Russia's war on Ukraine, 2014–2026: who holds what

Timeline

Layers

Russia · Ukraine · Russian-occupied Ukraine · Ukrainian-held Russia (Kursk incursion)

Events

• 18 Feb 2014, Euromaidan shootings in Kyiv: Snipers and police kill about 100 protesters in the Revolution of Dignity's deadliest days; Yanukovych flees on 22 Feb.
• 27 Feb 2014, Russia seizes Crimea: Unmarked Russian troops take the Crimean parliament and key sites in Simferopol, starting the occupation of the peninsula.
• 16 Mar 2014, Crimea 'referendum' and annexation: Sham referendum held 16 March under occupation; Russia formally annexes Crimea on 18 March. Not recognised internationally.
• 12 Apr 2014, Sloviansk seized by Girkin's militants: Russian-led armed group takes Sloviansk, opening the war in Donbas; Ukraine retakes it on 5 July 2014.
• 11 May 2014, Donetsk and Luhansk 'referendums': Separatist-run votes on 11 May declare 'people's republics'; not recognised by Ukraine or the West.
• 26 May 2014, Battle of Donetsk Airport: Months-long fight for the airport; Ukrainian 'cyborg' defenders hold until the terminal collapses in January 2015.
• 17 Jul 2014, MH17 shot down over Donbas: Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 is downed by a Russian-supplied Buk missile near Hrabove, killing 298.
• 7 Aug 2014, Battle of Ilovaisk: Ukrainian volunteer battalions encircled after Russian regular troops intervene; heavy losses in the retreat corridor on 29 Aug.
• 22 Jan 2015, Battle of Debaltseve: Russian-backed forces encircle and capture the Debaltseve salient despite the Minsk II ceasefire.
• 12 Feb 2015, Minsk II agreement: Ceasefire and political roadmap signed by Ukraine, Russia, DNR/LNR in Minsk; never fully implemented.
• 24 Feb 2022, Siege of Mariupol: Russia besieges Mariupol; the Azovstal steelworks defenders are evacuated on 16-20 May, ending the siege.
• 24 Feb 2022, Battle of Kyiv: Russian advance on Kyiv from the north is stalled and defeated; Russia withdraws from the Kyiv region by 2 April.
• 24 Feb 2022, Battle of Hostomel Airport: Russian VDV airborne assault on the airport is beaten back on 24-25 Feb, derailing the plan to take Kyiv by coup de main.
• 24 Feb 2022, Full-scale invasion begins: Russia launches a multi-front invasion of Ukraine from Russia, Belarus and Crimea.
• 2 Mar 2022, Kherson captured: First major city to fall: Russian forces take Kherson in early March 2022.
• 4 Mar 2022, Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant seized: Russian troops take Europe's largest nuclear plant at Enerhodar after shelling and a fire at a reactor building.
• 29 Mar 2022, Istanbul peace talks: Ukraine and Russia hold direct talks in Istanbul; Ukraine proposes neutrality with guarantees. Talks collapse after Bucha.
• 2 Apr 2022, Bucha liberated, massacre revealed: Russian withdrawal from Kyiv Oblast exposes mass killings of civilians in Bucha.
• 8 Apr 2022, Kramatorsk station missile strike: Russian Tochka-U missile hits evacuees at Kramatorsk railway station, killing about 60.
• 6 May 2022, Battle of Sievierodonetsk: Russia takes Sievierodonetsk after weeks of street fighting; Lysychansk falls on 3 July, completing the Luhansk Oblast conquest.
• 30 Jun 2022, Snake Island recaptured: Russian garrison withdraws from Snake Island after Ukrainian strikes, easing pressure on Odesa.
• 1 Aug 2022, Battle of Bakhmut: Longest and bloodiest battle of the war; Wagner Group takes the ruined city, Russia declares it captured on 20 May 2023.
• 29 Aug 2022, Kherson counteroffensive: Ukraine pushes across the Dnipro's west bank; Russia withdraws from Kherson city on 11 Nov.
• 6 Sep 2022, Kharkiv counteroffensive: Surprise offensive retakes Balakliia, Izium, Kupiansk and over 500 settlements in days.
• 23 Sep 2022, Annexation 'referendums': Sham votes in occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, 23-27 Sept; Putin signs annexation treaties on 30 Sept.
• 1 Oct 2022, Lyman liberated: Ukrainian forces retake Lyman after encircling it, a major gain on the eastern front.
• 8 Oct 2022, Crimean Bridge explosion: Truck bomb damages the Kerch Strait bridge; Russia answers with mass missile strikes on Ukrainian cities from 10 Oct.
• 11 Nov 2022, Kherson city liberated: Ukrainian troops enter Kherson after Russia withdraws from the Dnipro's west bank.
• 4 Jun 2023, Ukrainian counteroffensive in Zaporizhzhia: 2023 summer offensive; Ukraine retakes Robotyne on 28 Aug but fails to break the Surovikin Line.
• 6 Jun 2023, Kakhovka dam destroyed: The Kakhovka dam is breached, flooding the lower Dnipro; Ukraine blames Russia.
• 23 Jun 2023, Wagner mutiny: Prigozhin's Wagner Group seizes Rostov-on-Don and marches toward Moscow before standing down on 24 June.
• 10 Oct 2023, Fall of Avdiivka: Russia takes Avdiivka after a four-month assault; Ukraine withdraws on 17 Feb 2024.
• 10 May 2024, Kharkiv offensive: Russia opens a new northern front and takes Vovchansk after a months-long fight.
• 19 Jul 2024, Pokrovsk offensive: Russian drive on Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad begins after Prohres falls; ISW confirms Russian control of Pokrovsk on 25 Feb 2026.
• 6 Aug 2024, Kursk incursion: Ukrainian forces cross into Russia's Kursk Oblast on 6 Aug 2024 and take Sudzha; Russia declares the oblast cleared on 26 Apr 2025.
• 1 Oct 2024, Vuhledar captured: Russia takes Vuhledar after a two-year fight, as Ukraine withdraws on 1 Oct 2024.
• 21 Nov 2024, Oreshnik missile strike on Dnipro: Russia fires its experimental intermediate-range Oreshnik missile at Dnipro.
• 6 Jan 2025, Kurakhove captured: Russia takes Kurakhove, opening the way toward Velykomykhailivka and the Dnipropetrovsk border.
• 12 Mar 2025, Ukraine leaves Sudzha: Russia retakes Sudzha and most of the Kursk salient in March 2025; Moscow declares Kursk 'liberated' on 26 April.
• 13 Apr 2025, Sumy missile strike on Palm Sunday: Two Russian Iskander missiles hit central Sumy, killing 35 civilians.
• 16 May 2025, Istanbul direct talks: Russia and Ukraine hold the first direct talks in three years; prisoner exchanges agreed, no ceasefire.
• 25 Oct 2025, Battle of Kostiantynivka: Russia assaults the southern gate of the Donbas fortress belt from 25 Oct 2025. Contested city; Russia claimed capture on 3 July 2026, Ukraine denied it.
• 26 Oct 2025, Battle of Kupiansk: Russia claims Kupiansk on 20 Nov 2025; Ukraine counterattacks and announces the city cleared on 12 Jan 2026.
• 20 Nov 2025, US 28-point peace plan: US draft plan leaks; Ukrainians and Europeans object to territorial and military-cap terms; negotiations continue in Geneva, Florida and Moscow.
• 1 Dec 2025, Pokrovsk falls to Russia: Russian milbloggers claim Pokrovsk on 22 Nov and the MoD on 1 Dec 2025; ISW later confirms Russian control, ending the offensive for the city.
• 21 Dec 2025, Siversk captured: Ukraine's General Staff confirms withdrawal from Siversk on 23 Dec; ISW assesses it fell by 21 Dec after 41 months of fighting.
• 8 Jan 2026, Oreshnik strike on Lviv: Russia hits the Lviv region with an Oreshnik missile.
• 12 Jan 2026, Kupiansk cleared by Ukraine: Ukrainian officials announce complete clearing of Kupiansk and recovery of the city council building.
• 6 Feb 2026, Huliaipole captured: Geolocated footage shows Russian forces took Huliaipole, ending the Huliaipole offensive that began in September 2025.
• 11 Feb 2026, 2026 Ukrainian counteroffensive: Counterattacks near Huliaipole and Oleksandrivka retake villages in Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts; about 745 km2 by August per Zelenskyy.
• 1 Apr 2026, Russia claims all of Luhansk Oblast: Russian MoD says it has seized all of Luhansk Oblast; Ukrainian officials deny it.
• 11 Apr 2026, Orthodox Easter truce: 32-hour truce from 11 Apr 13:00 UTC, proposed by Zelenskyy; Ukraine reports 7,696 violations.
• 9 May 2026, Victory Day truce and POW swap: Trump announces a three-day truce on 9-11 May and a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange.
• 15 May 2026, Kherson 'Highway of Death' strikes: Ukrainian drones destroy dozens of Russian supply vehicles on the R-280 highway in Kherson Oblast, mid-to-late May.
• 18 May 2026, Ukraine retakes Stepnohirsk: HUR claims Ukrainian forces retook Stepnohirsk in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
• 3 Jul 2026, Russia claims Kostiantynivka: Russia announces full capture on 3 July; Ukraine rejects it and both sides hold positions in the city.
• 21 Jul 2026, Syrskyi replaced as commander-in-chief: Zelenskyy dismisses Oleksandr Syrskyi and appoints Mykhailo Drapatyi; defence minister Fedorov was dismissed on 15 July.
• 22 Aug 2026, Russia retakes Rodynske: Russian forces retake Rodynske in Donetsk Oblast.
• 5 Sep 2026, Witkoff and Kushner meet Putin: US envoys meet Putin in Moscow on 5 Sept, then visit Kyiv on 6 Sept under a temporary 72-hour pause on strikes on capitals.
• 15 Sep 2026, Operation Vivaldi: Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps confirms counteroffensive to clear Russian forces from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and the salient northwest of Lyman.
• 18 Sep 2026, Russian Duma vote in occupied territories: Voting in occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and Crimea since late August, ending 20 Sept; Kyiv calls it illegal.
• 24 Sep 2026, Massive missile attack on Kyiv: Ballistic and Zircon missiles in three waves; Ukraine intercepts about 60% of ballistic missiles.
• 30 Sep 2026, Russia claims Dobropillia; Ukraine holds: Russian MoD claims capture of Dobropillia; ISW and Ukrainian command say Ukrainian forces repelled the attack.