The War Between Russia and Ukraine: The First Three Weeks
The War Between Russia and Ukraine: The First Three Weeks
Written by Kathryn Golding
April 7, 2022
February 24, 2022. In the early hours of morning in Moscow, or the late hours of the night in the US, Putin announced Russia would start special military operations in Ukraine. It was not entirely surprising when special reports showed up on TV, interrupting shows with the grim news of war. Headlines detailing the mounting tension between the two countries had taken over most news platforms. Though many were beginning to expect an invasion, the news still came as a shock to most.
Russia and Ukraine have a long history together, much of which isn’t positive. Since World War II, during which much of the western part of Ukraine was under Nazi control, Ukraine has had split opinions on Russia. The West disliked the neighboring country, while many in the East were pro-Russian. This sentiment stayed and became more noticeable in the last few weeks, during which two separatist regions in the Donbas Region of Ukraine, situated in the East, declared their independence as Russian troops continued to amass near the border. Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized their independence and moved troops into the regions, creating a peak in the tension. Not long after, Putin announced he would start military operations in Ukraine.
The First Week (February 24–March 2)
During the early hours of February 24, 2022, in Ukraine, citizens were just starting to wake up as Russian soldiers passed the border. In the early morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin made an announcement in which he claimed he would be moving forward with special military operations in Ukraine. He wanted to “denazify” Ukraine after accusing the country of the genocide of eight million Russians. He claimed Ukraine’s government was infested with Neo-Nazis, despite the fact that Ukraine’s president, Vlodymyr Zelenskyy, is Jewish. While there are Neo-Nazi organizations, such as the Azov Battalion, they do not hold much power.
Tension regarding the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO, an organization meant to promote peace and freedom, had led to the buildup of Russian troops along Ukraine’s border. Russia and NATO do not have a great history, with part of NATO’s creation being to watch out on the Soviet Union, so Russia had many concerns about Ukraine joining. Because NATO positions soldiers in its countries for defensive reasons, an action that looks threatening to Russia, Putin didn’t want another neighboring country to join the organization. Joining NATO would also make it more likely that Ukraine could get nuclear weapons, which, due to the country’s location, could be strategically aimed at Moscow, the capital of Russia, and reach the city very quickly.
As Ukrainians woke up to war, many in Kyiv hopped into cars to flee the capital, which they believed would be attacked the hardest. A long line of cars just barely moving could be seen on the roads leading out of the city, with the roads leading into the city completely empty. Journalists reporting live from the city claimed they could already hear explosions from far off.
The Russian soldiers started moving in from the area where they had been practicing military drills in the weeks before they were ordered to invade. They used missiles to target military bases and other important buildings. Many soldiers were met with stronger opposition from the Ukrainians than they had anticipated. A clip of an old woman offering a Russian soldier sunflower seeds saying “take these seeds and put them in your pockets so that at least sunflowers grow when you die on our soil” (Ukraine, 2022) went viral as stories of the Ghost of Kyiv, a Ukrainian airman who is said to have taken down six Russian jets, were told. It is uncertain if the Ghost of Kyiv is real, but many Ukrainian civilians have also taken up arms to defend their country. A young couple married and volunteered in Ukraine’s military shortly after the invasion was announced so they could be together as they defended their country.
The US and EU imposed many sanctions on Russia, many so strong they’ve greatly affected Russia’s economy. Most trading with Russia became extremely limited, and the country has been locked out from SWIFT, an international banking system. The value of the Russian currency, the ruble, decreased greatly as a result. Even Switzerland joined in on sanctioning Russia, agreeing to use the EU sanctions. Not only does this block major Russian officials from their bank accounts, it also ends Switzerland’s historic neutrality. As Russia continued the invasion, more sanctions were created.
After many sanctions were put into place, Russia announced it would be putting its nuclear deterrent forces on high alert. This move concerned many, as it suggested nuclear weapons may be brought into the war. After spotting out the many similarities between the start of this war and World War II, some have expressed concerns that Putin, who is already old, has very little to lose by nuking a country. Nuking a country would not seem like such a bad thing to do without the fear of death to hold you back, they argued. Even when such an action comes with extremely grave consequences, for a man who may already be near the end of his life, such consequences may not seem severe enough to not use nukes, keeping the concern high.
Some countries, such as Sweden, sent soldiers into Ukraine in small groups meant to blend in. This was to provide support to Ukraine without “interfering” like Putin said, which he claimed would have “consequences you have never seen” (PBS, 2022, para. 1). The EU claimed it would send fighter jets to Ukraine, though it does not look like the plan was followed through.
In response to the invasion, major landmarks across the world were seen lit up with the blue and yellow colors of Ukraine’s flag. People gathered at their country’s capitals with Ukrainian flags and protest signs as some social media users changed their profile pictures to Ukraine’s flag. Red paint and eggs were thrown at Russian embassies, where protest signs of Putin with Hitler’s mustache were posted. Protests against the invasion of Ukraine even showed up in Russia, where thousands were detained for showing anti-war views and supporting Ukraine.
China and other countries that typically supported Russia’s moves did not comment or show support for the invasion of Ukraine, putting Russia in a rough position. In a UN meeting, only five countries voted against stopping the war between Russia and Ukraine, and many of Russia’s normal allies remained neutral on the topic.
As Russians attempted to take cities in Ukraine, the Ukrainians fought back hard. The resistance was much stronger than Putin had anticipated. Warriors sprouted up among citizens and Ukrainian soldiers, holding off the Russians and making surprising victories that bruised Russia’s prideful military identity.
Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Lit Up With the Colors of Ukraine's Flag to Show Support
The Second Week (March 3–March 10)
The number of Ukrainians fleeing their country had increased dramatically after Russian soldiers started to affect the Ukrainians’ access to fresh supplies. The number reached 1.7 million, according to the UN. Many Ukrainians escaped to Poland, which has been trying to help Ukrainians reach safety. Refugee centers sprouted up along the border to house those fleeing the invasion. Other countries, such as Germany and Hungary, have shelters set up for Ukrainian refugees.
The Pentagon claimed some Russian soldiers were “surrendering or sabotaging vehicles” to help Ukraine (NYT, 2022, para. 1). On social media platforms like TikTok, videos of Ukrainian soldiers, identifiable by the yellow armband on their left arms, were seen showing Ukrainians taking over Russian military trucks. A truck was seen hooking onto an abandoned Russian tank and dragging it away.
Some young Russians who were captured and became Prisoners of War spoke of how they were only told they were doing military drills. Ukraine announced it was willing to release Russian POWs so long as their mothers come to the country to pick them up. Some Russian soldiers have also tried to de-escalate interactions with Ukrainians. In addition to the videos of buildings being blown up and towns torn to pieces, many videos show interactions with Russian soldiers that do not involve violence. At the same time stories of Russian soldiers killing innocent civilians were going around, so were stories of Russians talking to Ukrainians and attempting to de-escalate the conversation. Some claim they do not know why they are even there.
Damage in Mariupol, a Port City
One video showed a Russian ship asking Georgians for more fuel, as they were running low on it. The Russians pleaded for fuel and told the Georgians to put aside politics when they brought up the situation with Ukraine. The Georgians refused. Russian soldiers have not received much kindness in their interactions with those from other countries.
Russians who protested the war and were arrested in Russia were threatened with being sent to the front lines. Even with the threat and the police crack down on protests, anti-war protests have since intensified as Russian military actions extend to harming more and more civilians.
Russians targeted a nuclear power plant in Ukraine, hitting the buildings with shelling and igniting fires. Many world leaders condemned the attack, as the nuclear power plant is said to provide a quarter of Ukraine’s power and a nuclear explosion could be “ten times the strength of Chernobyl” (Picheta, 2022, para. 19). The plant was later seized by Russian soldiers and kept mostly stable. Some US officials called the attack on the plant a war crime while Zelenskyy said it could mean “the end of Europe” if the nuclear plant was to explode.
Putin announced that he viewed the sanctions on Russia, which have significantly harmed Russia’s economy, as “equivalent to a declaration of war” (Bella, 2022, para. 1) as Russian news reporting spoke of ways Europe and the US could be nuked. Russia also put in place a fake news law that effectively got rid of the freedom of the press, making it illegal to write in support of Ukraine.
Russia offered a ceasefire to Ukraine that would allow Ukrainians a chance to evacuate to Russia or Belarus, but Ukraine rejected the offer. Russia claimed it would be with “humanitarian corridors” to which a Ukrainian official called it propaganda. Many Ukrainians viewed it as an attempt to manipulate other world leaders by minimizing the brutal look Russia has acquired.
A vast number of brands and companies stopped their operations in Russia. Social media platforms to furniture stores started leaving the country to show they don’t support war. Netflix, Apple, Adidas, Ikea, and many designer brands are some of these. TikTok, owned by a Chinese company, announced it won’t allow new posts from Russian creators. Some sports organizations also started pulling out of Russia and Belarus, the country that allowed Russian troops to get closer to Ukraine’s border. Brands that have not pulled out of Russia faced some criticism until they finally stopped operations there. Russians started panic-buying Ikea products and McDonald’s before the companies left completely.
Russia tried to defend bombing a maternity hospital in Mariupol, claiming it was a secret military base. Ukraine said three were killed in the attack and many more injured. Zelenskyy called the attack on the hospital a war crime as he continued to not shy away from the war, consistently meeting with world leaders and addressing his nation with empowering messages during the rough time of invasion.
By the end of the second week of the war, Russia had kept pushing forward as Ukraine pushed back. Ukraine was able to slow down the takeover of cities and protect the capital Kyiv as Russia increased its missile targets, widening the range to include hospitals.
The Third Week (March 11–March 17)
Early in the week, a Russian missile hit a Ukrainian military base just twelve miles from the Polish border, elevating the concern of other European countries getting involved. That concern had been heightened as the invasion continued with only small victories for the Russians. Nuke concerns have also increased, as some worry Russia might use something more drastic to regain the strong military image it had before the invasion.
Russia considered keeping a US astronaut stranded in space, though officials eventually stated that the astronaut would have a safe return. A Russian government official also stated that the US should give Russia the US state of Alaska, though there were no more major comments on the topic. Many Russian officials have been making comments about ways Russia could save its image and get back at those who placed heavy sanctions on the country, though not many claims are taken seriously.
Biden called Putin a “war criminal” when asked by the press if he viewed the Russian leader as such. Zelenskyy stated that he believed World War III may have already started with the invasion of Ukraine. He also warned foreign leaders that Russia has used chemical weapons, which can be considered a war crime.
Russia called on China for military and financial aid, which China has seemed hesitant to provide. The US issued a strict warning that China should not get involved with the war in Ukraine, and China announced it would not be sending any weapons to Russia or supporting the invasion that way. News reporters in China also seemed hesitant to refer to the invasion of Ukraine as an invasion, choosing other words instead.
Many Ukrainians in Kherson, a port city that is currently occupied by Russian soldiers, found ways to protest their occupation. People waved their country’s flag and spread anti-war messages, creating a resistance movement against the Russians. The Russian soldiers occupying the city did not respond well.
Throughout Russia, anti-war videos and spam websites were set up to reach Russians with information about the war in Ukraine. Many Russians only have access to the state-controlled media, so this provided a way for them to hear from the outside.
Zelenskyy showed congress an emotional video detailing Ukraine before and after the invasion, pleading for help. The UN called for an end to the Russian invasion, though Russia did not slow down any of its military operations there.
Russian missiles struck an old theater in Ukraine, where many children were staying for shelter. Outside of the building, in Russian, the word “children” was written in large letters in the dirt. Russian officials claimed a far-right group had blown up the theater, not the Russian soldiers. Ukraine claims the building of innocent citizens was targeted by the Russian soldiers fighting in the area.
Talks continued between Russian and Ukrainian officials as fighting continued throughout the country. Zelenskyy repeatedly said he was willing to talk in an attempt to stop further damage in Ukraine. Fighting continued in cities like Mariupol, a major sea port, as the Ukrainians continued to hold off the Russians. Russian advances made progress at a slower rate.
As the third week of the war came to an end, Ukraine suffered heavier losses but was able to hold off and push back against the Russian soldiers in some major cities. The Ukrainians remained strong as they defended their country, causing the Russian soldiers to face more losses.
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