Dozens of missiles rained on cities all over Ukraine before dawn, meeting strong resistance straightaway, proving that – unlike Putin had famously vowed – Ukraine will not fall by the end of the week.
In 2023, Russia redirected its focus on entirely crippling Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and leaving millions of people without electricity during the harsh eastern winter.
Ukraine itself holds several thousand square miles of Russian land, in the border region of Kursk, which it invaded in 2024 to potentially trade during future negotiations for peace.
Russia made steady advances in 2024 as Ukraine grappled with dwindling military aid as Western leaders debated what weapons should be allowed for use in the war.
Away from territory gains, 3.6 million people have been displaced within Ukraine, and another 6.5 million have fled abroad.
