Our last Map of the day in the 21st Century Conflicts Series for the Year 2022 focuses on the war in Ukraine, a tragic and brutal episode in the history of Europe that started on February 24, 2022 after years of acrimony between Ukraine and Russia.
While Russia initially accepted the independence of Ukraine of 1991, even signing a treaty that guaranteed the territorial integrity of its neighbour, the relationship between both countries gradually deteriorated as Ukraine showed signs of political and economic independence. Vladimir Putin, who succeeded Boris Yeltsin as President of Russia, exercised great influence on the Eastern and Southern regions of Ukraine, which were both economically and culturally closer to Russia, which created a real split between pro- and anti-Russian factions in Ukrainian politics. The deposition of a pro-Russian president by the Ukrainian parliament in 2014 led Russia to intervene and unilaterally annex Crimea, a remote region with historical ties to Russia. At the same time, two separatist entities in the East of the country declared independence with massive military help from Russia.
A low grade warfare between the Russian-backed entities and the central Ukrainian government prevailed for eight years, until the Russian president convinced himself and his military command that they could overthrow the government in Kyiv in a matter of days. After a brief period of intense preparation, Russia attacked Ukraine on three fronts, quickly gaining ground in rural areas. The urban warfare that followed proved far more problematic for Russia, with a degree of political unity and armed resistance from the Ukrainian population that far exceeded any Russian or international specialists' predictions. Despite extreme artillery destruction and very harsh treatment of civilian populations by the occupying army, the Ukrainian armed forces were able to stop the advance and started making substantial gains by the late summer.
As of December 9, 2022, Russia occupies about one fifth of Ukraine, the Ukrainian army is attempting to break through highly fortified defence lines, and there is no sign of a ceasefire in sight.
Ukraine in 2022
