. 14: A cyberattack warning Ukrainians to “be afraid and expect the worst” hits Ukrainian authorities web sites.

Jan. 17: Russian forces begin arriving in Belarus, to the north of Ukraine, for joint drills.

Jan. 24: NATO places forces on standby and reinforces japanese Europe with extra ships and fighter jets.

Jan. 26: Washington presents a written response to Russia’s safety calls for, repeating a dedication to NATO’s “open-door” coverage whereas providing “pragmatic” discussions of Moscow’s considerations.

Jan. 28: President Vladimir Putin says Russia’s predominant safety calls for haven’t been addressed.

Feb. 2: The United States says it’ll ship 3,000 further troops to Poland and Romania to assist protect NATO allies in japanese Europe from any spillover from the disaster.

Feb. 4: Putin, on the Beijing Winter Olympics, wins Chinese help for his demand that Ukraine not be allowed to affix NATO.

Feb. 7: French President Emmanuel Macron sees some hope for a diplomatic decision of the disaster after assembly Putin within the Kremlin. Macron then visits Kyiv and praises the “sang-froid” of Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian individuals.

Feb. 9: Biden says “things could go crazy quickly” because the U.S. State Department advises Americans in Ukraine to depart instantly. Other nations additionally urge their nationals to depart.

Feb. 14: Zelenskiy urges Ukrainians to fly flags and sing the nationwide anthem in unison on Feb. 16, a date some Western media say Russia might invade.

Feb. 15: Russia says a few of its troops are returning to base after workout routines close to Ukraine and mocks Western warnings a couple of looming invasion. Russia’s parliament asks Putin to recognise as impartial two Russian-backed breakaway areas in japanese Ukraine.

Feb. 18: U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Michael Carpenter says Russia has in all probability massed between 169,000-190,000 personnel in and close to Ukraine.

Feb. 19: Russia’s strategic nuclear forces maintain workout routines overseen by Putin.

Feb. 21: Macron says Biden and Putin have agreed in precept to a summit over Ukraine.

In a televised deal with, Putin says Ukraine is an integral a part of Russian historical past, has by no means had a historical past of real statehood, is managed by overseas powers and has a puppet regime. Putin indicators agreements to recognise breakaway areas in japanese Ukraine as impartial and order Russian troops there.

Feb. 22: U.S., UK and their allies enact sanctions on Russian parliament members, banks and different belongings. Germany halts remaining certification of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that was nonetheless ready for approval.

Putin, in a tv deal with, calls for Ukraine demilitarise and says the Minsk peace settlement over breakaway republics not exists, blaming Kyiv for killing the deal.

Feb. 23: Russian-backed separatist leaders ask Russia for assist in repelling aggression from the Ukrainian military.

Feb. 24: Russian President Putin authorizes “special military operations” in japanese Ukraine and asks Ukrainian forces to put down their arms in a televised deal with. Russian forces start missile and artillery assaults on Ukrainian forces and air bases, placing areas in main cities.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)