The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, was on a working trip to the Donetsk region, where he met with the Ukrainian servicemen who are defending the city of Bakhmut. The Head of State visited the frontline positions of one of the mechanized brigades, the personnel of which is confronting the enemy on the approaches to the city. The President listened to the commander's report on the operational situation, logistical support and proposals for further actions. (Photo: The Ukrainian Presidential Office)
On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has likely resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An estimated 8 million Ukrainians were displaced within their country by late May and million fled the country by 8 November 2022, while Russia, within five weeks of the invasion, experienced its greatest emigration since the 1917 October Revolution. Following the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution, Russia annexed Crimea, and Russian-backed paramilitaries seized part of the Donbas region of south-eastern Ukraine, which consists of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, sparking a regional war. In March 2021, Russia began a large military build-up along its border with Ukraine, eventually amassing up to 190,000 troops and their equipment. Despite the build-up, denials of plans to invade or attack Ukraine were issued by various Russian government officials up to the day before the invasion. On 21 February 2022, Russia recognised the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic, two self-proclaimed breakaway quasi-states in the next day, the Federation Council of Russia authorised the use of military force and Russian troops entered both territories. The invasion began on the morning of 24 February 2022. when Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" aiming for the "demilitarisation" and "denazification" of Ukraine. In his address, Putin espoused irredentist views,challenged Ukraine's right to statehood, and falsely claimed Ukraine was governed by neo-Nazis who persecuted the ethnic Russian minority. Minutes later, Russian strikes and a large ground invasion were launched on a northern front from Belarus towards Kyiv, a north-eastern front towards Kharkiv, a southern front from Crimea.
Size: 6000px × 4002px
Location: Bakhmut, Donetsk, Ukraine
Photo credit: © American Photo Archive / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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