Russo-Ukrainian War Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Russo-Ukrainian War

Map of the military situation

Date	20 February 2014 - present
Location	Ukraine (and some areas in Russia)
Result	Ongoing

Belligerents

Russia
Donetsk People's Republic
Luhansk People's Republic

Supported by:

Belarus

Ukraine

The Russo-Ukrainian War is an ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. It started in February 2014. This war involves fighting over land and power between the two countries.

History
Impact
Images for kids
See also

History

In early 2014, large protests in Ukraine, called Euromaidan, led to the removal of President Viktor Yanukovych. Soon after, some people in southeastern Ukraine protested in favor of Russia. Most of the protests were in the Donbas region. A survey in March–April 2014 showed that many people in Donbas wanted some form of separation from Ukraine.

On February 27, 2014, armed men seized government buildings and set up checkpoints in Crimea. They then cut off Crimea from the rest of Ukraine. A pro-Russian government was put in place. This new government announced a vote on Crimea's status. The vote was held on March 16, 2014, with the majority being in favor of joining Russia. Russia officially took Crimea on March 18, 2014. Ukrainian troops were then ordered to leave.

In April 2014, armed groups took over towns in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region. They declared two new states, the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR). This started the Donbas war. In early 2022, Russia officially recognized the DPR and LPR as independent.

By the end of July 2014, Ukrainian forces were pushing into cities and trying to regain control of the border. By August 2014, Ukrainian forces had taken back much of the territory.

On September 5, 2014, the Minsk Protocol was signed. This agreement set a ceasefire line between Ukraine and the separatist-controlled areas. Despite the ceasefire, fighting continued.

Damage from a Russian rocket attack on Mariupol in January 2015

A new peace plan, called Minsk II, was agreed on February 12, 2015. However, fighting never completely stopped, even with many attempts at ceasefires. The conflict became a static trench warfare, with artillery fights and special operations.

On February 24, 2022, Putin announced a "special military operation" in Ukraine. He said Russia wanted to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine, and that it had no plans to take over the country. Many countries around the world strongly disagreed with this invasion. They placed economic restrictions on Russia and sent help to Ukraine, including supplies and military equipment.

Russia tried to capture Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, but faced strong resistance and pulled back in April 2022. Later in 2022, Ukrainian forces started to take back land in the northeast and south. In September 2022, Russia announced it was taking over four more regions of Ukraine, but most countries did not accept this. Since then, both sides have fought hard, gaining only small areas of land. The fighting has also spread into parts of Russia.

Impact

The war caused the largest refugee crisis in Europe since the 1990s. The UN said it was the fastest-growing crisis since World War II. Over a million refugees fled Ukraine in the first week. By September 2022, over 7.4 million had fled, though some later returned.

Russia's actions were widely condemned by other countries. The United Nations General Assembly demanded Russia withdraw its forces. The International Court of Justice ordered Russia to stop military operations. The Council of Europe expelled Russia. Many countries placed new economic restrictions on Russia. They also sent humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine.

The conflict has damaged relations between Russia and NATO, a group of European and North American countries that help defend each other.

Images for kids

Leaders from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine signing an agreement in 1991
People protesting in Kyiv during the Orange Revolution in 2004
People protesting in Kyiv's Independence Square in December 2013
Pro-Russian protest in Donetsk in April 2014
Movements of the Russian military to Ukraine's borders and into Crimea in February–March 2014
Russian troops surrounding a Ukrainian military base in Perevalne in March 2014
Russian-aligned troops occupying the Sloviansk city administration building in April 2014
Russian commander Igor 'Strelkov' Girkin, who said he started the Donbas conflict in April 2014
Ukrainian soldiers in the Donbas region in August 2014
Map showing Ukrainian response to Russian actions in April–May 2014
Map of the conflict's progress from June–August 2014
Russian-backed forces attacking Iloviask in August 2014
Map of the ceasefire line from the Minsk Protocol in September 2014
The ruined control tower of Donetsk International Airport in December 2014
Pro-Russian rebels in Donetsk in May 2015
Damage from a Russian rocket attack on Mariupol in January 2015
A pro-Russian rebel near Donetsk in May 2015
OSCE observers watching Ukrainian heavy weapons being moved in March 2015
Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko inspecting positions at the frontline in June 2016
A US intelligence map showing Russian military movement near the Ukrainian border in December 2021
Animated map of Russia's invasion of Ukraine through December 5, 2022
Major Russian natural gas pipelines to Europe
A Moscow rally in March 2022, officially called "For a world without Nazism"
The NATO-Russia Council meeting in January 2022 to discuss the crisis
Russian cruiser Moskva at Sevastopol Bay in 2012
Kim Jong Un and Putin meeting in 2023, where Kim supported Russia's "sacred fight" against the West
Territorial control in Ukraine and nearby areas of Russia as of July 2025
American president Joe Biden with a Ukrainian refugee in Warsaw in March 2022

Russo-Ukrainian War facts for kids

Contents

History

Impact

Images for kids

See also